OCN NI Level 3 Award in Leadership in Forest Schools

OPEN-COLLEGE-NETWORK-NORTHERN-IRELAND

vocational

This element focuses on the practical implementation and critical assessment of Forest School leadership. Learners must demonstrate the ability to plan, deliver, and evaluate a coherent programme of sessions that harness the outdoor environment to foster holistic development, while also articulating how such initiatives benefit participants, communities, and align with national educational and environmental strategies. The integration of reflective practice and evidence-based evaluation is essential for sustainable and impactful Forest School provision.

Objectives

Exam Tips

Pitfalls

Key Terms

Mark Points

What You Need to Demonstrate

Key skills and knowledge for this topic

Award credit for demonstrating a clear link between planned Forest School activities and identified benefits for participants, such as improved confidence, social skills, or physical development, with specific examples.
Award credit for evaluating a Forest School programme using qualitative and quantitative evidence gathered from observations, participant feedback, and reflective journals, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.
Award credit for explaining how Forest School principles support national strategies (e.g., curriculum for excellence, outdoor learning agendas) and local community needs, with reference to at least one relevant policy or initiative.
Award credit for performing a safe, engaging Forest School session that shows effective leadership, risk management, and adaptation to learner-led interests, as evidenced by session plans and observer reports.
Award credit for outlining the historical and contemporary development of Forest Schools locally and nationally, including key influences and current best practice.

Marking Points

Key points examiners look for in your answers

Award credit for demonstrating a clear link between planned Forest School activities and identified benefits for participants, such as improved confidence, social skills, or physical development, with specific examples.
Award credit for evaluating a Forest School programme using qualitative and quantitative evidence gathered from observations, participant feedback, and reflective journals, identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.
Award credit for explaining how Forest School principles support national strategies (e.g., curriculum for excellence, outdoor learning agendas) and local community needs, with reference to at least one relevant policy or initiative.
Award credit for performing a safe, engaging Forest School session that shows effective leadership, risk management, and adaptation to learner-led interests, as evidenced by session plans and observer reports.
Award credit for outlining the historical and contemporary development of Forest Schools locally and nationally, including key influences and current best practice.

Examiner Tips

Expert advice for maximising your marks

💡When evaluating your programme, use a structured framework such as the Plan-Do-Review cycle and explicitly reference the Forest School ethos and principles to show deep understanding.
💡In assessments, always tie practical delivery back to the six core principles of Forest School; examiners look for evidence that you have embedded these, not just stated them.
💡For questions on national strategies, prepare specific examples such as the Northern Ireland Curriculum's emphasis on Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities, and show how your sessions support these.
💡During observed sessions, narrate your decision-making and link it to theory; this demonstrates reflective practice and is high-scoring in vocational assessments.

Common Mistakes

Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

Confusing Forest Schools with general outdoor play or environmental education, without acknowledging its distinct pedagogical approach rooted in long-term, learner-centred processes in a woodland setting.
Failing to link evaluation to initial learning objectives and outcomes, instead providing vague or anecdotal feedback that lacks measurable impact indicators.
Overlooking the importance of community involvement and failing to demonstrate how Forest Schools can address local social or environmental issues.
Assuming that risk is fully eliminated rather than managed; planners often miss the balance between challenging experiences and robust risk-benefit assessments.
Providing a historic overview without connecting it to current practice, or mistakenly attributing Forest School origins solely to one country without acknowledging the Scandinavian influence and UK adaptation.

Key Terminology

Essential terms to know

Understand how Forest Schools benefit both participants and local communities., Understand the development of Forest Schools locally and nationally., Be able to perform a programme of Forest School sessions., Know how to evaluate a Forest School programme., Understand how Forest Schools support national strategies.

Ready to test yourself?

Practice questions tailored to this topic