Forest School Leader

At Outcomes First Schools we believe in creating a better work life balance

Job Title: Forest School Leader
Location: 3 Dimensions School, Chard, Somerset, TA20 3AJ
Hours: 40 hours per week | Monday to Friday | 8.30am – 4.30pm
Salary: £34,000 per annum (not pro rata)
Contract: Permanent | Term Time Only
Start: January 2027
UK applicants only – no sponsorship available

About the Role

At 3 Dimensions School, we're looking for an enthusiastic and creative professional to lead and develop our Forest School provision, creating meaningful outdoor experiences that help young people build confidence, resilience, independence and life skills.

This is far more than an outdoor education role. You'll use nature as a therapeutic and educational environment where students can regulate emotions, take positive risks, develop relationships, solve problems and experience success in ways that work for them.

Working closely with teaching, pastoral and leadership teams, you'll help transform outdoor spaces into powerful learning environments that support EHCP outcomes, Preparation for Adulthood and personal development.

What will you doing

• Leading and developing a high-quality Forest School programme across the school.
• Planning and delivering engaging, student-centred outdoor learning experiences.
• Creating safe, stimulating environments that encourage exploration, confidence and independence.
• Delivering practical outdoor activities including woodland management, conservation projects, bushcraft, outdoor cooking, tool use and environmental education.
• Working collaboratively with teaching and pastoral teams to support EHCP outcomes, curriculum learning and Preparation for Adulthood.
• Monitoring progress and celebrating less formal achievements such as improved regulation, perseverance, teamwork and confidence.
• Maintaining high standards of safeguarding, health and safety, risk assessment and site management.

What you will bring

• QualifiedLevel 3 Forest School Leader with experience delivering engaging outdoor learning programmes.
• Experienced in supporting students with SEND, autism, SEMH and complex needs, using a calm, trauma-informed approach.
• Skilled at building positive relationships and understanding behaviour as communication.
• Confident managing outdoor environments, risk assessments, tools, fire and practical activities safely.
• Flexible, resilient and able to adapt sessions to meet individual student needs and abilities.
• Passionate about helping young people develop confidence, independence, resilience and skills for adulthood.
• Driving licence required

About Us

3 Dimensions School is a specialist independent school for children and young people aged 7-25 with a range of complex learning, communication, social, emotional and mental health needs. Part of Outcomes First Schools, we provide a nurturing, inclusive and highly personalised education that enables every learner to thrive.

Operating across two purposefully designed sites, our primary provision at Chardleigh and secondary/post-16 provision at Hummingbird allow us to offer tailored learning environments that meet students' needs at every stage of their educational journey.

We support learners with a range of profiles, including Autism, ADHD, speech, language and communication needs, SEMH, PDA, attachment difficulties and the impact of trauma. Through our trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming approach, we help young people build confidence, resilience, independence and the skills they need for successful futures.

3 Dimensions School has a strong reputation for achieving positive outcomes for students, combining high expectations with individualised support to help young people succeed both academically and personally. Our broad curriculum, therapeutic approaches, vocational pathways and preparation for adulthood programmes ensure that every student has the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We are proud to be a school where relationships come first, strengths are recognised and celebrated, and every young person is supported to achieve their own version of success.

At Outcomes First Schools, we provide specialist education for learners who need a deeper level of understanding, expertise and support than mainstream education can typically offer. We support students with a wide range of complex, co-occurring and neurodivergent needs, including autism, ADHD, SEMH, speech and communication needs, dyslexia and experiences of trauma or adversity.

We are proud to be a part of OFG Education who in 2025 were officially certified as a ‘Great Place to Work’ for the sixth year running.

Why Join Us?

We place students and vulnerable young adults at the heart of everything we do, so every day brings the satisfaction of making a real difference. We are committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students and young people. All applicants will be subject to social media checks and successful applicants to a fully enhanced DBS.

• Life Assurance
• Pension scheme with options to increase contributions
• “Your Wellbeing Matters” – mental health support and physical health checks
• Flexible Benefits Platform (Vista), including:
• • Health, wellbeing and insurance benefits
  • Hundreds of UK and international discounts
  • Cycle to Work Scheme & Electric Car Purchase Scheme
  • Critical illness cover
  • Family Growth Support, including enhanced maternity/paternity leave and paid fertility treatment support

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

OFG Education is committed to carrying out a fair, thorough and efficient recruitment process in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. Whilst we aim to keep applicants informed throughout, OFG Education does not accept liability for any loss of earnings or other associated costs incurred by applicants as a result of delays or changes in the compliance process. All stages of the compliance process are subject to necessary safeguarding checks and compliance with statutory requirements, which may affect timescales.

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