The National Education Nature Park

 

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: 

• ‘grey to green’ biodiversity improvements such as: planters, trees, green walls, water butts… 
• outdoor education equipment such as tools and waterproofs 
• fieldwork equipment such as camera traps and digital hand-held devices 
• specialist support from contractors for installation and consultation 

 

How your NENP grant could support Country Trust activities:

• Plant Your Pants: Purchase hand-held microscopes or magnifying glasses to help your pupils explore the incredible life under their feet. Click here to access free downloadable resources to support your Plant Your Pants journey.
• Food Discovery: Buy seeds to help you 'grow your own' in school, increasing the diversity of plants in your setting.
• Food Discovery: Equipment such as trowels, spades, trays, sieves, watering cans... to ensure your pupils have the right tools to manage their green or growing spaces.
• Farm Discovery and Countryside Residentials: If you intend to purchase clothing as part of your NENP project, extend the impact of the grant by making the clothing available to children who may be going on a visit or residential. 

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.