Foucault and power: UK forest school as a socially constructed space for early years teachers and forest school leaders

This paper examines power dynamics between early years teachers and Forest School leaders within the Forest School environment, drawing upon a Foucauldian perspective. Building upon Maynard’s (2007) work, the study explores encounters with Foucault's ideas in UK Forest School context to unravel socio-cultural dynamics and investigate how educators negotiate complex power relations. Four participants, comprising two early years teachers and two Forest School leaders, engaged in weekly Forest School sessions with their reception class, that is, children aged 4-5 years over the period of one year. Through thematic analysis, distinct themes of power dynamics, reimagining learning environments, and risk and resilience emerged. Adopting a Foucauldian lens sheds light on challenges encountered by educators in outdoor settings, revealing inherent power dynamics. This study contributes to discourse on theory-practice integration in outdoor education, emphasising the potential for Foucauldian analysis to deepen understanding of power relations within Forest School settings.