Posted by: Julie Newman,
One of the objectives of the Department for
Education’s Sustainability and Climate
Change Strategy is to increase opportunities for
children and young people to learn from and connect with nature
and improve biodiversity in their schools.
There are a number of schools across the country already doing
fantastic work in this space, one of which is St Alban’s CE
(Aided) Primary School, which has won awards for its commitment
to sustainability, including Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife
Trust’s first ‘Wilder School of the
Year’ in 2021. Their outdoor education lead, Julie
Newman, shares how the school has taken action to
support biodiversity in their grounds and beyond.
Power of pupil voice
Many young people are aware that we are in the midst of climate
and biodiversity crises. The curriculum is crowded but, like many
schools, we have begun to find ways to weave sustainability
through the subjects we teach. Raising awareness of climate
change and biodiversity is essential and it’s vital that all
pupils have the opportunity to bring about change. Otherwise, we
run the risk of leaving young people with a sense of
helplessness.
Being part of the national Polli:Nation project prompted us to
focus on pupil voice. We saw how, driven by a group of passionate
pupils, action for biodiversity became part of the ethos of our
school. Students devised their own PolliPromise campaign
and began to engage the local community. Successive cohorts have
taken this on board and, as part of X-Polli:Nation, the
campaign became international.
Another initiative we have participated in is the Tree Council’s
‘Young Tree Champions’, where
a class is given the responsibility of leading the school to
instigate change. They chose to focus on biodiversity and
wellbeing because, as one of our pupils explained, without
biodiversity there can be no wellbeing. The project has been
threaded through the school curriculum and pupils share their
actions through audio trails, videos, assemblies and tours.
Making connections with nature and
each other
We are a Hampshire County Council Trailblazer school.
This scheme is all about ‘learning to learn’ and includes
connecting to and caring for nature. By the time our pupils go to
secondary school, we want them to have developed a love and
respect for the natural world and feel empowered and confident in
displaying pro-environmental behaviour. Nature engagement
connects our pupils with each other and their environment. Many
of our pupils do not have a garden or access to local greenspace,
so school grounds are vital places. Exploring throughout the
seasons helps develop a sense of place and belonging, which
drives pupils to protect nature and bring about change.
The connections we have made with our local community have also
been extremely rewarding. Our team of garden volunteers work
alongside our pupils using a buddy/mentoring approach that has
worked well. We also have links with many local individuals and
organisations. We share ideas and resources with other schools
and groups, helping to build a support network. A blog to share ideas is
available on the project website.
Growing together
Horticulture in schools can seem daunting, but a single patch of
fruit, vegetables or plants can make a difference for both
wildlife and our school community. We began with a school club
and learned to grow with our garden. Creating a wildlife habitat
is much easier than maintaining one, so small steps worked for
us:
- Liaising with your school’s grounds maintenance staff is a
priority, otherwise you might find your long grass area strimmed!
- Signage helps people understand your changes and why areas
may not always look ‘pristine’.
- One of the best tips, I have been given, is to walk your
grounds from the perspective of the organism you are improving
habitat for. Consider what you already have and think about how
the whole site can save time, money and disappointment.
Impact
By making physical changes to our grounds, our children link
their knowledge and skills across the curriculum. Enthusiasm for
one species often spills over into another and becoming
increasingly aware of the inter connectedness of living things.
Our grounds have become a better place for nature and an example
of the power of cumulative, small changes. They are also a better
place for people; many of our pupils speak of the calm and joy
that comes from being in them. There is immense satisfaction in
looking back and knowing you are part of positive change.
The National Education Nature Park and climate action awards
scheme is a new initiative will aim to make sure every young
person in England has opportunities to develop a meaningful
connection to nature, which the Department will be partnering
with the Natural History Museum to deliver.
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