Level 3 Certificate for Forest School Leaders

‘Level 3 Certificate for Forest School Leaders provides learners with the knowledge and skills required to support individuals in Forest School programmes and outdoor learning … [enabling you] to gain the skills and knowledge required to plan and lead Forest School programmes’
AIM Awards
The Awarding Body

Information About Our Courses

The awarding body explain that the ‘Level 3 Certificate for Forest School Leaders is a regulated qualification that will enable you to learn how to become a Forest School Leader, how to develop and practice the skills required for employment or career progression within Forest School education’.

Many teachers, nursery staff, teaching assistants, outdoor leaders and youth workers undertake this qualification; but anyone with an interest in Forest School is welcome!

If you to have a relevant teaching, training, youth work or Early Years qualification, we will be happy to offer you a place on the this course; otherwise we are happy to discuss your existing experience and aspirations for undertaking the Level 3 Certificate for Forest school Leaders; providing you with sufficient information, advice and guidance, so that you can make a decision as to whether this is the right course and at the right level for you!

Please note: there is a minimum age of 19 years to undertake the qualification from the awarding body; however, the Department for Education and Forest School Association require you to be 21 years old to qualify.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list regarding upcoming Forest School Leader courses then please share your details with us here.

There’s five days of training, with a considerable consolidation period, then five development days, within which aspects of your practice will be assessed.

There are five units that will be covered during the training and the development days, and which you are required to gather evidence of your competency during the consolidation period; these units are:

Unit 1: The woodland environment
Unit 2: Practical Skills
Unit 3: Learning & Development
Unit 4: Planning & Preparation
Unit 5: Delivery of a Forest School Programme

Important Note: there is a significant Portfolio of Evidence needed to be submitted- this includes six sessions that you plan, prepare for and lead.

This is a practical and outdoor based course, so you should expect to spend the majority of your time in the woods, being active during all weathers and throughout the seasons.

Please note: you will also require an outdoor first aid certificate in order to practice as a Forest School Leader; we can recommend Vital Training who provide outdoor first aid courses locally.

This is a level 3 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework, and so there is a formal assessment requirement.

The work is assessed via a substantial portfolio of evidence, where you are required to gather evidence and demonstrate your knowledge, understanding and ability in order to meet the requirements of each of the learning outcomes. We will provide you with a portfolio template, and support you to complete it.

There are some practical assessments, such as observations and presentations, from which you will provide evidence in your portfolio.

You are able to begin your portfolio immediately following your training, and we encourage you to use the consolidation period between your training and development days to explore, examine, evaluate and record your experiences, as well as researching and learning the theory and approaches that an effective Forest School Leader needs to apply in their practice.

A key part of the portfolio is that you have to plan, prepare and deliver a Forest School Programme (a 2 hour session once a week, for 6 weeks) to a group of learners of your choice, including observing and recording their development. It is worth considering how you will achieve this prior to applying for the course, including any insurance and resourcing needs.

Your tutor will be responsible for assessing your portfolio; which will then be subject to Internal Quality Assurance, as well a External Quality Assurance, prior to your qualification being awarded. We are able to offer a limited number of opportunities to some learners who wish to shadow our established Forest School programmes.

Our Forest School Leader courses take place at our woodland site that is used with our existing Forest School Programmes.

The address is: Rewilding Adventure, Redcar Road, Dunsdale, Cleveland, TS14 6RH.

This offers an authentic environment to learn, with established camps, ancient woodland and all the resources and sustainability issues that practice presents.

Given the credit value and guided learning hours, the Level 3 course includes 5 training days, and 5 development days, each of which runs from 8.30am until 4.30pm.

We deliver the course in different ways, each with a specific delivery schedule including:

Week Blocks: a five day block for the training, with another 5 day block for the development week
Weekly Days: this is one day per week, for five weeks for the training phase, then another five days over five consecutive weeks
Modular/Weekends: this where we have two or three days together, either mid-week or during a weekend, with an extended period for the consolidation element

We are a registered centre with AIM Qualifications (having previously been with The Open College Network West Midlands), and the qualification code is: 603/2406/5

You can find the Qualification Guide here; and the OCNWM’s Information for Learners is here

We are proud of our hard earned reputation for good quality Forest School provision. Locally, we are the longest established Forest School setting, having completed many long-term Forest School programmes, throughout all the seasons, with participants of all ages, abilities and needs.

Notably, our Wildlings Forest School Programme, for Home Educated families, ran weekly for eight years. We also work in partnership with Community Ventures Ltd from Middlesbrough, and offer a 12 week Forest School project, titled the Progress Programme to promote mental wellbeing and develop employability skills with adults; see this evaluation report of one of the programmes. Furthermore, this case study of Michael, who had a life changing experience as a result of attending!

The total cost for this programme is £895.

This cost includes all registration and awarding fees, tuition, academic support, access to social media alumni group, refreshments during all days and resources

Please note: as this is a regulated qualification please contact Rewilding Adventure to ensure you have received appropriate information, advice and guidance that this qualification is right for you.

Once we have provided information, advice and guidance to you individually, we will make you an offer of a place (or otherwise); from this we will make arrangements with you- and provide a booking according to your needs. There are different payment options, a deposit will be taken prior to the course commencing.

There are several payment options in place:

Deposit (£295) and Balance (£600)
Deposit (£295) and three payments (of £200); one paid prior to training, the remaining two prior to development days
Invoice to employer (please email info@rewildingadventure.co.uk)

Yes! We can run a course at our woodland, or your venue (or a bit of both…). We need to ensure that all content is covered, so that those who achieve the qualification are a re well-rounded and grounds Forest School practitioner, but we will also seek to tailor the content to the practice setting your team will work in.

5 attendees is the minimum we’ll host a private cohort for, with a maximum of 12 attending. If you have more than 6 delegates then that’s where you will make savings on the course:

6 attendees- £5370 (£895 per person)
8 attendees- £6960 (equates to £100 discount on additional 2 places)
9+ attendees- £7705 (as above, with £150 discount per places 9-12/£10,290 for 12 attendees | total of £800 saving)

Please Note: as this is a Regulated Qualification we will need to speak to each individual, to ensure they are happy to enrol on the programme.