A Professional Path Grounded in Practice
Christopher Aspinall is an international educator based in Thailand, currently serving as Head of Year 1 at Rugby School Thailand. With a background in innovative education and early years leadership, his work spans classroom teaching, programme development, and outdoor learning practice.
Alongside his professional role, Christopher is also a parent of two children attending the same school. This dual perspective allows him to engage with education from both institutional and family viewpoints, reinforcing his commitment to creating learning environments that support children academically, socially, and emotionally.
Academic Foundations and Professional Growth
Christopher holds a Master of Science in Innovative Education (M.S.IET) from European International University – Paris. He has been working at Rugby School Thailand for the past four years and currently serves as Head of Year 1.
During his postgraduate studies, he led the design and successful implementation of a Forest School programme from the ground up. Working collaboratively with colleagues and senior leadership, this initiative became a significant milestone in his professional journey, linking academic study with applied educational practice.
“Studying for my M.S.IET at EIU strengthened my reflective practice and encouraged me to design learning that is purposeful, creative, and learner-centred. It directly influenced my work in developing a forest school programme from scratch, embedding inquiry, wellbeing, and real-world learning into daily practice.”
Guiding Development in the Early Years
As Head of Year 1, Christopher works closely with young learners at a formative stage of development. His role enables him to shape learning experiences that emphasise engagement, curiosity, and confidence-building, both inside and beyond the classroom.
His responsibilities are further informed by his experience as a parent, offering additional insight into how children experience school life beyond formal instruction. This perspective strengthens his focus on building supportive, meaningful learning environments that respond to the developmental needs of young learners.
Forest School and Purposeful Outdoor Learning
Christopher’s journey from class teacher and Head of Year to Forest School practitioner reflects a sustained commitment to experiential education. Influenced by childhood experiences of climbing, building, exploring, and discovering the world through play, he recognises the lasting impact of outdoor learning on confidence, resilience, and creativity — qualities that continue to shape his professional philosophy.
For Christopher, Forest School represents more than outdoor activity; it is a purposeful and structured approach to learning through real experience. It creates space for children to take safe risks, work collaboratively, ask questions, and engage naturally with their environment. Away from screens and rigid structures, students develop independence, communication skills, emotional resilience, and a deeper connection with the natural world.
He believes outdoor education supports the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically, and academically — and seeks to design learning experiences that spark curiosity, build confidence, and encourage a lifelong love of learning grounded in authentic exploration.
Practice Informed by Reflection and Leadership
Christopher Aspinall’s professional practice reflects an ongoing alignment between academic study, leadership responsibility, and reflective teaching. His work illustrates how innovative education and outdoor learning can intersect to create environments that are structured yet exploratory, intentional yet adaptable.
As his Forest School practice continues to evolve, his focus remains on designing experiences that are research-informed, developmentally appropriate, and responsive to the needs of young learners.
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