Education is a powerful tool in the fight against climate change and eligible educational settings in England now have the opportunity to take part in the new National Education Nature Park (NENP) programme.
The Department for Education has made available the £15 million grant to support young people in getting outdoors and learning about the natural world. Schools can use the funding for:
How your NENP grant could support Country Trust activities:
Is your school listed as one of the eligible providers of NENP? Download the full list
NENP aims to give children and young people the opportunity to connect to nature while investigating and recording what’s living and growing in their school grounds. They will plan and take action to boost biodiversity, through improvements such as building rain gardens, growing pollinator-friendly plants, installing bird boxes and more.
Places of education taking part in the programme will become part of a vast network of spaces across England that together form the National Education Nature Park. The land from schools in England forms an area the equivalent to roughly twice the size of Birmingham, so alongside nurseries and colleges that represents huge potential to collectively contribute to nature recovery across the country.
NENP is delivered by the Natural History Museum in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society and other partners, including Esri UK, this initiative responds to the urgency of the planetary emergency, presenting a unique opportunity to revolutionize climate education and support youth in promoting biodiversity across England.
Educational institutions interested in joining the National Education Nature Park can register at www.educationnaturepark.org.uk.