Thanks to a new partnership between the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the Natural History Museum (NHM) and the government, children will have the opportunity to learn about biodiversity and nature in schools, and perhaps gain new green spaces in the playground.
The aim of the plan is to help students to map out the biodiversity in their schools and add it to a nationwide database, as well as support teachers to develop climate education resources and lesson plans.
Furthermore, schools without green space could be eligible for funding to create some for students to study.
Even though the exact amount of funding has not yet been agreed upon, according to a spokesperson for the Department for Education there would be opportunities for a mix of government funding and corporate sponsorship.
The director general at the RHS, Clare Matterson, has recently left her post at the NHM to join the horticulture charity. She said “The national education nature parks will be open to all schools in England and we’ll be working hard with our partners to ensure accessibility is at its heart and that schools are provided with the support they say they need. This includes working with the Department for Education to explore grant-funding opportunities. We know from our existing work that for many children the school garden is their only touchpoint to nature, and we want to make sure it provides a stimulating and meaningful space for learning and skills development.”
However, green spaces in schools go beyond lesson plans and recording wildlife.
“It’s an experience rather than a lesson to be taught – be it sitting in a green space and taking a moment to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of nature, getting your hands dirty planting seeds, or doing some pond-dipping”.
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