Longdon Park School foresting the future

We have recently gone rural setting up their very own forestry school.

The location has been set-up within the school grounds which is safe and accessible and close to nature.  The curriculum has been developed to cover topics such as forestry, sustainability and environmental education.  Staff have been trained to deliver the curriculum, headed up by Alison Ryan who also secured funding through East Midlands Airport School Eco Garden Competition last May resulting in an award of £6,000 + (info on Green bid from RG – please add a sentence here).

The pupils have set up bird and squirrel feeding stations, an area to observe, photograph and film birds from their classroom window, bought and erected a bird hide offsite to capture pictures of the local wildlife, built dens, identified flora and fauna and investigated the wildlife onsite.

There are many benefits to setting up a forestry school. These include:

• Promoting sustainability – helping to promote sustainability by teaching students about the importance of managing forests sustainably.
• Environmental education – helping to educate students about the environment and the importance of protecting it.
• Employment opportunities – helping to prepare students for careers in forestry and environmental science.
• Community engagement – helping to engage communities in the importance of forestry and environmental protection.

An added bonus is that the Forestry School also complements the school ethos of holistic learning.

So far the children are loving their outdoor lessons and the staff are finding the engagement of pupils a rewarding experience.