Outdoor Learning
Emma’s Garden: In Memory of Emma Quirke (1978 – 2023)
In September 2024, Pinner Wood proudly opened Emma’s Garden—a heartfelt tribute to Emma Quirke, cherished by her family, friends, and the school community she touched so deeply.
Emma was a true Pinner Wood superhero, embodying the school's core value: the "Heart of the Community." As Chair of the PTA for over eight years, she organised countless events—fairs, quiz nights, and her personal favourite, the Halloween Disco. When chalk mines were discovered beneath the school in 2016, forcing a six-month relocation, Emma was the glue that held us together. She rallied the community, lifting spirits, and when we returned in 2017, she orchestrated an unforgettable celebration complete with stilt walkers and puppeteers.
Emma’s passion was inclusivity, making sure every event was welcoming to all. As one of Pinner Wood’s first parent ambassadors, she volunteered tirelessly, running weekly conversation classes for families new to English, offering support and friendship over a cup of tea.
Above all, Emma was a devoted mum to Sophie, Issy, and Abi, a loving wife to Tony, and a beloved daughter to Hazel. Her family was everything to her, and she was one of a kind- an inspiration to many.
A keen gardener, Emma dreamed of transforming a disused forest area at the school into a garden for everyone to enjoy. Her vision began taking shape in 2020, and thanks to the hard work of our Site Team, Deputy Head and a team of community gardeners, it has now become a reality. Over the years, the garden has grown to include a pond, fire pit, stages, and cabins. With the support of Emma’s family and friends, it has continued to flourish—becoming a place of calm, beauty, and reflection, loved by all who visit.
In February 2017, Emma was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. Despite the devastating news, she faced it with courage, never stepping back from her role. Even after gruelling rounds of chemotherapy, she could still be found at the school, organising events with her signature sense of fun, laughter, and warmth.
Emma touched countless lives with her energy, enthusiasm, and “can-do” spirit. While her absence is deeply felt, her legacy will live on through Emma’s Garden—a place where her spirit will continue to bring joy for years to come.
Thank you, Emma, for everything. You were, and always will be, our very own Betty Bee.
Emma's Garden
The seeds of our ‘Wonder Garden’ at Pinner Wood School were planted at the beginning of lockdown in March 2020. The garden has grown! It has grown into a bio-diverse, multi-faceted and aesthetically pleasing outdoor learning space. A space to breathe in, to think and to play in, a place for our community to share.
The Friends of Pinner Wood had the idea of somewhere quiet and contemplative for the children; this idea has blossomed into an interconnected set of spaces each with a different role, which includes a decked stage with circular seating for theatre in the round, a forest area with a pergola and fire pit (decorated by the families with painted pebbles), an orchard with adjoining meadow and recycled tractor tyres filled with vegetables and herbs that the children have grown.
The quiet area is filled with flowers with wisteria and clematis planted to clamber over the pergola, providing shade and seclusion. There are picnic tables made from recycled materials where the children can relax, chat and dream…
Thanks to The Woodland Trust, Orchards for Schools and The Tree Council, new hedgerow borders the Forest School area and we have planted an orchard of fruit trees including apple, cherry, pear and fig.
A strip of field has been gently tilled, and the children have scattered meadow seeds which are growing well into a visually pleasing swathe which moves and ripples in the gentle breeze. This also provides a valuable and lively feeding ground for insects, birds and other pollinators.
Parents have generously donated trees, shrubs, bulbs, seeds, garden equipment and bedding plants. We have a seasonal Saturday Gardening Club where families can come and garden with their children and enjoy being outside together.
Staff now have Inset and meetings in the garden and a team of keen gardeners in years 5 and 6 water and tend the plants each day.
Our school was chosen by The Tree Council to feature in their film which followed a day of learning, and which will be shown at online film festivals this summer. We have also had an oracy workshop with The Speakers Trust and have entered a speech competition for ‘Speaking up for Trees and Nature’. The garden really has opened a new (green) door for the school.
Future plans? We have already done so much in a very short time, but we’re not finished; perhaps we will never finish… Future plans include an outdoor classroom which will arrive in September, some more circular seating and raised beds (expected soon). Metal, wood, rubber and recycled plastic have been chosen specifically along with re-used and reclaimed items (tyres, repurposed gates, concrete reinforcement mesh, a container conversion) in line with our school community sustainability aim. Coming soon will be a raised pond and a tepee.
It really is a garden full of wonder……….
Forest School at Pinner Wood School
The children in Early Years at Pinner Wood School have regular sessions in our onsite Forest School area. This gives children a chance to explore learning in an outdoor setting, whilst also learning about the importance of taking care of our wonderful environment!
Our activities include;
Exploring our senses
Seeing environmental changes throughout the seasons
Bird watching
Mud painting
Den building
Bug hunting
Exploring flowers, plants and trees
Looking for signs of local wildlife
Taking care of insects
Forest School promotes well-being, is confidence building and develops team building skills.
The children learn rules promoting health and wellbeing, such as ‘no pick’ or ‘no lick’, walking carefully on uneven ground, risk taking and the importance of hand washing on return from the session.
Our sessions often link to work we are doing in class, such as story-telling or understanding the world. For example, in Autumn 1, we have been learning about the story ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ by Michael Rosen. The children enjoyed exploring the different ‘settings’ and using these to retell the story.
