First young people take part in the Department for Education’s new National Education Nature Park scheme

Following on from yesterday's announcement by the Department of Education: Funding boost to improve outside learning facilities

First young people take part in the Department for Education’s new National Education Nature Park scheme - The Natural History Museum

a young girl wearing a green jumper with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail is crouching in front of a garden full of flowers and making notes on a clipboard — Observing nature at RHS Bridgewater.(image: NHM)

Yesterday, 18 May, young people from pathfinder education settings have been testing activities for the National Education Nature Park, a new Department for Education scheme led by the Natural History Museum that will create a network of outdoor spaces in schools, nurseries and colleges across England, managed by young people and empowering them to make a positive difference to both their and nature’s future.

Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education (DfE), visited the activity day at RHS Garden Bridgewater as the DfE announced £15m in funding for settings in the most deprived and nature depleted areas to engage with the programme. Eligible settings will be invited to apply over the coming months.

The pioneering initiative – run by a partnership led by the Natural History Museum with the Royal Horticultural Society, other partners, and working with Esri UK and the DfE - will give young people across England the opportunity to lead the way in mapping, monitoring and enhancing their learning sites for nature. Natural History Museum research has established the UK is currently one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. The National Education Nature Park aims to empower young people to take action on biodiversity loss through interventions such as creating pollinator-friendly habitats where biodiversity can thrive, to developing planting schemes that support climate resilience, all while enhancing their wellbeing through an increased connection to nature and equipping them with essential green and digital skills for their futures.

40 education settings in pilot regions of the North West and West Midlands are currently testing and helping develop the National Education Nature Park scheme, which will open to settings across England later in the year.