Forest Educator with Ricardo Sierra | A Podcast for Revolutionary Conversations about Nature-Based Education · Ricardo Sierra

Forest Education Without a Forest with David Fisher

·1 hr 6 min·4 clips

David Fisher says forest school does not have to happen in a natural environment.

Ricardo Sierra opens by welcoming David Fisher from Rooted Learning. Fisher is based in London in the UK at the time of the conversation. Ricardo notes that Fisher is the first guest he has had who is doing forest school trainings proper. Fisher says he was trained as a forest educator and forest school leader, and that the training was a big inspiration for getting children outside. When he worked in schools, forest school often seemed to stop around age five or six and fade even more by Year One. That pushed him toward changing the ethos of the school instead of leaving outdoor learning as an occasional add-on. He then turns to the people he trains. Fisher says a level 3 qualification is not always the main thing for teachers, since they already have a teaching qualification. What matters more, he says, is practical support that helps them put forest school into practice. Nursery school staff are a different case, because some of them still need level 3 childcare for their jobs. Homeschoolers also come up, along with the different safeguarding questions that group raises, since one adult working with their own children is not the same as managing a large group. The business side matters too. Accredited certification helps people get insurance and run a business, so Ricardo and Fisher talk through those boxes before offering the course. Fisher also notes that level 3 training can bring UCAS points for university entry. He adds that the qualification has an age requirement of 21, which means many people taking it will already have a degree. By the end, Fisher stresses that the course is built to meet people from different angles rather than assume one path into forest education.

As heard by us

A grounded look at training, school culture, and what it takes to keep forest learning alive.

Forest education is treated here as a working problem, not a slogan. Ricardo Sierra and David Fisher talk through what it takes to keep children outdoors, what proper training looks like, and why a school's ethos matters once the first burst of enthusiasm wears off.

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Why you'd press play

If forest-school training matters to you, this conversation keeps its boots on the ground.

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