More than 1 in 8 schools and colleges across England have already joined the National Education Nature Park programme. It’s a brilliant way to revitalise your school’s outdoor space as part of a Climate Action Plan – and Climate Education can help.
Children and young people at more than 4,000 schools, nurseries, and colleges across England are leading the way in turning their outdoor spaces from grey to green by exploring, mapping, and creating wildlife habitats.
Budding conservationists have been busy building green walls, digging ponds, and growing pollinator-friendly plants – all of which has been made possible by the National Education Nature Park programme.
Free for all schools, nurseries and colleges in England, the programme has been designed and delivered by a partnership led by the Natural History Museum, which is working with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) alongside other partners, including geospatial experts Esri UK. It aims to enhance children and young people’s wellbeing and develop their green skills, all while contributing to nationwide nature recovery.
Get involved with Climate Education
Joining the National Education Nature Park isn’t only a great way for schools in England to give their grounds a nature-friendly makeover while getting young minds thinking about the wider natural environment. It can also form an integral part of schools’ Climate Action Plans, as mandated by the Department for Education’s (DfE) sustainability and climate change strategy. And if you’re looking for further support and expert guidance, Climate Education has you covered.
Our School Site Development Plan package can help you unlock the full potential of your school site by creating spaces for play, nature, teaching and learning. Tree-planting and wildflower meadow-creation services are also available; and if you become a Climate Education member, you will get access to the latest funding grants and support, complementing the free resources and tools offered by the National Education Nature Park programme, which provides low-cost school site improvement options.
Two million square metres
The National Education Nature Park programme was commissioned and funded by the DfE as part of the its sustainability and climate change strategy. During the programme’s first full academic year, from October 2023 to July 2024, children and young people mapped more than two million square metres of habitats across England’s education estate – an area equivalent to about 1,600 Olympic-size swimming pools.
By imagining these sites as an interconnected green space on a national map, the impact on nature recovery across the country is being collectively tracked and assessed. As children and young people transform school sites, for people and wildlife, they use digital tools to collect data that contributes to trailblazing scientific research into nature recovery, led by scientists at the Natural History Museum.
Why not get started at your school with the Hidden Nature Challenge? Take your class outside and discover hidden nature on your site in twenty minutes or less.
Register your school for the National Education Nature Park programme at www.educationnaturepark.org.uk.
