Level 3 Certificate in Forest School Programme Leadership
Love the outdoors? Want to help others to connect with nature? This course is designed to qualify you to become a Forest School Leader, able to set up and run a Forest School programme. It covers how to facilitate groups in a learner-centred way, and how to manage a Forest School site sustainably. It also covers the practical skills required of a Forest School Leader.
It is designed to meet the needs of school and college staff, teachers and teaching assistants, youth workers, adults and professionals in training to become a Forest School Leader. This qualification will prepare learners for further study and employment in the outdoors. We create a bespoke course around the needs and experiences of each group we train, based on the needs and experiences of each group.
By the end of the course, you will be ready to set up and lead your own sessions, with a good understanding of the Forest School principles as well as woodland management, tool use, fire lighting, risk management and much more.
ELIGIBILITY TO ENROL:
To be accepted onto the course, participants must:
Be over 21 years old
Have Level 2 / GCSE qualifications or above
Be comfortable with leading a group
Have a passion for and interest in the natural world, and enjoy being outdoors through the seasons
Have a playful approach to life and learning and a ‘have a go’ attitude
Please get in touch at childrenoftheforest@outlook.com to discuss the details of the course if you are unsure about your eligibility.
TO COMPLETE THE COURSE YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
Access to a group of learners with whom to run your six pilot ‘Introduction to Forest School’ sessions.
Access to an appropriate natural site and permission to run a forest school programme on it.
Two day 16 hour outdoor / forest school-specific with paediatric first aid certificate (not included in the price of the course; we can recommend local providers)
A full DBS check (see here for more info)
100% of our 2020 cohort said they would, or already had recommended the course to a colleague.
Course structure:
Students attend six face-to-face days on Mondays in Autumn, and then four more in Spring. Students train with us at our Mid-Devon woodland to learn practical skills, nature connection and all about the forest school pedagogy and ethos. We also offer portfolio coursework support sessions over Zoom.
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Students complete their coursework portfolio over several months, with support from tutors throughout.
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Students choose and attend a two day, 16 hour Forest School Outdoor First Aid with Paediatric course (this is not included in the price of our course - we can recommend trusted local providers)
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Students lead 6 of their own sessions of Forest School, called ‘An Introduction to Forest School’ with their own client group at their chosen site. Students need to ensure a full DBS, site permission and insurance are in place for this (we recommend Birnbeck, who regularly insures students during their Level 3 training).
One of your six sessions will be observed by us, and you will receive helpful and supportive feedback. Please note we are able to visit sites within one hour’s travel of our site. For students further away, we will conduct this assessment remotely in a variety of ways.
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When coursework has been submitted and marked and all steps above are completed successfully, you will receive your AIM Level 3 Certificate in Forest School Programme Leadership and will be ready to lead your own forest school sessions!
“You lead in such a beautiful way, and how I want to work with the children I work with. So positive and supportive and open.”
dates for september 2024 start
Mon 16 Sep, Mon 23th Sep, Mon 30 Sep, Mon 7th Oct, Mon 14th Oct, Mon 21st all 9.30am-4pm
Then
Mon 28th April 2025, Mon 5th May, Mon 12th May, Mon 19th May all 9.30am-4pm
Additional non-practical sessions / coursework support will be conducted over Zoom, in the evenings at times agreed by the group.
Final deadline for submitting coursework & end of the course: one year from the start of the course
Price:
£995 per person including registration and certificate
We recognise the role we need to play in order to balance and create diverse role models in the outdoor community, and particularly welcome applications from those who identify as members of minority groups (based on ethnicity, disability, sexuality or gender identity). If you are a member of a minority group and feel there is a financial barrier to your application, please contact us regarding subsidised places: childrenoftheforest@outlook.com. See our Diversity & Equality Policy for more info
“The course leaders are highly professional and nurturing at the same time. Patient and wonderful”
About your tutors - why train with us?
Our course is run by two tutors together, Lewis Ames and Wem Southerden, directors of Children of the Forest. We only run two courses a year, with a small group size. This means that you will receive a high level of support both during the practical skills week and during your coursework studies.
Lewis and Wem have years of experience teaching in schools, as well as running forest school with a wide variety of groups. This includes delivering ‘pop-up’ forest school programmes for primary schools and nurseries; running programmes for schools and nurseries visiting our woodland; running parent and toddler groups; family festivals; holiday and weekend clubs, and our Ofsted registered Forest Kindergarten. We continue to run forest school sessions ourselves each and every week, so have current experience of a wide range of types of programmes and hope to be able to answer most of your questions!
We pride ourselves on running Forest School which adheres as closely as possible to the Forest School Principles - in acknowledgement of this, we have been awarded the Forest School Association’s ‘Recognised Provider’ status.
We have experience of training adults in all aspects of Forest School and additionally in specific areas such as Outdoor Cooking; Storytelling, Drama & Music; Early Years Outdoors and Playworking Outdoors.
As Forest School Leaders and training providers, we are reflective practitioners and view our own professional development as important and always evolving. Our practice is influenced by our constant reading of related books and new research, attending our own CPD and attending and delivering at conferences.
If you’d like to get to know us further, you can tune into our Forest School Podcast where we discuss a variety of forest school issues, review books and interview guests.
‘Delivery was fantastic and provided lots of useful ideas to use in our setting and how to adapt to different ages.’ - Jade, Early Years Worker
‘Took me out of my comfort zone but in a supportive environment. Lots of laughing. Great pace and variety. More of the same please, it was great!’ - Claudia, Forest School Leader
“These guys are great on their podcast, good for a playworker I reckon. They practice as well as tutor which I think makes for the best quality training.” - Podcast listener on social media
Frequently asked questions
Click HERE to find more information and the answers to the most frequently asked questions.