YOUNGSTERS at a village primary school near Devizes had Chinese New Year brought close to home on Monday.

For teacher Sarah Pender had returned to Chirton Primary School in time for the celebration of the year of the monkey after three months on secondment in Shanghai.

Mrs Pender, who is the school's Forest School Leader, teaches outdoor classroom activities to pupils of all ages.

She was invited to work with China Forest School to set up outdoor learning principles in the very over-populated city of Shanghai.

She said: "It was a wonderful experience and really made me appreciate all the open space our children have available to them. In Shanghai there is little green space in such an over-populated city where land is like gold.

"The organisation China Forest School is the first of its kind in the whole of China and with a dedicated woodland on the outskirts of Shanghai were able to offer children the opportunity to benefit from forest school learning.

"Many of these children had never been in a wood and so were amazed at what they were experiencing. However, children are children wherever they are and Chinese children are no different deep down. They just want to get mucky, climb, build, explore and have fun.

"It was wonderful to be part of this new company enabling these indoor children to experience nature.”

She also worked closely with several international schools developing Forest School sites on their own limited grounds, using any available space. In one school she even developed a roof garden for sessions to take place.

Associate headteacher Amy Bekker-Wrench said "It is fabulous to have Mrs Pender back with us. She kept us up-dated regularly with her Chinese adventures whilst she was away and the children loved hearing all about life in Shanghai but we are so glad she is back at Chirton.

"The children have really missed their Forest School sessions and were delighted to get back out in the woods again to learn in this stimulating environment.

"Now that PIPS, Chirton Pre-school, are also offering Forest School provision, the children on our site are accessing Forest School Learning every week from the age of 2-11 years."