Before becoming an ambassador for Essex Wildlife Trust, I volunteered regularly at Belfairs Nature Discovery Centre assisting with Forest School sessions for children from home schoolers to young carers. I found myself thinking, ‘I can’t believe you can get paid for this!’ It was fun for both the children and the adults in charge. These experiences led me to completing my Level 3 Forest School Training at the beautiful Abbotts Hall Farm last September.

Every day of the course was packed with invaluable advice, practical skills and teamwork. We learnt craft skills like willow weaving, used tools, tied knots, learnt different methods of fire lighting, as well as how to identify trees and plants (plus much more!). There were even dedicated skills days which give you the chance to practise your practical outdoors skills over and over until you feel confident leading a forest school session.

What was perhaps most wonderful about the course was the chance to meet other passionate teaching professionals who also wanted to become forest school leaders. Talking to them about their forest school sites was so inspiring and motivated me all the more.

To apply for Level 3 Forest School Training, you need to have a forest school site in mind that you could potentially use. What I found super helpful was that the course leaders tailor much of the course to your own site. For example, you are asked to study your own site and look for any potentially toxic species. Things like this were so useful as they make you more knowledgeable about where you will actually be working with children!

After the in person training days, to finish the course trainees must organise and complete a series of six ‘pilot sessions’ with their group of children, and one of the these is assessed by a staff member from the Trust. To have a professional come and give advice about your own session is invaluable as it not only highlights what you need to improve but gives you confidence about the things you are good at. Every leader is different, and we all have our strengths and weaknesses.

The overall point I want to make is don’t worry, once you start your training, nobody is going to send you out into the wilderness unprepared, and my trainers are still only an email away if I have any questions. By the end of the course you will have made your own forest school handbook – a very useful tool. Mine clearly shows my risk assessments which can then be shown to any other members of staff. For example, I won’t go ahead with a forest school session in a woodland setting if the wind reaches six on the Beaufort wind scale. Having the handbook there to quickly flick back through as a reminder is brilliant.

Also, at the end of the course, the instructors loaded a library’s worth of useful documents onto my memory stick which I still use today.

Forest school training is a commitment, but so worth it. And remember, you don’t have to go straight for a Level 3 qualification – Level 2 allows you to assist with forest school sessions which is a wonderful stepping stone. But be warned: once you start the courses with Essex Wildlife Trust, it becomes quite addictive! I aim to complete my coastal school qualification next.

So, if you’re thinking about signing up for an Essex Wildlife Trust forest school course, be that Level 1, 2 or 3 – go for it! You won’t regret it. As I write this sentence, I am about to lead a fire lighting session with Year 3 and I can’t wait!

Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with the team.

Start your Forest School Training

Andrew Millham

Essex Wildlife Trust Ambassador

Find out more about the Essex Wildlife Trust Ambassadors