School grounds make up 10% of the greenspace in Brighton & Hove, making them important places for wildlife, linking the South Downs National Park with the city.

School grounds are also important spaces for children to learn, play, explore and connect with nature.  With the changing climate, we need to also need to consider how we can build in climate resilience into school grounds.  The work of The Aquifer Partnership is an excellent example of this.

National Education Nature Park

The NENP takes you through a simple 5 step process for greening your school grounds.  Their website includes lots of useful information about activities and grants to support your work. 

Wilder School Grounds

We’ve put together a short webinar which looks at 4 simple ways schools can wild their grounds, linking in with other successful local projects.  You can view it here – any problems getting access please email [email protected] .

  • City of Meadows – 30 schools in the city created a micro, mini or medium meadow in their grounds, creating a network over 1000m2 of pollinator  habitat within the city.   You can find the ‘how to’ guides below. 
  • No Mow May – building on the successful Wilder Verges project, we’re encouraging schools to leave areas of grass uncut this summer.
  • Stag Beetle Loggeries – using Ash from the city’s tree works to create deadwood habitats for beetles and other invertebrates.
  • Hoverfly Lagoons – a simple citizen science project you can get involved in, even in the smallest of school grounds.

How to create a micro meadow

How to create a mini meadow

How to create a medium meadow

Pollinator identification guide

Pollinator Crib Sheet

Guide to making a Solitary Bee home

 

The following links may also be useful for schools wanting to develop their grounds.

Wildlife Gardening

 

 

Watch below Patcham Juniors creating a climate resilient feature in their grounds, as shown on Cbeebies.