Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Roots to Work is a project of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming.

Freelance Forest School Leader / School Gardening Teacher

Cultivate London
Acton, London

Posted: 1 Oct 2025

Deadline: 8 Oct 2025

Compensation: £16.75 per hour

Paid Part-time

Job description

At Cultivate London, we help communities plant gardens together, spreading green skills, togetherness and wellbeing through our urban communities.   

Our Community and Young People team are looking for a friendly, adaptable and engaging freelance forest school teacher or children’s gardening session leader for groups of children at an Ealing Primary School. We are looking for a person who holds a Forest School Leader or Primary Teaching Qualification, is passionate about outdoor learning and play and enjoys growing fruit and vegetables.

You will be providing structured gardening and forest school style activities in an award winning school garden offering the children a chance to grow their own fruit and vegetables, learn about nature and enjoy the outdoors. In a large dedicated school garden, you will teach groups of around 15 children across the Early Years and Primary ages a seasonal program of Forest School, craft and gardening activities. You will be responsible for developing this program to flexibly suit the ages, curriculum and interests of the children, adding a valuable enrichment to the school's program. 

We’ll offer you a supportive environment and appropriate training to develop your skills. The school-based role is term time only with the potential to work at other Cultivate London gardens and projects over school holidays if the candidate has availability to work across the full year.

The role is initially offered for 9 hours covering one full school day and including preparation time. This freelance role is paid at £16.75 per hour with the opportunity to grow your role to include more days a week. 

Brief Job Description

• Providing a seasonal gardening and forest school program, 
  • Flexibly including the schools learning program when requested by teachers
  • Weekly themed activities diversified across primary year groups 
• Adapting sessions to the weather 
  • Teaching groups of 15 pupils, with TA support where appropriate.
  • 7.5 hour teaching day (8:30 am - 4pm) including set up and pack away and a 30 min lunch break
  • 1.5 hour paid preparation/admin time allocated 
• Liaising with the Head, providing regular photo reports of the children’s activities
• Supporting the PTA and parents gardening group with improvements to the school garden
• Reporting to the Director of Young People and Community at Cultivate London
• Attending Cultivate London team meetings when required.  

Essential Attributes:

• Forest School Leader Qualification (or near completion) or Primary Teaching Qualification (or near completion)
• Teaching experience with primary age children
• Paediatric first aid trained or willingness to undertake course upon appointment
• Enhanced DBS check 
• Awareness of safeguarding procedures
• Awareness of Risk Assessmentment and Health and Safety procedures
• Passionate about outdoor learning and happy to work outdoors throughout the year
• Enjoy growing plants and keen to develop and share your skills
• Ability to work independently while supported by the Cultivate London team

Desirable Attributes:

• Working in a classroom environment in the UK
• Experience growing fruit and vegetable across the seasons in the UK
• Experience of working with children or young people with SEND and knowledge of how to meet their needs
• Ability to build effective working relationships with pupils developing their responsibility and pride in their work
• Knowledge of effective behaviour management strategies

Please Note:

• This is initially a freelance role, but as the charity’s needs change it has scope to become permanent. 
• Appointment to this post is subject to an enhanced criminal records check through the Disclosure and Barring Service and references. 
• You must have the right to live and work in the UK. Non-EU nationals who require a work permit to take up employment will not be considered. 
• Cultivate London is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of the community. 

Application information

To apply, please submit a CV, covering letter telling us about your relevant experience and qualifications and details for references of two past employers by 6pm Wednesday 8th October to: https://form.jotform.com/252692608555365

Please address any questions to louise@cultivatelondon.org. Interviews will be scheduled for Monday 13th October with a try out/training day on Monday 20th October and a start date from the 3rd November.

Please mention Roots to Work when applying for these jobs