Forest Schools Quality Marks
Education is a right and is cherished throughout the world as we are tasked with guiding and nurturing children into adulthood. Teachers provide a substantial part of that development and they are the bedrock of academic achievement. But many young people respond more slowly, and others find it hard to engage at all. Forest Schools is aimed at those learners who find it really hard to benefit from teaching in a classroom setting.
Forest Schools is a programme designed to get people to learn outdoors, a programme that allows more freedom of expression and a programme that transforms the lives of those that are stimulated by things other than formulae and prescribed pedagogy.
The Forest Schools Quality Mark is aimed at distinguishing those places and people that truly embrace the concept of Forest Schools. The mark will only be awarded to learning venues that embed Forest Schools as a child-centric approach to learning, where every single child matters regardless of academic ability or cognitive capacity.
Quality Marks will be awarded to those that can demonstrate they have attained a standard of excellence when assessed against the criteria for an award. The award will only be granted to an organisation uses Archimedes Forest Schools methodology, practice, and trained practitioners.
Forest Schools Leadership Centre
Leadership Centre status is awarded to the best Forest Schools sites around the world. It is uniquely distinguished by your commitment to the development of the whole person of childhood.
Leadership Centre status is also a signal to the wider education world that you recognise the importance of responding to young people’s development needs ahead of your own and that transforming lives, through Forest Schools, is key to what you believe.
The quality standard covers the same eight key areas for each standard but each award is unique in that it examines the staffing and environmental facilities employed at your site.
Staffing Levels
For this award your site:
Must Have…
One – Forest Schools Trainer/Practitioner at Level 4 (Archimedes trained Level 4 Forest School Practitioner/Trainer Award – Open Awards) or above.
Two – Forest Schools Practitioners at Level 3 (Archimedes trained Forest School Practitioner Award – Open Awards) or above.
Three – Forest Schools Assistants at Level 2 (Archimedes trained Forest School Assistant Practitioner Award – Open Awards) or above.
One – Governor/Director who is representing Forest Schools activity on the Governing Board.
Forest Schools Centre of Excellence
Centre of Excellence status is awarded to the centres that are established and progressing towards Leadership Centre status around the world. It is uniquely distinguished by your commitment to the development of the whole person of childhood. Centre of Excellence status is a signal to the wider education world that you recognise the importance of responding to young people’s development needs ahead of your own.
The quality standard covers the same eight key areas for each standard but each award is unique in that it examines the staffing and environmental facilities employed at your site.
Staffing Levels
For this award your site will have:
Must have…
Two – Forest Schools Practitioners at Level 3 (Archimedes trained Forest School Practitioner Award – Open Awards) or above.
Two – Forest Schools Assistants at Level 2 (Archimedes trained Forest School Assistant Practitioner Award – Open Awards) or above.
One – Governor/Director who is representing Forest Schools activity on the Governing Board.
Forest Schools Development Centre
Development Centre status is awarded to venues that are established and intending to progress towards Centre of Excellence around the world. It is uniquely distinguished by your commitment to the development of the whole person of childhood. Development Centre status is a signal to the wider education world that you recognise the importance of responding to young people’s development needs ahead of anything else.
The quality standard covers the same eight key areas for each level but each award is unique in that it examines the staffing and environmental facilities employed at your site.
Staffing Levels
For this award your site will have:
Must have…
One – Forest Schools Practitioners at Level 3 (Archimedes trained Forest School Practitioner Award – Open Awards) or above.
One – Governor/Director who is representing Forest Schools activity on the Governing Board.
Desirable…
One – Forest Schools Assistants at Level 2 (Archimedes trained Forest School Assistant Practitioner Award – Open Awards) or above.
One – Forest Schools Level 1 (or Certificate in Outdoor Learning) helpers.
