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Qualifications and Safeguarding

Trust built into
everything we do

Schools, SENCOs and families need to know their children are in safe, skilled hands. Here is exactly what every member of the Canopy team holds before they lead a session.

Forest School qualifications

  • Level 3 Qualified Forest School Leader

  • Therapeutic Forest Approved Practitioner

  • Certificate in Therapeutic Skills for Outdoor Leaders

  • Forest School Association Member

  • Institute of Outdoor Learning Member

Teaching & inclusion

  • Qualified Teacher Status (PGCE)

  • MA Inclusion (Social, Emotional and Behaviour Difficulties)

  • Wildlife Ecology Degree

  • Countryside Management Degree

Safeguarding & safety

  • Enhanced DBS

  • Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead

  • Safer recruitment checks for all team members

  • Fire Warden Training

First aid & insurance

  • Outdoor First Aid — SCQF Level 6

  • Level 2 in Food Safety and Safety for Catering

  • Forest School Public Liability Insurance

Safer Recruitment

Before appointment, all Canopy team members complete safer recruitment checks — including references, employment history, identity and right-to-work checks.

Each Level 3 Forest School Leader also holds appropriate insurance, an enhanced DBS certificate and Level 6 outdoor first aid certification.

Impact Reports

At Canopy Forest School we believe it is important to reflect and review our services so that we can ensure that we stay true to our ethos, mission and values. To help us measure this and the impact that our sessions have on wellbeing we always ask our clients to fill out evaluation and feedback forms. 

Below you will find a copy of our summative evaluation and impact report for Sep 25-Aug 26. 

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Documents, Reports and Publications we follow.

SEND reform: education otherwise than school (July 2026)

Non-School AP – Voluntary National   Standards (August 2025)

Experts at Hand
DfE (June 2026)

Consultation Response
(August 2025)

Keeping Children
Safe in Education (2026)

What Works: Four Tenets of Successful Internal AP (June 2025)

Working Together to Safeguard Children (March 2026)

Consultation on Unregistered AP /Draft Framework (DfE 2024)

Children with complex needs who are deprived of liberty (Nov 2024)

SEND & AP Improvement Plan (2023)

SEND & AP Improvement Plan Easy Read
(2023)

Arranging Alternative
Provision Guidelines (Feb 2025)

IntegratEd Toolkit & Report (2022)

Every Child Achieving and Thriving (DfE 2026)

Thematic Review of Alternative Provision in Local Areas
(Gov. Uk 2023)

Pupil Behaviour Survey (DfE 2024)

Behaviour in Schools (DfE 2013)

Creating a School Behaviour Culture Audit (DfE 2024)

Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforces (DfE 2024)

Alternative Provision Statutory Guidance (DfE 2025)

Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE 2023)

Race, Racism & Safeguarding Children (DfE 2025)

What role does social media play in violence affecting young people?
(Youth Endowment Fund 2024)

Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE 2023)

Alternative Provision quality metrics (IntegratED 2023)

Solving the SEND Crisis (UK Parliament 24-25)

Enrichment Benchmarks
(DfE 2026)

Sustainability 
Leadership and
climate action plans
(DfE 2023)

Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education of children (DfE 2023)

Behavioural and social communication interventions for children and young people with SEMH and autism: 
(DfE 2026)

Working together to improve School Attendance, DfE 2026

Identifying and supporting
children and young people with social, emotional and 
mental health needs (Sep 25)
 

Blogs and Websites

AP Research Network Website

Excluded Lives research project
Home Page

What the research shows us about good quality AP

The Association of child and adolesent mental health

What is Alternative Provision & Who is it For?

Unicef for every child

Hampshire SENDIASS

Autism Education Trust

Changing Chances CIC

Open University: Marie Gentles "Don't Exclude Me"

Further Reading

Joining the Dots? 
Special Education and alternative provision by Sally Tomlinson and Craig Johnston

Outcomes beyond Evaluation: The Impetus and Measure of Relationships within Alternative Provisions: Craig Johnston and Tara Nolty

Princes Trust-What’s the alternative? Effective support for young people disengaging from mainstream education. Pat Thomson and Jodie Pennacchia

Gentle Guidance, Marie Gentles, 2023, Bloomsbury Tonic

Curious not Furious, Rendle and Messenger, 2023, Embers

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