A whole-school approach at Colneis Junior School

At Colneis Junior School in Suffolk, all three classes from each year group (Years 3-6) have been involved in their Nature Park journey so far – a total of 345 children. 

The aims of the Nature Park fit well with Colneis's desire to encourage a greater connection with nature and help pupils to feel that their actions can make a difference. They began by introducing the Nature Park to children in a whole school assembly, emphasising the idea that they were joining in with something bigger across the country and that lots of small actions could collectively make a big difference. 

Using the Nature Park vision statement prompt questions, pupils started to think about what they wanted their school grounds to be like in the future. As the year went on, the class Eco Warrior representatives collected everyone’s ideas which they then used to construct the Colneis Nature Park Vision Statement, before they got started on mapping their site.

We want our school grounds to be a place where nature can thrive and be undisturbed, so that all children can be inspired to care for, and learn more about, nature. We would like to see a variety of wildlife, alongside children enjoying themselves and to hear natural sounds as well as children’s laughter. In our Nature Park we will be able to find a quiet space, have fun with our friends, and be curious and explore nature.
We would like to feel calm, relaxed, safe and joyful in our Colneis Nature Park."

Colneis' vision statement
 

During the spring and summer terms, all year groups were involved in outdoor learning sessions which contributed towards mapping the site, using Nature Park resources alongside their own materials. The main challenge and priority for Colneis has been making sure that all of the 345 pupils feel involved and that their contribution matters.

They've done this through the mapping activities by dividing their grounds into different areas, with each class or group being responsible for one part and then combining the data collected. Similarly, all pupils have been involved in photography sessions, as part of the Hidden Nature Challenge and recording the wildlife on their site. Sharing the contributions that each year group have made at different stages in assemblies has also helped everyone feel part of the process.

"The Nature Park activities we have done so far have enhanced learning particularly in science, geography and computing. There are many connections to the science curriculum – life cycles, plants and animals in their habitats, rocks and soils, classification," said Caroline Churchyard, Lead Outdoor Education Teacher at Colneis. "The mapping activities have given real purpose to the geographical skills of working with maps and plans, and the use of technology to photograph, record and upload evidence has really engaged the pupils and encouraged them to look far closer at the world around them than they might otherwise have done."

As well as all pupils, Colneis have been involving all staff in their Nature Park journey. The idea of the Nature Park has developed alongside regular outdoor learning sessions, with the class teachers being an integral part of all sessions so that links can be made to other class learning. Information about the aims and principles of the Nature Park programme has been shared with staff across the federation at joint staff meetings, and by being part of all outdoor learning sessions alongside their class, they are developing their own knowledge and skills in taking learning outdoors. 

Colneis have also begun to introduce the idea of the Nature Park to their federated infant school pupils as well. They have registered and added the site boundary, introduced the Nature Park through an assembly, and hope to begin the mapping process there soon.

We're still at an early stage of our Nature Park journey, establishing what we already have in our grounds but the programme is providing us with a really useful structure and resources, allowing us to think about developing our site to benefit nature in a way that involves and has meaning for the pupils. The pupils are proud of their outdoor area and are keen to be part of developing it further."

Caroline Churchyard, Outdoor Lead