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Get Involved Schools and Education Facilities Schools and Environmental Education
Schools can play a very important part in the Biodiversity Action Plan process. Some schools have wildlife areas in their grounds and some have the potential to create some. Local Schools can get advice and environment workshops from Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Groundwork.
There are very often limited opportunities for teachers to deliver some aspects of environmental education within the school. There are however, a number of organisations within Derbyshire who deliver environmental education. There are a number of organisations in the county which can do environmental education, click on the organisations to find out more (see below for more information).
We provide a professional service aimed mainly at Junior and Tertiary levels, using Lathkill Dale.
For all school group bookings or enquiries relating to Community Groups please contact: Caroline Thomas Tel: 01629 816640 The Peak District National Park Environmental Education Service, working in partnership with the Youth Hostels Association and other partners, aims to increase young people's awareness and understanding of the natural environment and the role they can play in shaping the future. The Education Service provides young people with opportunities to:
The Education team encourages young people to appreciate and understand the biodiversity of the Peak District. Below are some examples of the programmes we offer:
How to contact us: The Education Administrator Peak District National Park Authority Centre for Environmental Learning
South Derbyshire Environmental Education Project Want to learn more about The National Forest? Interested in getting outside to learn more about the environment? Need some advice on using your school grounds? Then get in touch with South Derbyshire’s Environmental Education Project. The Forestry Centre has extensive facilities including a classroom, sensory garden, a range of habitats, hide and large picnic/play area. The Project has won a DCC GreenWatch Award for its Environmental Education Facilities. Our activities are designed to be fun, but have a serious message - in order to respect and protect our environment for future generations, we need to understand it.
A large part of our work is school and other group visits. Activities range from Minibeast hunting, and pond dipping to Nature's Art and Technology, Santa's Workshops and Bees-Means-Buzz-Ness! We will adapt our sessions to your individual groups needs, and other activities are available on request.
We take Health and Safety very seriously. All our activities are risk assessed before we start, and adapted according to any necessary control measures. We also deliver Wildlife Watch activities for 8 - 14 year olds. We have developed a large number of activities and would be happy to provide advice and information to other environmental club leaders. We also run events for the public, like the Dawn Chorus Walk and Apple Day and provide information (where possible!) to anyone who needs it. Ring or email your address to us if you would like a public event leaflet. We provide an outreach service for groups that cannot make it to Rosliston. We could help you explore your local woodlands, or deliver activities in your school ground. School or other groups can also borrow the 'One World' loans pack. It contains a selection of fun and focussed educational activities for use in new National Forest Woodlands, or your school or club grounds. The pack was developed by a group of graduate trainees from Rolls-Royce, in consultation with local schools. It comes complete with all the equipment you need to use it. The cost is £15 per loan to cover admin. The charge for our activities is £25 per hour (plus travel time for outreach work). Telephone /email advice is free! For more details, an education programme or to book your visit, contact Kate Allies or Vicky Smyth on (01283) 535039 or email kate.allies@south-derbys.gov.uk. More information is available on the website.
To find out more about The National Forest, look at their website on www.nationalforest.org or ring 01283 551211.
The Environmental Education Project is part of South Derbyshire District Council, supported by The National Forest Company, Rolls-Royce and East Midlands Development Agency.
For over 20 years the Trust has been working with schools throughout the county to help them bring children closer to the natural environment. We have taken many school groups onto our 35 nature reserves and shown them the biodiversity to be found there, using imaginative activities to engage them with nature. We have also successfully involved school groups in practical management work on our reserves over many years. This gives them first hand knowledge of what is involved in looking after the countryside for wildlife. Our Whistlestop Education and Countryside Centre, opened in 1998, has a classroom and wildlife garden and pond as well as adjoining river and woods. School groups come to take part in a wide range of activities at the Centre, all linked to the national curriculum. Since 1992 and funded by landfill money, the Trust has been active on the waste minimisation front. We ran ‘The Lunchbox Challenge’ activity at Whistlestop and subsequently two projects at schools. The ‘Countdown to Composting’ project encouraged 70 schools to begin composting and the ‘Don’t Waste Your Rubbish’ project worked with a small number of schools to help them reduce a wide range of wastes and develop waste strategies. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Trust is running a three year project linking schools to their local nature reserves. Called ‘Making Natural Connections’, this has allowed us to develop sustainable relationships with these schools over an extended period. We also give advice and support to schools on creating, using and managing nature areas. The Trust’s junior club, The Watch Club, has over 1500 members who all receive regular newletters and posters produced nationally. In addition the Trust runs some Watch Club Groups and also family activity events in school holidays and half terms. In 2003/4, the Trust ran a successful series of adult education and training courses. These are unfortunately on hold until external funding has been identified and acquired. For more information contact Nick Brown at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust on 01773 881188 e-mail nbrown@derbyshirewt.co.uk or visit the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust website. Groundwork Derby & Derbyshire Community Wildspaces Project - Schools Involvement A key part of Community Wildspaces is about developing Local Nature Reserves as resources for local schools. We aim to link most local schools to a site within walking distance. As well as leading regular schools visits ourselves, we are keen that schools become confident and able to visit the reserves independently. As part of Community Wildspaces we produce education packs for schools that explain about the sites and list activities that teachers themselves can lead on each of the reserves. These visits help develop the children’s awareness and knowledge of their local natural environment. We back this up by running teacher training events for local primary teachers, helping them develop how best to utilise the natural heritage on their doorsteps.  Pupils from Ripley Junior School working with Groundwork staff
Sessions delivered through the project are primarily aimed at Foundation and Keystage 1&2. Older groups are also catered for, usually on a more vocational basis. At present funding is secured to provide educational visits free for schools, from activities linked to the National Curriculum to one-off events for National Tree Week, Springwatch etc.
For more information contact Tim Brooks, Community Wildspaces Officer
on 01773 841566
or e-mail tim.brooks@groundwork.org.uk
More information is available from http://www.gev.org.uk/projects/wildcommunities/
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