Outdoor Learning Lead

The School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. We are an equal opportunities employer.

Forest Prep School is seeking a Forest Schools qualified and enthusiastic leader for our outdoor learning provision across the 4-11 age range. The role will require the successful candidate to create exciting, educational and inspirational content for 4-7-year olds in the Forest Schools programme and guide staff in their delivery of outdoor curriculum content.

You will need to be a confident and imaginative practitioner outside of the classroom, committed to the role, able to demonstrate a clear ambition and enthusiasm for outdoor learning and Forest Schools, and be willing to be fully involved in the life of the Prep School. You will also need to be well-read in stories appropriate for use in the outdoor area along with ability to create role-play, drama and bushcraft activities.

Essential skills include the direction, coaching and development of the Forest Schools programme, a Forest School qualification at least Level 3 and, if possible, an in-date Outdoor First Aid qualification. The successful applicant needs to be able to work in almost all weathers and have experience with the full primary age range from Reception to Year 6. Well-developed organisational skills are expected, and an understanding that the work of the Outdoor Learning Lead in the Preparatory School is not limited to the hours of the school day.

Should you wish to discuss any aspect of this position before applying, Mr James Sanderson, the Head of Forest Preparatory School, would be happy to hear from you (020 8352 6631 or prephead@forest.org.uk).

You are strongly encouraged to look at our website www.forest.org.uk/prep-school where you will find a full introduction.

Introduction to Forest Preparatory School

Forest Preparatory School is in the middle of a very exciting development of the site, as work on expansion and building project is nearing completion. This has enabled Forest Preparatory School’s provision to reach a new and even more innovative level. Benefiting from the structure and the economies of scale it brings, Forest Prep School is a vital component of an all-through school which teaches pupils up to the age of 18. Forest Preparatory School has expanded this year to three forms in the Pre-Preparatory and will, at full size, reach 325 pupils.

Forest Preparatory School Vision Aims and Values

Vision

Forest Preparatory School will provide an education founded on challenge, breadth and personal fulfilment. Our learning environments will be inclusive, creative and industrious spaces where teachers inspire and support pupils to exceed their expectations and to strive for ambitious goals. Forest Prep pupils will achieve more than academic excellence; they will become remarkable young people, empowered to make a positive difference in a changing world. Our staff will champion each and every pupil and nurture in them the qualities of initiative, perseverance and responsibility.

Aims

Forest Preparatory School will equip pupils to flourish in the world into which they will grow up and prepare them for the next stage of their education. We will achieve this by:

Curating a broad and innovative curriculum

Building pupils’ capacity to learn and to lead

Challenging pupils to think deeply and to develop self-reliance

Nurturing pupils’ pastoral and spiritual development in an atmosphere of trust, fairness and community

Developing pupils’ sense of empathy, compassion and global citizenship

Caring for all aspects of pupils’ wellbeing and teaching them to practise self-care

Values

Pupils will demonstrate initiative by being:

• inquiring
• adaptable
• a communicator

Pupils will demonstrate perseverance by being:

• organised
• problem-solving
• resilient

Pupils will demonstrate responsibility by being:

• respectful
• a collaborator
• a leader

Forest Preparatory School: Where Young People Grow

About Forest

Forest School is an independent school for boys and girls aged 4-18 yrs established in 1834; benefiting from a tremendous location on the edge of North-East London. London’s only diamond structure school, Forest combines both single-sex and co-educational teaching on a single site as pupils move up the school. Our 1,395 boys and girls are taught together until the age of seven, separately from seven to 16, before coming back together again in a joint sixth form. This diamond structure offers all the academic benefits of single-sex teaching with all the social benefits of a co-educational school. The best of both worlds.

Location

Forest is a city school set within 50 acres of grounds surrounded by Epping Forest, within easy walking distance of Snaresbrook Central line tube station and Wood Street Overground station.

Why work at Forest?

There are many benefits of working at Forest school as staff are our single most important asset. Key benefits include:

• Generous CPD budget

• Comprehensive Professional Development Review system

• Opportunities to contribute to the wider community via our extensive Outreach Programme

• Free death in service cover and subsidised AXA PPP healthcare insurance

• All teaching staff currently enrolled in the national Teachers’ Pension Scheme

• 20% fee remission (pro-rata for part time staff) for children attending Forest which is applicable Y3-Y13

• Free hot lunch (takeaway sandwich lunch also available) and refreshments throughout the day

• Free membership of the Sylvestrian Leisure Centre during school hours and heavily subsidised membership outside those hours

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis so early applications are encouraged. The School reserves the right to make an appointment at any stage.

Closing date for applications, Monday 17 May 14:00pm

Interviews will be on the 27th  May 2021

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis so early applications are encouraged. The School reserves the right to make an appointment at any stage.