Case Study:
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
Building Confidence To Use Tools Safely Across Volunteers, Staff And Schools
How Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust is using The Outdoor Teacher's Using Tools Training to support volunteers and help deliver its growing outdoor learning programmes.
About BBOWT
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) inspires people to connect with nature while protecting and restoring wildlife across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
Its Engagement & Learning Team delivers outdoor learning programmes for schools, families and young people, helping children experience nature, develop practical conservation skills and build confidence outdoors.
Alongside its long-established work with young people and families, BBOWT is now expanding its support for schools through its ambitious Wilder Schools programme.
Meet Lynn Hughes
Head of Engagement & Learning
Lynn began her career as a teacher before moving into environmental education and now leads BBOWT's Engagement & Learning Team.
She oversees programmes delivered by both staff and volunteers, ensuring outdoor learning is engaging, inspiring and delivered safely.
"We wanted a consistent way of making sure everyone working with children and using tools had completed appropriate training. The online module fitted perfectly with our safeguarding procedures and gives people the flexibility to complete the training in their own time before supporting sessions."
Three Programmes Where Tools Play An Important Role
BBOWT currently uses tools across three learning programmes.
Nature Tots
A monthly parent-and-toddler group where young children are introduced to simple tool use through carefully supervised activities.
Younger Rangers (8-12)
Monthly Saturday clubs where children explore and engage in the outdoors and graduallydevelop practical conservation and outdoor skills.
Teen Rangers (12-17)
Young people return month after month, allowing them to build confidence, independenceand practical conservation skills over time.
Because many participants attend regularly over long periods, BBOWT is able to introduce tools progressively, allowing confidence and practical skills to develop safely over time.
A Long-Term Approach To Working With Schools
In January 2026, BBOWT began an exciting new direction for its education work through its Wilder Schools programme.
Rather than delivering one-off visits, the programme partners with primary schools over three years, helping schools increase biodiversity across their grounds while supporting teachers to become more confident leading learning outdoors.
Following a successful pilot involving six schools, the programme expands in September 2026 to eight primary schools across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.
Most activities take place on the school site, with each school also visiting a BBOWT nature reserve once each year.
The Wilder Schools approach first emerged within another Wildlife Trust following the COVID pandemic.
As each Wildlife Trust is an independent charity, successful programmes are often picked up and adapted by other Trusts to meet the needs of their own communities. Today, around ten Wildlife Trusts are running similar initiatives.
Building A Consistent Approach To Training
Lynn first came across The Outdoor Teacher while looking for practical training to support staff using tools with children.
Initially, one member of the Learning Team completed The Outdoor Teacher's Using Tools Course and used the guidance from the course to develop BBOWT's own tool-use risk assessment.
After seeing how well this worked in practice, BBOWT invested in 50 licences for staff and volunteers.
The licences are now issued as new volunteers join the organisation, ensuring everyone receives the same training before leading or supporting activities involving tools with children.
Training That Works For Volunteers
Like many Wildlife Trusts, BBOWT regularly welcomes new volunteers. Providing face-to-face training every time someone joins would take considerable time and organisation.
Instead, volunteers complete Using Tools at home, in their own time, before supporting sessions involving children. Each learner receives a certificate on completion and retains lifetime access to revisit the training whenever they need a refresher.
Purchasing licences in bulk has given BBOWT a simple, scalable and cost-effective way of providing consistent training while reducing the administration involved in inducting new volunteers.
Today, completing the Using Tools training is a mandatory requirement for every employee or volunteer leading or supporting activities involving tools with children.
BBOWT's Safeguarding Code of Practice states:
"All employees and volunteers using tools with children as part of these specified activities should also complete this specific training before they will be able to lead or support a group."
What Volunteers Learn
Using Tools is a module from The Outdoor Teacher's Forest School Activities Online Training programme which consists of eight different modules, all of which are available as stand alone courses or part of the full programme.
The Using Tools module provides practical, video-based training covering:
Volunteers also learn:
The online format allows learners to pause, replay and revisit lessons whenever they wish.
The Impact
For Lynn, the biggest benefit has been consistency. Every member of staff and volunteer receives the same practical training before leading or supporting activities involving tools with children.
The Engagement & Learning Team can be confident that everyone understands the same tool protocols, safeguarding expectations and approaches to risk and benefit assessment, while volunteers value being able to complete the training at a time that suits them.
As BBOWT continues to expand its outdoor learning programmes, including Wilder Schools, that consistent approach to training will continue to support safe, confident and high-quality experiences for children and young people.
Key Outcomes:
Find Out More
(Discounts Available For Multiple Licences)
The Forest School Activities Training
Our foundation training course comes with lifetime access to over 100 step by step inspirational videos and resources.
Designed for teachers and practitioners. Single modules are £47 +vat or save £100 when you buy the 8 module bundle