Tiny Forest

On 25th of February 2022, with the support of Earthwatch UK, we planted our very own Tiny Forest at the rear of the school site. Thee whole school enjoyed a wonderful day of tree planting in our new Tiny Forest site. The sun shone down on us all day long, as the children planted 600 trees of various native varieties including Hazel, Birch, Cherry and many more. The team from Earthwatch UK, an environmental charity, were so impressed with the knowledge, behaviour and enthusiasm of our children, that they plan to extend this project to many other schools. We are fortunate enough to be the first site in Ealing to have such a Tiny Forest and only the third in London.

A Tiny Forest is a dense, fast growing native woodland of around 600 trees planted in an area the size
of a tennis court. It is rich in biodiversity, capable of attracting over 500 animal and plant species within the first 3 years. Tiny Forests aim to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, create a rich habitat to support urban wildlife and, in our case, to help reconnect children to the natural world and increase their awareness of the importance of us all to protect it.

As well as providing our children with an accessible green space it also provides an outdoor classroom area for them to be involved in the ongoing monitoring of scientific data to help understand how forests develop and quantify the climate benefits. Classes also use the area to support their curriculum learning especially in science and geography but outdoor learning can be beneficial across the whole curriculum. Every child at Hobbayne planted a tree on planting day, from Nursery up to Year 6. 

A big well done to all the children for getting involved and playing their part in improving their local environment. We are all looking forward to seeing our Tiny Forest site grow and develop in the coming years!​  (Mr Wright—Forest School Lead) The school is very grateful for all the hard work that Mr Wright has put into this project. This was his dream and he found a way to make it happen, demonstrating all our 6Rs! Ealing Council were so impressed with Mr Wright’s achievement that they sent a press team down with local councillors to share in the success of the project.