Level 3 Forest School Leader training

Endorsed by the Forest School Association

Organisation links
Location address: Sundial Cottage, Wilby
Chosen age group:

Ages: 19 - 99 years

Available tickets:
Including First Aid £1499Excluding First Aid £1399Pay by invoice Free
Next date: Monday 3rd Mar,
A summary
Forest School is a unique philosophy and approach to outdoor play and learning. It involves using the environment and natural resources as a setting and stimulus for learning. Forest School Leaders use teaching and learning strategies that are child-centred and aim to promote confidence, independence, empathy, social skills, self-esteem and intrinsic motivation. This course is for teachers, teaching assistants, youth leaders, play workers, early years practitioners, social workers, therapists and others who work or would like to work with groups in a nature-based outdoor learning context. Learners must be at least 19 years old to study this qualification. You will usually have prior experience working with your planned client group although we recognise transferrable skills. The Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification is equivalent to an A-Level standard and provides students with the skills and knowledge to risk assess, set up and manage a Forest School site. It enables students to plan and safely facilitate challenging, learner-led, Forest School programmes with a range of client groups in line with the Forest School ethos and principles. The training covers 5 units of study worth 18 credits at Level 3, requiring the planning and delivery of a 6-week ‘Introduction to Forest School’ programme and the completion of a portfolio of evidence which includes a group and site-specific handbook. Our course is verified by Liminalis Ltd. and accredited by ITC First. It takes approximately one year to complete.
About your mentors
Charlotte Atkinson
Connecting People with Nature
Charlotte has over 25 years’ experience of working with children, schools and families as a primary school teacher, headteacher, educational consultant, Forest School Leader and trainer. She is a qualified Level 3 Forest School practitioner with over 10 years' experience of leading Forest School sessions with children aged 2-11 years. Charlotte is a Forest School Association (FSA) endorsed trainer and trainer assessor. In addition to her Forest School expertise Charlotte is a qualified Forest Bathing guide, offers nature-based coaching and wellbeing sessions and is a Nordic Walking instructor; which are testament to her love of the outdoors!
Sarah Allington
Forest School leader and trainer
With a background in science research Sarah retrained as a Forest School leader when she discovered the magic of Forest School through her son who attending pre-school sessions. "I saw the impact it had on him and knew I wanted to learn more". Sarah completed her level 3 qualification 7 years ago and hasn't looked back, running sessions for toddlers, home ed children and families as well as adult sessions. Sarah is now completing her training to become a Forest School trainer and is excited about this next chapter!
Why train with us?
Our Level 3 Forest School Leader training is rooted in the ethos and principles of Forest School. Along your journey to becoming a qualified Forest School Leader Charlotte and Sarah will coach and support you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to set up and run programmes of Forest School in your school, setting or independently. Both tutors are skilled, highly qualified and have extensive experience of offering high quality training, resulting in a course that is fun, meaningful and promotes active learning. They recognise that the investment in Level 3 training is significant and ensure that students are in the right position to successfully complete the course. The course specialises in a small training group experience with individual attention and support. The training is flexible enough to meet the individual needs and is a fully immersive experience held entirely outdoors (weather permitting) in beautiful woodlands. Charlotte's Wood in Wilby is a genuine Forest School site, allowing trainees to gain an understanding of the practical considerations in setting up your own Forest School. Trainees also benefit from running their own Forest School session with local children which provides hands-on experience and practical preparation for to run your ‘Introduction to Forest School’ programme. The training is designed to provide extensive tutor support leading to very high completion rates. The course (and coursework) is split into manageable blocks with portfolio tutorials and workshops during the course where trainees can work collaboratively on written assignments with personalised support from the course tutors. Our course has been developed and improved over more than ten years of training Forest School Leaders and as a result we believe that our current offer is unique, delivering the highest quality of training and the best levels of support for trainees.
Learning aims
Aim 1
To develop understanding of the Forest School ethos and principles and be able to put them into practice.
Aim 3
To develop understanding of learning and development at Forest School and be able to promote holistic, child-centred learning and development.
Aim 5
To become confident and skilled in being able to plan and deliver programmes of Forest School that are child-led, play based and responsive to the needs of learners.
Aim 2
To develop understanding of the woodland environment and of how to sustainably manage a Forest School site.
Aim 4
To develop understanding of the role of the Forest School Leader and the skills to be able to lead and manage groups of learners and other adults at Forest School, ensuring safety through implementing effective policies and procedures.
What’s included?
Our Level 3 Forest School Leader training course takes approximately one year to complete and includes: • A pre-course Zoom call to start to build community amongst the group. • 6 days of initial face to face training (split into 2 blocks of 3 days to make these manageable with other work and family commitments). • 4 practical skills days which includes a day focusing on outdoor cooking and food safety, the opportunity to work with other students to lead a Forest School session for a small group of children and an option to camp over wherever possible. • A Level 2 Food Safety qualification. • The option to complete your 16 hour Outdoor First Aid training (a mandatory element of the Level 3 qualification) at a significantly reduced price. • An opportunity to visit either Charlotte or Sarah to observe the Forest School ethos and principles in practice. • A half day mentoring visit from one of the tutors whilst you are running your own ‘Introduction to Forest School’ programme. • Two 2-hour Portfolio Tutorials and three one-day Portfolio Workshops where assignments are explained and guidance given on your coursework portfolio. During the Portfolio Workshops there will be time for you to work on your assignments. • One year of FREE membership to the Forest School Association. • A copy of the Forest School Bible worth £29.99! ‘Growing a Forest School – from the Roots Up!’ has been written by FSA Endorsed Trainers (including a chapter written by Charlotte). • An optional Skills Share Day after the course to enable students to get together to improve their practical skills.
Pricing information
Ticket nameIncluding First Aid
Price£1499
InformationSelect this ticket if you wish to undertake your First Aid training with the group (22 and 23/9/25)
Ticket nameExcluding First Aid
Price£1399
InformationSelect this ticket if you wish to arrange your own First Aid training course.
Ticket namePay by invoice
Price£0
InformationSelect this ticket if you wish to pay for the course by invoice. We will contact you to arrange this
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LEARNER REFLECTIONS0 reflections
Where we'll be
Sundial Cottage, London City Road, Wilby, Suffolk, IP21 5LT
WHAT’S PROVIDED
Drinks
Snacks
Equipment
Safety
Enhanced DBS
Basic DBS
Risk Assessment
Public Liability Insurance
Safeguarding Training
First Aid Training
First Aid Kit

Please note

Please note, it is the responsibility of the booker to satisfy themselves about the adequacy of the safety measures. This platform is merely an introducer and does not verify the items listed here.

Cancellation Policy
Refunds are not generally available, but may be considered with sufficient notice.Please refer to booking terms and conditions available on website: https://www.charlotteswood.co.uk/level-3-forest-school-leader-training/

My experience is an educational activity and the 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 therefore applies. After the 14 day period my standard policy will apply.

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