Job Description
Responsible to: Nickie Corr, Managing Director
Pay: £14/hr with Forest School Leader Level 3 Qualification + relevant experience, £12.50 without
Hours: Sessional
Accountable for: Support staff, volunteers and children in sessions
Safety
- To be familiar with and work in line with the health and safety policy, risk benefit assessments and covid secure guidelines.
- Review and update risk benefit assessments for sites, activities and individuals as necessary.
- Always ensure the appropriate supervision of all children.
- To ensure the safety of the group
- Instruct other team members regarding identified risks and their control measures.
- Report health and safety issues to the Managing Director.
- Report any accidents or incidents to the Managing Director.
- Maintain equipment and put in timely orders for resources/ equipment
Planning and assessments
- Plan sessions based on the needs and interests of children that attend with a willingness to adapt and change plans as needed.
- Review the needs of Forest School children in line with our needs assessment procedure at least once every half term
- Liaise with local schools and parents/ carers regarding sessions and the children as required.
Recording and reporting
- Communicating successes, areas of required support and other relevant information to parents/ carers/ teachers
- Writing reports and observation letters for parents/ carers as required
- To ensure effective communication with learners, team members, schools and parents.
To keep records of learning needs and successes. To keep an up-to-date register of attendance
Safeguarding
- To adhere at all times to the safeguarding policy and linked policies.
- To attend safeguarding training every 2 years.
- To share information about any concerns about members of our team in line with the whistle blowing policy.
General
- To work within the policies and procedures of Mud Pie Explorers.
- To promote the Forest School Leader role ethos to all sessions
- To teach children through empowering, alternative outdoor education. Allowing them to do as much for themselves as possible and to take calculated risks.
- To ensure all kit is removed from site at the end of the session and a ‘leave no trace’ ethos is applied.
- To adhere to our confidentiality policy. Professional boundaries must always be maintained.
- To share with parents about changes to sessions, upcoming events and other information as required.
- To maintain positive relationships with parents/ carers and partner organisations e.g. schools, cubs groups
- To report any positive feedback to the office.
- Any complaints to be referred reported to the Managing Director.
- Role model positive child centred interactions for team members, visitors and learner.
- Recording hours of work on online app.
Other
- To attend team meetings and team training as required.
- Any other duties as requested by your line manager
Person specification
To join us as in a Forest School Leader role is it essential that are:
- Experiencing in working with children outdoors
- Experienced in working in a child led way
- Confident in risk assessing and risk management
- Confident lighting and using a fire with groups
- The experience of working in a way that safeguards and promotes the wellbeing of children.
- Understanding of the Forest School ethos and be able to apply this throughout all working practice, with learners, support staff and parents/ carers.
- Forest School Level 3 qualification or have completed the training and are working on the portfolio. (Completion of the qualification will be a condition of your ongoing employment).
- Outdoor First Aid qualification by the start of their employment
- Friendly, open and approachable.
- A good communicator
- Able to record and monitor learner progress.
- Able to help carry equipment in woodland settings, that will require walking on uneven or slippery surfaces often in unpredictable weather conditions.
- Willing to work outdoors in all weathers while role modelling a positive attitude to the children.
- Willing to let children do as much for themselves as possible.
- Willing to enable children to take their own calculated risks.
- Able to work within the remits of organisational policies and procedures- with special reference to inclusion, health and safety, confidentiality and safeguarding.
- Committed to inclusive practice.
- Committed to the safeguarding and the promotion of the welfare of children.
- Good at time keeping and are reliable.
- Able to travel between sessions at different sites in a timely manner with equipment for sessions.
If you have the any of the following desirable skills or experiences, please let us know in your application:
- Experience of working with children
- Experience of working with children with additional needs
- Other related skills- tool use/ woodcrafting/ story telling/ natural art
- Practical experience of working to risk assessments
- Understanding of the Forest School
- Childcare, Forest School or teaching qualification
- First Aid qualification
- Recent safeguarding training
As part of your application, please ensure you have read the following policies and procedures: