More than 2 million square metres of habitats mapped
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More than 1 in 8 schools and colleges across England have joined the National Education Nature Park in its first year
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The programme’s first annual report shows that children and young people have mapped more than 2 million m2 of habitats across the education estate, equivalent to about 1,600 Olympic-size swimming pools, and created new habitats including green walls and ponds
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As part of the programme, more than 500 schools and nurseries have been awarded a share of a £5 million grant to turn grey areas of their school grounds green
Children and young people at more than 3,000 schools, nurseries and colleges across every region of England are leading the way in turning their learning sites from grey to green by exploring, mapping and creating habitats in their school grounds through activities including building green walls, digging ponds and growing pollinator-friendly plants.
The programme, free for all schools, nurseries and colleges in England, is designed to enhance children and young people’s wellbeing and develop their green skills, all while contributing to nature recovery.
It’s been designed and delivered by a partnership led by the Natural History Museum working with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) alongside other partners, including geospatial expertise from Esri UK to put technology-enabled nature discovery at the heart of the programme. It has been commissioned and funded by the Department for Education as part of its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.
The partnership with Esri UK to develop the digital mapping infrastructure for the project, enables young people to access professional-quality geospatial mapping tools specifically tailored for education settings.
By imagining all education settings 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 their sites for both 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.
Minister for Early Education, Department for Education, Stephen Morgan said: “All young people should be able to harness the benefits of spending time in nature, and the National Education Nature Park is making huge strides in breaking down the barriers so many face in accessing, understanding and interacting with the natural world.
“Through this programme we aim to help improve wellbeing of young people, boost biodiversity of the entire education estate and help those involved develop skills for the future.”
About National Education Nature Park
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Children and young people are leading the way in creating a network of green spaces in schools, nurseries and colleges in England to improve them for people and wildlife
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Through turning grey spaces green, young people are boosting biodiversity, all while connecting to nature, and developing vital green and digital skills for their futures
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Every small act makes a big impact: by monitoring wildlife on their sites and uploading their findings, young people see the collective difference they are making on an online map, and contribute to scientific research on nature recovery
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A growing library of free, quality-assured, curriculum-linked resources help teachers put nature at the heart of education across all subject areas and key stages
Partners for nature
About Esri UK
Esri UK is a GIS (Geographic Information System) software company, developing a range of geospatial solutions for digital mapping and spatial analysis. Customers include the Environment Agency, Cabinet Office, Vodafone and the National Trust. The company’s Education programme provides free access to its ArcGIS software, teaching resources and training for all UK schools. Currently used by over 3,500 schools and 135 universities across the UK, Esri’s software helps students learn new skills.
