Level 3 Forest School training course

Held in a beautiful woodlands Suffolk & Essex

Organisation links
Location address: 15, Saffron Walden
Chosen age group:

Ages: 19 - 99 years

Available tickets:
Including first aid £1499Excluding First Aid £1399Paid by invoice Free
Next date: Tuesday 25th 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. 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 our course tutors 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. 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
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!
Charlotte Atkinson
Connecting People with Nature
Charlotte has over 20 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. She provides guidance with setting up and running Forest School as well as practical delivery of sessions and support with bid-writing and site design. Charlotte is a British Nordic Walking instructor and runs regular ‘Learn to Nordic Walk’ programmes at Charlotte’s Wood. She has a diploma in 'Shinrin Yoku' and provides guided Forest Bathing sessions at the woodland.
Why train with us?
* Our tutors are skilled, highly qualified and have extensive experience of offering high quality training, endorsed by the FSA, for Forest School Leaders. They are warm, supportive and knowledgeable about the learning process; resulting in a course that is fun, meaningful and promotes active learning. * We recognise that the investment of time and money in Level 3 training is significant and therefore take time to ensure that prospective students are in the right position to successfully complete the course. This includes a pre-entry conversation to check that you have the qualifications, experience and time to achieve success. * We offer a small training group experience with a high ratio of tutors to students to allow trainees to benefit from individual attention and support. We adapt our training provision and are flexible to meet the individual needs of the trainees and any changes that might arise in personal circumstances during the course. * Our training is a fully immersive experience held entirely outdoors (weather permitting) in beautiful woodlands. The woodland sites (one based in Wilby in Suffolk and the other in Ashdon in Essex) are genuine Forest School sites, allowing trainees to gain an understanding of the considerations that need to be made in a practical way. * Trainees benefit from running their own Forest School taster session together with local children as part of the training days; something which provides a real insight and hands-on experience allowing them to reflect on their learning before beginning their own ‘Introduction to Forest School’ programme. * Our training programme is designed to provide as much tutor support as possible; leading to very high completion rates. The course (and coursework) is split into manageable blocks and we facilitate portfolio tutorials and workshops during the course where trainees can get together and work on written assignments with ongoing support from the course tutors. This is something we believe is unique to our course and significantly reduces the amount of time that trainees need to spend on independent study. * 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?
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 would like to do the first aid course with the group (7-8th October).
Ticket nameExcluding First Aid
Price£1399
InformationSelect this ticket if you wish to book your own 16 hour Forest School First aid training course
Ticket namePaid by invoice
Price£0
LEARNER REFLECTIONS0 reflections
Where we'll be
15, Redgates Lane, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 2LW
WHAT’S PROVIDED
Drinks
Snacks
Equipment
Safety
Enhanced DBS
Risk Assessment
Public Liability Insurance
Safeguarding Training
First Aid Training

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.

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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