Vocational Programmes 

Outdoor Sustainable Skills

Bishops Wood continues to offer it's successful vocational based learning programme for students aged 14 - 19, led by skilled tutors who have a track record in working with a variety of students.

This is a modular programme aimed at students who will benefit from a practical woodland and land based skills provision combined with functional skills.  The programme has been designed in consultation with mentors, alternative curriculum coordinators and our 14 - 19 team based on 6 years of experience in working with this age group.

Bishops Wood is an accredited OCN training provider and works in partnership with Top Barn Training Centre to offer a variety of units that can make up the NOCN Step-Up award at either level 1 or 2. 

NOCN Step-Up Award at Level 1

Land based skills  -  this will account for 6 credits or 12.5 performance points (equivalent of 1 GCSE grade D - G) and requires a minimum of 54 guided learning hours.

This unit requires a minimum of 2 units with one

core unit.

NOCN Step-Up Certificate at level 1

'Living Off the Land' at Bishops Wood and Top Barn  -  this will account for 21 credits or 50 performance points (equivalent to 4 GCSE grade D - G) and requires a minimum of 190 guided learning hours.  This will mean the learner attending 30 sessions at either Bishops Wood or Top Barn (9:30am until 2:00pm) and the school / unit / student will need, on average, to spend an extra minimum 2 hours per week of guided learning in school / unit. 

This course required 7 units including at least 2 core. 

Units offered:

• Team working and Communication Skills
• Using Teamwork Skills
• Managing your own learning
• Developing your own interpersonal skills
• Using Carpentry Hand Skills
• Using and Maintaining Woodworking Tools
• Understanding how to cultivate compost and soils
• Understanding plant pruning
• Understanding sowing and growing
• Understanding organic horticulture
• Understanding how to cultivate herbs