Training Talk - Forest Skill

Richard Dean started in childcare alongside his wife, manager of Grayswood Nursery in Surrey, in 2009. Two years later he had added ‘Forest School’ to the setting’s name by completing a Level 3 Certificate in Forest School Programme Leadership.

‘In the Royal Green Jackets regiment we were fieldcraft specialists – our job was living in and from nature lots of the time,’ he says. ‘I started outside activities at the nursery and decided to pursue that through the qualification.’

Forest School originates from Scandinavian educational approaches and aims for children to develop personal, social and emotional skills within the natural world. Forest School Training delivered the course, which is accredited by the Open College Network West Midlands and recognised by the Forest School Association.

Completing the qualification takes up to a year. For Mr Dean it began with a week of intensive training in Southampton. Two trainers delivered to a group of 25, covering practical skills such as using tools, tying knots, building shelters and lighting fires. The course also provided instruction on woodland ecology, identifying species and sustainability. How to build self-esteem in children, and plan and deliver programmes, were also covered.

Much of the learning was practical – for example, outdoor games such as hide and seek. ‘The course covered how all children have a natural instinct to play, but it can be hidden away if conditions are slightly challenging,’ Mr Dean says, referring to variable weather outdoors. ‘Most of the course is about building the concept of a Forest School leader as being a catalyst for children to relax in a natural space. It’s child-led – we are the facilitator of free play.’

Mr Dean attended a further four days of training. He also had to set up and run a six-week Forest School programme. He presented the results in a written portfolio, and an assessor visited to observe it in action.

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