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Schools in England invited to join new programme to boost nature in education
Schools, nurseries and colleges across England are being invited to join a new initiative that will encourage young people to take action for nature.
The National Education Nature Park will create a network of green spaces right across the country that will help to boost biodiversity and education on learning sites.
A new initiative is being launched that will help young people connect with nature.
The National Education Nature Park will give students the opportunity and skills to map their green spaces, record and investigate what lives in them, and then figure out what can be done to boost this biodiversity. These initiatives will include a whole range of actions, from creating rain gardens that will benefit frogs and dragonflies to growing pollinator-friendly gardens that will improve the environment for bees and butterflies.
With the collective area of England’s primary and secondary schools forming an area around twice the size of Birmingham, the initiative could have a hugely significant impact on improving the UK’s biodiversity.
Being by a partnership led by the Natural History Museum, working with the Royal Horticultural Society, along with other organisations, the programme will transform the way we teach climate education and support young people to act and increase biodiversity across England.
Dr Doug Gurr, the Director of the Natural History Museum, says, ‘Together with our partners, we are creating opportunities for every child and young person in England to use practical science and make actionable changes in their learning environments, to have a positive impact on biodiversity on a national scale.’
‘I’m looking forward to seeing what difference it will make to nature across the country and to the programme helping to create a new generation of advocates for the planet.’
Map of the UK showing the location of all schools and colleges in England. Image: Ordnance Survey © Crown copyright
In addition to helping students transform their school grounds, the programme is also designed to develop green skills and knowledge across the curriculum. The official launch of the programme means that teachers and education staff across England are now being invited to register their education setting to join the National Education Nature Park and access free educational resources.
The National Education Nature Park will not only provide young people with the opportunity to learn more about and help boost nature in their schools, but will also provide invaluable data for researchers to better understand how what is living and growing on these sites.
This will provide a connection between these young people and scientists who are working to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis that is currently unfolding.
Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, whose influential 2021 review provided recommendations for changes in education to protect the natural world, says, ‘Rooting Nature into our education system is a vital part of tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.’
‘The National Education Nature Park programme aims to do exactly that, by embedding Nature across subject areas and giving the next generation the opportunities to connect to Nature, along with the knowledge and skills needed to help both themselves and Nature to thrive.’
If you are a school, college or nursery and want to join or find out more, then visit the National Education Nature Park’s website.
