CPD Course Dates and Information

Please see below the list of dates for the courses available.

Please read the Terms and Conditions carefully before booking your training with Where The Fruit Is.

We are working with a range of partners, including Oxfordshire County Council and the National Forest,  to meet the pressing needs of schools and early years settings.  

We are listening to colleagues in schools and early years settings, responding to the widened experiential learning gap,  developing training that provides sustainable, holistic, emotion-coaching in nature. 

We believe the Forest School approach, promoting learner-centred opportunities for play, is a powerful way to re-engage those children and young people most disadvantaged due to Covid19, with their peers and learning, whilst caring for the wellbeing and mental health of staff and pupils.   

We run bespoke, accredited Forest School training locally, nationally and internationally.  

Please contact us if you want to know more about whole staff training around nature connection, emotion coaching and wellbeing.  

Continuing Professional Development courses:

Click on the links above or scroll down to find out more.

16 hour Outdoor First Aid training

Course Information

  • Title: 16-hour Outdoor First Aid training
  • Cost: £175 including VAT (includes access to online materials)
  • This 16-hour training can be booked as a stand-alone course, it is included in the L3 Forest School Leader training package.
  • The practical sessions require you to be prepared to be outside in all weathers.
CPR Training on doll
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Course Information

This is an industry specific two day (16hr) Outdoor First Aid Training for Forest School Leaders and Outdoor/ Education professionals e.g.  DofE Expedition Leaders, Outward Bounds, Guiding/ Scouting, Youth Leaders

Covers requirements for: Institute for Outdoor Learning Outdoor First Aid Band 3 and Emergency Paediatric First Aid, exceeding the recommendations for an “Emergency First Aid at Work” first aider within a workplace (H & S -First Aid – Regulations 1981).

The training is certificated by ProTraining and is valid for 3 years. It equips you to deal with incidents in woodland and countryside settings which are often remote – meaning 30 mins or more from safety.

Part of the training will happen indoors with scenarios outdoors, in a woodland Forest School setting, in all weathers. Please dress accordingly.

The training course is recognised by all national outdoor governing bodies.

COVID 19 Measures

  • Participants will need to bring their own refreshments and lunch/ afternoon tea. We advise you to bring your own hand sanitiser and ask you to bring and wear a mask for close partner work, in line with current government guidance
  • We will have access to a toilet which is only used by us
  • If you become unwell with Covid before the training or are asked to isolate we will do our best to provide you with an alternative date or will refund the training fee
Food Health & Hygiene Co

Forest School Food Safety ITC Level 2

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Who is this course for?

This course has been designed for Forest School Leaders and also those involved in campfire cooking who prepare or supervise the preparation and cooking of food outdoors. This could include Scout/Guide Leaders, Play Leaders, Outdoor Pursuits Leaders, and outdoor BBQ  caterers. Everyone who works with food is responsible for safeguarding the health of those who consume food that has been prepared, processed, stored, or sold by them.

Who teaches this course?

Janet Cousins is an experienced Food Safety specialist with 25 years in the Industry; she has taught Food Safety and Nutrition and has also owned a food business where she put into practice all the elements of food safety. Janet is a member of the Chartered Institute of Environment Health.

Course Overview

Part 1 – This is an online course that can be undertaken on your own computer at a time and place of your convenience. The course can be followed over a number of days and on completion, there is a multiple-choice exam consisting of 20 questions. You will need to have answered 70% or more of the questions correctly to achieve a Pass.  

The content closely follows the curriculum for the CIEH level 2 Food Safety award but addresses the issues that may occur in an outdoor setting where there may be no access to running water, refrigeration, or the facilities associated with a catering kitchen. Successful candidates will be able to follow on with Part 2 of the Course. 

Features: 

• Appeals to all learning styles with interactive quizzes, video, and audio features • Allows learners to work at their own pace, testing their knowledge as they progress  through the course 

• Provides a comprehensive glossary that helps those unused to the terms used in food preparation to understand their meaning and application 

Approximate time to complete – 3 hours 

 

Part 2 – A practical session held outdoors at a Forest School or Camp. This session is designed as an additional module to the practical Food Safety for Forest School and Campfire Cooking – Part 1, and applies the knowledge gained to the hazards associated with campfire cooking. Candidates are required to demonstrate the storage, preparation, and cooking over a campfire of their chosen dish after an initial classroom session.

Candidates will bring their own ingredients and cook in small groups. They will have completed Part 1 of the course before progressing to Part 2. 

Approximate time to complete – 3-4 hours 

Features: 

• Provides a simple suite of self-assessment documents that are implemented in the practical session and whose templates can be used in candidates’ own Forest School or at Camp 

• The self-assessment (HACCP) documents can be used to provide evidence of due diligence which may be inspected by your local department of Environmental Health

• Facilitates discussion on various potential hazards, in order to reach acceptable solutions 

A certificate of competence will be issued to successful candidates on completion of parts 1  and 2. 

This course is updated regularly to include the latest legislation and legal requirements for keeping food safe. 

 

Creating Autism Accepting Communities Through Forest School

Course Information

  • Title: Creating Autism Accepting Communities Through Forest School 
  • Length: Two day workshop 
  • Workshop Leader: Michael James / Andy Smith / Sarah Lawfull
  • Dates: 26th – 27th April 2024
  • Venue: Sylva Wood Centre, Long Wittenham
  • Cost: £260 including VAT
    (please contact us if you need to pay in instalments or are unable to pay and really need to attend)

We will be outside for much of the training, participants are asked to dress for the weather, with appropriate footwear, and to bring a camping chair.   All activities are fully risk assessed.

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  • Participants will need to bring their own lunch, refreshments will be provided. we will have access to the Training Barn and a toilet which is only used by us.
  • We will have access to a toilet which is only used by us
Course Facilitators
Michael has over 20  years of experience supporting autistic people in a variety of settings and is the author of “Forest School and Autism”. His book offers a paradigm shift from a deficit, even medicalised model of autism, identifying how the relational, strengths-based approach of Forest School meets the needs of many autistic people. His wisdom, compassion and commitment to changing the story for autistic people, with autistic people, have already had a significant impact on Forest School practice.  He is an experienced level 3 Forest School practitioner whose workshops fill immediately at conferences.   
 
Andy Smith’s talk at the ‘Under One Tree’ conference brought his experiences growing up as an undiagnosed autistic child and teenager to the Forest School community. The honesty of his presentation blew our minds. His work as a SEND ambassador and advocate for autistic young people led him to set up the charity Spectrum Gaming, with other volunteers, during the pandemic to provide safe places for autistic children and young people where friendships can be made. Andy loves Forest School. Listen to a recent Facebook live conversation here: https://www.facebook.com/Spectrum0Gaming/videos/282143886875897. 
 
Sarah Lawfull has over thirty years of experience teaching autistic children in mainstream schools, working in specialist provision and supporting autistic teenagers and children through voluntary youth work. She has learned with parents and from the young people themselves, discovering that the route to improving life for everyone is building effective relationships and communities that value and accept each individual.  Working from a strengths-based approach with the loving pedagogy of Forest School, Sarah is committed to changing outcomes for autistic people with autistic people because they are the experts! Reading Michael’s book Forest School and Autism, she realised that if everyone were treated the way he proposes, the education system would work for everyone. 
Course Information
Taking lived autistic experience as our starting point this co-created workshop will offer practical advice on providing nurturing, person-centred outdoor experiences to meet the needs of autistic learners.  Together we will explore ways Forest School pedagogy and practice can promote autism accepting learning communities, promoting positive impacts that reach beyond the woods. There will be a discussion about the Neurodiversity Paradigm and the Social Model of Disability and why it is important that these ideas are embedded in our practice.
 
We will reflect on how we can establish autism acceptance at all levels of the Forest School community. What does ‘quality Forest School for all’ look like from the perspective of autistic young people and neurodivergent practitioners?

This workshop is open to everyone who cares about creating a safe, kind, compassionate education system that serves autistic people well.  

Please join us if you are a neurodivergent or neurotypical: practitioner, homeschooling parent, teacher, Forest School leader,  SEND leader, mental health or social care professional.  

Topics covered include
  • What is Autism? Discussion of the process and history of AS diagnosis and why the learner-led ethos of Forest School can suit AS learners
  • Partnership working and the importance of preparation
  • Communication and social interaction – individual communication profiles and effective channels of communication that work well e.g. social stories
  • Social interaction and play-time and space inherent in the Forest School approach
  • Executive function and systemising
  • Autistic ‘passions’ 
  • Sensory processing difficulties and consideration of a sensory toolkit for Forest School and outdoor learning
  • Supporting people during stress and anxiety – challenging the anxiety cycle
  • Creating anti-bullying cultures –  recognising bullying and knowing how to stop it
  • Social expectations and sense of self
  • Use of language – ‘clean’ and identity-first’ language compared with person-first
  • Understanding the significant barriers faced by neurodivergent people 
  • Planning for autism inclusive Forest School – creating autism-friendly policies 
  • Exploring what needs to be added to Forest School training – ‘nothing about us without us’
  • Time and space to share questions, offer peer to peer supervision
  • Compassionate practice and support mechanisms
  • Meeting the needs of families/ parents with autistic family members
  • Measuring impact – case studies 
  • Contributing to wider thinking about equality, equity, diversity and inclusion 

Advanced Skills 2 Day Workshop with Dave Watson and Sarah Lawfull

Course Information

  • Title: Advanced Skills and Sharp Tools 
  • Cost: £250 including VAT (includes access to online materials)
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It is possible to attend just one day of the workshop by booking via the buttons below:

Book 'Advanced Skills' day
Book 'Sharp Tools' day
Dave Watson
Course Information
We offer a two-day course to build confidence and understanding in advanced bushcraft and Forest School skills. 


Step back from teaching rules about practical skills, ask questions, and understand the purpose of using natural materials, tools, approaches, and techniques.  Learn to trust your learners. 


This approach to practical skills works with children and adults of all stages and ages. It fits brilliantly with the ethos and principles of Forest School. 

Sharp Tools workshop – approved by IOL,   
  • explore creative techniques with knives and saws
  • learn the properties of different woods. 
  • choose the right knife for a specific person, task, or material.  
  • consider different techniques for a range of age groups/abilities.  
  • make a variety of products to test your new skills