Forest School  Leader Training

- You will be able to lead Forest School sessions. - You will be able to take out insurance so that you can set up your own Forest School business.

No, as long as you are over 18 you can take the course. The course does involve research and practical assignments.

You have up to 24 months. You can complete the course anytime within this time period. Most people complete the course within 1 year of their start date.

All practical elements have been recorded with clear guides for you to be able to follow. You can access the course on all tablets and phones, for easy access when completing the course. You will have to video/photo yourself completing each practical assignment. This means you will to purchase or borrow some tools in order to complete this part of the course. It is advised that you buy 3 tools from the following list: Sheath knife or other whittling (bushcraft) knife Bow saw or any saw that will cut through wood Axe, bill hook or other tool that can split wood Loppers or fixed blade saw or secateurs If you wanted you could use a palm drill or a hammer instead of one of the above tools. You may need some rope, string, paracord or similar items for making shelters You will need a fire striker to light a fire Fire safety equipment such as burns kit, fire gloves and fire blanket should be bought Although this list looks long, you will likely need these tools when starting running your sessions. You only need one of each tool for the purpose of this course. You could always borrow these tools or volunteer at a local Forest School, where these tools should be present. Variations of all the tools will be accepted. All practical assignments have clear walkthrough videos. Due to the course being created through Google, you will be able to access these videos when on location in your natural space. You will need to have an internet connection to access the videos. If you would like extra support with the practical elements of the course, then you can always sign up to our in-person weekend courses. Have a look at our courses for more details. Look out for our free sessions, where the Rooted Learning team will be present with all the tools.

There is a fair amount of work to complete. It is comparable to an A-level with an expected study time or around 160 hours. Having said this, we have put together comprehensive templates, walkthrough videos and key points for every assignment making the workload as manageable as possible. You can complete the course at your own pace and we will support you with any challenges you may have.

Yes, there will be online meet ups and other communication throughout the course. We are here to support you all the way. If you require one to one support sessions or need ideas, suggestions or help with anything related to Forest School, the course or even setting up a Forest School business, our team will work with you to support you all the way!

Yes, as long as you have a natural setting, then it is possible to complete the course. The more natural resources you have access to, the more experiences and opportunities you will be able to offer for your learners. If your site isn’t perfect at the moment, then we can work together to come up with ideas for you to grow your site and create lots of incredible experiences. This may take some time, but the effort will be greatly rewarded. We are constantly working and sharing ideas of how to run Forest School sessions with limited natural resources.

Yes, on completion of the course, you will achieve a prestigious accredited Forest School Leader Award certificate. This will certify you to lead Forest School sessions anywhere in the world.

Yes, your portfolio is completed online. We have trained people across the globe.

If you love nature, like working outside, enjoy learning practical skills and want a really enjoyable career, this course is for you!

You will choose a start date when you sign up to the course. You will then be sent an email, asking you to provide/create a Google account. Once we have your Google account, we will get you signed up and logged into the portal (Google Classroom) for your chosen date. Within the first week of your start date, you will be invited to an introductory meeting, where you will meet the Rooted Learning team, go through the portfolio and answer any questions you may have. We will then arrange further support sessions for you to join. All sessions will be recorded, in case you can not make them. You will then be able to watch these sessions at a time that suits you.

The course is split into 5 units: The course is broken down into 5 distinct units. The course will provide you with all the theory you need as well as being packed with practical tips and ideas for running safe and engaging Forest School sessions. Unit 1- You will learn about ecosystems, management practices and creating engaging experiences that promote sustainability and conservation. Unit 2- You will learn everything you need to know about tool use, knots, shelter building and fire in the practical assignments. Each assignment has clear video tutorials and plenty of supporting material to help you achieve and understand each skill. For this part, you will need to submit photos and videos of you completing each skill. Unit 3- You will explore relevant learning theories and the practical application of the Forest School approach. The course provides plenty of ideas to practically apply these theories in your sessions. Unit 4- This unit supports you to create all your risk assessments and safeguarding policies so you are prepared to run safe sessions. The creation of this documentation will ensure you can comply with your legal obligations and follow best practice for safeguarding your learners. Unit 5- You will put all you have learnt into practice by planning and running 6 Forest School sessions. This could be with an established group or family and friends. There will need to be a minimum of 3 participants. The course will provide a range of ways you can plan and deliver sessions and lots of practical ideas that you can use. Important note - A first aid certificate (minimum of 16 hours) is required before you can run your sessions. Information about this is provided in the course.

You will need to complete a first aid qualification before you start running your sessions. You must complete minimum of 16 hours first aid qualification. Your first aid training does not need to be an outdoor specific first aid qualification. However, these are great qualifications to have.

No, you will not need to document your learners at any point in the course. Only yourself and anyone helping you with the practical parts of the course will be filmed. You will not use tools with your learners until you are qualified and have insurance in place.

We will aim to mark your work within 14 days of submission. We will provide you with quality feedback. If there is anything missing or extra information needed for an assignment, clear feedback will be given and you will have unlimited attempts to complete each assignment.

Yes, there are clear guidelines and videos explaining how to complete each assignment. There is also a template attached to each assignment, allowing you complete clarity about the expectations for each assignment. Support is always on hand in case more explanation is required. Simply email info@rootedlearning.co.uk and someone in our team will respond as soon as they are available.

Rope swings, rope bridges, using axes, knives and saws, learning how to run your sessions and building a bank of ideas for your future sessions, lighting different types of fires, learning how to use a fire striker, learning different knots and their uses, learning about ecosystems and the forest, developing different behaviour management strategies, practical approaches to holistic development, plus much, much, more.