Inherent or intentional? Conceptualising intergenerational forest school practice according to practitioners’ perspectives

Forest schools have become increasingly common globally and in the United Kingdom, and many forest school providers offer intergenerational sessions. However, there is a lack of clarity regarding how forest school practitioners conceptualise and operationalise intergenerational practice. In this qualitative interview study, we sought to understand the perspectives of nine practitioners across the UK who run intergenerational forest school sessions in different settings, following different criteria. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed three themes which reflect the practitioners’ varied understandings of what constitutes intergenerational practice: deliberately connecting two generations for the benefit of both; forest school is inherently intergenerational and innately inclusive; and whether inherent or deliberate, some considerations are needed. This study is amongst the first to explore how intergenerational forest school practice is understood and carried out and aims to encourage forest school practitioners to reflect on how intergenerational interactions appear, or are cultivated, in their own settings.