A FURNESS primary school has brought its forest school sessions back for the new term.

The pupils at Newton Primary School have one outdoor learning session each week, with the new starters and some of the nursery children experiencing the sessions for the first time.

Based on a national initiative to get children out of the class rooms and into the areas near to their schools, forest schools promote hands-on learning in a woodland or natural environment.

Headteacher Lisa Fell said: "The children love being outside, and instead of showing them a picture of something, they can learn better if they can go out and touch and feel it.

"We don't have woodland on site so we have to be creative, but we often go to places like Conishead Priory and Mill Wood and do different activities."

Forest schools started in Sweden in the 1950s and are now held all over the world, seeing children visit natural spaces to learn personal, social and technical skills.

At Newton School this week, children aged between three and 11 have been heading out into the playground, creating headbands from different grasses, going on a mini-beast hunt and learning about different animals.

As the year moves into the colder months, children will enjoy a range of activities based around the different seasons.

Mrs Fell continued: "The children have one forest school lesson a week outdoors, and we collect things that we can bring back to the class room where they will learn more about them.

"Things like the mini-beast hunts are popular because we learn the names of the bugs and we can observe what they do.

"There are lots of positives, and most of all it enhances their learning and allows the children to be really creative and imaginative. It brings learning to life."