Top marks for Yorkshire schools, who worked hard with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to bring the outdoors into their learning as part of the national Nature Friendly Schools project.
The outdoors does everyone good - the benefits of a dose of fresh air are well known for all ages - so it's no wonder schools are increasingly taking the learning outside.
The Nature Friendly Schools project was all about addressing inequalities in access to the natural environment for children, and the challenges faced by schools trying to run outdoor learning, particularly in areas of high deprivation.
Across the UK, 48,000 pupils, 1,870 teachers and 144 schools participated in the project, with 97% of schools reporting that Nature Friendly Schools had a positive impact on pupils’ interest in the natural world. The project aimed to improve their outdoor learning capacity, research the effects of outdoor high-quality activities on pupils’ mental health and wellbeing, and created a legacy by influencing policy change at a government level.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust was one of six trusts delivering across England and supported 44 of the 187 primary schools on their Nature Friendly Schools journey, representing 25% of the primary national programme.
Development included creating outdoor classrooms, wildflower meadows, vegetable patches and bug hotels, as well as leading sessions related to outdoor learning.
A particularly successful partnership happened at Hoyland Springwood Primary School in Barnsley where Kat, one of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Nature Friendly Schools officers, helped the school to create a canvas shelter with a seating area, balance beams and a fire pit, as well as leading sessions making woodland medallions and exploring nature. Following training, one of the staff involved now spearheads outdoor learning at the school.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s support helped schools to create resources that would otherwise not have been available to them. Teresa Hickingbottom, a teaching assistant from New Pasture Lane Primary in Bridlington, said: 'Nature Friendly Schools has made a huge impact on us - we now have outside areas that we only dreamed of having, and the team-teaching and resources have been invaluable in helping us gain confidence in delivering effect outdoor learning.'
The project also inspired schools who took part to continue their commitment to outdoor learning in new and exciting ways. New Pasture Lane Primary created a series of nature-themed podcasts to further engage pupils and the local community in their outdoor projects, and produce a joint radio broadcast with Burlington Junior School, another NFS programme participant, about the nature-based activities in their schools. Burlington Junior School have also gone on to participate in Young Tree Champions, where they gained Beacon School status, worked towards the RHS Gardens Level 4 award, and have completed the Queen’s Green Canopy Award with 30 pupils across year groups.
Other schools visited by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reported similarly positive effects, with Tracey Latham of Marshlands Primary in Goole commenting, 'We have been whittling willow pond dipping and composting as well as watering the saplings and weeding the raised beds! I just want to thank you, I had all this inside me but Nature Friendly Schools gave me the confidence to nurture it and develop it into what it is today and will be in the future.'
Some 97% of schools reported that Nature Friendly Schools had a positive impact on pupils’ interest in the natural world, with the majority of students highly engaged and enthusiastic and asking questions outside sessions. 92% of schools also felt that Nature Friendly Schools had a positive impact on pupils’ behaviour, with teachers in Yorkshire schools reporting that students who often struggled to focus or who were disruptive in class showed a marked improvement in behaviour.
Many pupils said they loved being outside, and felt more able to concentrate and stay calm as a result of their nature-focused activities, once back indoors.
The beneficial outcomes from the programme haven’t ended with the schools, however - they have been very much mutual. Through our involvement in the programme, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has:
• Extended experience of engaging young people in community settings, building on fantastic programmes such as Bradford Urban Discovery Project, Tomorrow’s Natural Leaders and Youth in Nature.
• Developed valuable relationships with other Trusts on the NFS programme, along with consortium partners such as The Field Studies Council and YoungMinds
• Improved knowledge & understanding of issues around accessibility
• Supported thousands of young people to begin a journey of care and concern for their environment, feeding into aims to inspire 1 in 4 people to take positive action for nature by 2030.
Nature Friendly Schools will leave a lasting legacy - the relationships built with schools and academy trusts will inspire and help motivate others to take action for wildlife. Through shared learning, ideas and best practice they will unlock the many benefits for people and the wildlife in our communities. The project was funded through Natural England by the Department for Education and DEFRA as part of the national Children and Nature programme, and delivered by the ‘Resilience Through Nature’ consortium, which included The Wildlife Trusts, Field Studies Council, The Sensory Trust, Groundwork UK, YoungMinds and NatCen.
If you, your school or your local community group want to help take positive action for nature, check out our webpage ywt.org.uk/get-involved to learn more.
