A TREE stump is what I use as a makeshift stool in class, but with the whole forest at our fingertips we are not sitting down for long.

I expect Phil Davies, Forest School Leader at Gosfield School, to start us off with a lesson plan for the hour.

Instead he asks the 11 children what they would like to do for the day. Some say they have no idea and he is fine with that, others say they want to climb the tallest tree in the forest, and he is fine with that also.

This is the beauty of a Forest School - instead of the ringing of school bells and suffocating in stuffy classrooms, the children use their senses for discovery.

Mr Davies said: "The whole theory behind it is that it is child led, some of these guys had never climbed a tree because of the world they live in.

"I teach them how to take risks, I'm never going to say no to climbing trees.

"Without them knowing I'm leading them in the right direction but it's like the rules of the forest, there are natural boundaries."

I asked him if he saw himself as the Bear Grylls of education, and he soon put me straight.

"It isn't camp craft like Bear Grylls- this is what I did with my kids, we are allowing them to be children again," he said.

Lucy Jones, Suki Sharager, and Olivia Gibbons, all aged 10, and Hattie Waugh, nine, were hanging from a tyre tied in between two trees.

When asked whether they preferred the forest or the classroom, they said: "We play games on the tyre and pretend it's a house.

"It's about being helpful looking after the bugs and it's our own free time.

"Usually the boys come back quite muddy, but it's about knowing your own boundaries.

"When you're in a class there are rules but here there are none and it makes us happier."

Government plans to introduce national tests for seven-year-olds has raised concerns about an obsession with exams.

For George Bowers, Sam Hope and Zach Matthews, all aged 10, and Harry Durrant, nine, they much prefer the freedom of the forest.

They said: "We go to our den and get buckets full of water to water the plants.

"We like the fact it's free play, we can just go crazy and run around all day."

Mr Davies said the boys take longer to outgrow the 'messing about' stage, but said it is the best lesson in life.

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He said: "It is still learning, it's a release and no one is going to tell them off for shouting and screaming.

"It's very tribal- you notice all the things you take for granted."

When Mr Davies howls, the children loyally regroup around the fire, where they have hot chocolate and make music with sticks to end the lesson.

The school has 110 acres of their own private ground, which is one of its greatest assets used by children up to Year 8.

Dr Sarah Welch, Principal of Gosfield School, said: “We hear so much nowadays about children stuck inside looking at screens all day, but here they are not only learning about nature and experiencing the great outdoors but also building vital skills: communication, teamwork and risk-taking.

"It is wonderful to see how much pupils of all ages enjoy Forest School and how much they gain from it.”

During classroom time the children can feel indoctrinated, but when I hear them saying "thank you, Grandma Oak" whilst leaving the forest, it is clear there is a genuine appreciation for nature that has by no means been drilled in.