Over a quarter of schools in England are transforming their sites for nature - Natural History Museum
7,500 educational settings now taking part in the free National Education Nature Park programme
Over a quarter of all schools and colleges across England have come together to create a network of green spaces to improve their outdoor site for thousands of young people. Across the country, children are mapping, digging, planting, planning, learning and sharing. These student-led improvements have boosted wellbeing, enriched outdoor learning, encouraged pupil responsibility and provided real-life context for curriculum subjects.
The National Education Nature Park, commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) and led by the Natural History Museum (NHM) working with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and additional partners, sees young people creating a network of nature-rich spaces on school sites across the country by turning them from ‘grey to green’ through creating new habitats such as ponds, green walls and grasslands.
As the third academic year of the National Education Nature Park begins, the Natural History Museum has released some key highlights to demonstrate the success of the programme across settings in England:
- More than 1 in 4 primary and secondary schools registered
- 7,500 schools, nurseries and colleges registered
- More than 13 million square metres of habitat mapped across the education estate
- More than 1,100 schools, nurseries and colleges mapping their habitat
- Over £12 million in grants awarded to over 1,250 schools and nurseries
The overarching goal of the National Education Nature Park is to empower every child and young person in England, through their place of learning, to take action to make a positive difference to both their own and nature’s future by developing a connection to nature, understanding the threats facing it and feeling able to act for nature. The project puts nature at the heart of the curriculum with resources across subject areas and key stages, with children taking part developing both green and digital skills.
Posted On: 09/10/2025
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