Education, Education, Education: why do we need a woodland classroom?

All this week, GlobalGiving will match-fund your donations for our woodland classroom via their platform. You might be wondering why the woodland classroom is so important when you consider the other issues we are currently facing? Here’s why…

At the time of writing, the Department for Education (DfE) is actively looking at whether to make it compulsory for all pupils to take lessons focusing on biodiversity and ecology, after the step was recommended by a landmark government review published earlier this year.

Backed by David Attenborough, the review authored by Cambridge economist Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, said the education system “should introduce nature studies from the earliest stages of our lives, and revisit them in the years we spend in secondary and tertiary education” and “Every child…is owed the teaching of natural history, to be introduced to the awe and wonder of the natural world, and to appreciate how it contributes to our lives”.

Rewind 10 years and Andover Trees United invited school children up to an empty field in Enham Alamein to put the first trees in the ground. The primary objectives were (and still are): connect young people with nature, provide learning in and about the environment and foster stewardship. This winter marks the 10th year of planting by 10,000 children from 25 schools.

Fostering stewardship means creating a sense of responsibility and love for the natural world. Love for nature is vital in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss because, without love, we are disconnected so why should we care? As the Dasgupta review states “If we care about our common future and the common future of our descendants, we should all in part be naturalists.”

The inclusion of the cabin for field studies is a key part of this vision. The woodland classroom offers teachers and pupils from all tiers of education a space in the heart of nature to expand their learning and knowledge of ecology and biodiversity away from the restrictions of a traditional classroom.

And let us not forget (those who have participated never will) that the school tree planting fortnight takes place in November when the weather can be unforgiving so having a cabin to dry-off in will be a warm and welcomed part of the experience. At present we make do with a portable cabin but the woodland classroom will be properly heated and ventilated with space for people to sit, learn and warm-up!.

With your support, the woodland classroom will be built in the summer and we can look forward with great excitement to welcoming all Andover schools (and the wider community) up to the new facility.

Looking to the future, we hope to see GCSE Nature Studies added to the national curriculum (as recommended by the Dasgupta review) and we dream of welcoming these students up to the new facility - many of whom we expect will have planted the trees and wildflowers they will be focused on.

In the meantime, we hope to see the DfE implementing the recommendations of the review which David Attenborough describes as “a map for navigating a path towards the restoration of our planet’s biodiversity” and “the compass that we urgently need” to “save the natural world at what may be the last minute”.

There has never been a greater need for environmental stewardship and climate action and we must act now so please help us build the cabin by making a small donation today and/or share the campaign with your network.

Thank you in advance for any support you can give.