About our Forest School Training - in England and Scotland
Our Forest School training has become synonymous with professional development for teachers, youthworkers, playworkers and rangers alike and offers an optimum combination of practical and tool skills, woodland and ecological management, leadership and risk evaluation and the application of learning theory.
We deliver our training in a 'forest school way':
over time
in an achievable format
with support
Applying Forest School to your School/Organisation
All Forest Schools must be led by a qualified Level 3 Leader. This qualification takes about a year to obtain and involves delivering 6 practice sessions.
Planning ahead is vital if Forest School is to be a success in any establishment. It is worth considering how to apply Forest School within your setting (by year group, underperforming students, to support transitions, etc) and who is best placed to be involved in this process.
Many schools have found that approaching the Forest School training from a team perspective particularly useful:
A typical model is 1 leader (full level 3), 1 x assistant (modules 1 & 2) and maybe 1 at level 1 (module 1).
Not all of the staff working at Forest School need to be teachers and in many respects not being class committed makes preparation and delivery of Forest School much easier. The entry requirements will provide some guidance on this front .
One final point worth bearing in mind is access to a site to deliver Forest School. School grounds can be a good starting point, however getting children off-site into a woodland is the best for Forest School.
Some farms have woodland and are accessible for Forest School via Educational Access (access has to be booked with the owner and is free). See Natural England Website >
Forest School Networking
In order to maintain our high standards we are an active member of the Forest School Training Network which strives to set common standards and share best practice.
We work closely with the national FSA to promote good practice, cohesion and quality Forest School for all.
We encourage students to link up with their local FSA affiliated group if there is one in their area. These groups offer the opportunity to meet other Forest School practitioners, share practice, skills and ideas. Groups also often offer CPD training opportunities.
What makes our training special?
we have a long history of delivering Forest School training
direct observation of Forest School practice (at Level 3) - we visit students in their own setting, working with their own group of children, to carry out what we see as the most important assessment of the training
we have devised the new modular format for Forest School training - this is run over short 2-day modules each one progressing onto the next and enabling students to choose to pace their training as it suits them
It is clear from the testimonials we receive that many of our students complete their training feeling empowered to use the outdoors for learning and often feeling re-inspired about their own existing professional practice.
