Kim Polgreen and Joe Boyle, University of Oxford

The new GCSE in Natural History may be a few years away, but, in combination with the National Education Nature Park, it already appears to be having a stimulatory effect on nature education in secondary schools. From what we see in our own community in Oxfordshire, the fact that the GCSE has been mooted and now been confirmed has changed the conversation. Natural History is now a legitimate subject for teenagers to study at school.

And while we wait and prepare for the GCSE, there is a growing recognition of a more urgent set of “business drivers” for secondary schools to engage with nature and promote nature education. Student stress and mental health problems, student absence, teacher retention, inequality of attainment, parent stress, and even excess building heat and outdoor heat in the summer – these are all becoming overwhelming challenges for school leaders that can be helped by nature.

This blog shares findings from three of our recent pieces of research on nature education:

• Case studies of nature education in secondary schools. Interviews with secondary school teachers on their experiences of nature education and student wellbeing, and case studies of particular schools that are using nature for wellbeing and education.
• Seven principles for engaging schools with nature. Pooling the experience of 30 Oxfordshire teachers, researchers, and community-based nature educators, to provide a set of principles to guide nature education in secondary schools.
• How to support nature education in secondary schools. Gathering the views of teachers, researchers, and nature educators to create guidance for those outside the education system (such as researchers or community educators) on how to work with and support secondary schools and teenagers on nature and climate projects.

Nature education in secondary schools

Our interviews with 16 teachers in 16 different schools and case studies of four of these schools, suggest that the oft-reported “nature engagement dip” in teenagers is not innate. With societal permissions (nature is not just for primary age children), and role models, teenagers can engage with the natural world and benefit from doing so. Schools that are using nature in their grounds for education and wellbeing are showing that they can address some key school priorities of student distress, attendance, and attainment.

Teachers reported that their students relax, think, and develop new skills. They cited sensory inputs such as colours, shapes, and sounds as having a calming effect. They talked about shared experiences and working together as building self-regulation and relational skills. They discussed the opportunities offered by working in a garden or natural space to develop skills such as problem-solving, creativity, curiosity, confidence and manual dexterity. Teachers with experience of outdoor learning saw their school grounds as accessible, safe, dog-free spaces, that they could use for biodiversity gain and education.

They recognised that taking classes outside could be complicated. Training and teacher training is needed, which required investment. But when senior leaders recognised the value, the resources could be found.

Below are some of the quotes from the study, and you can read the case studies here.

“I've taught that a million times in the classroom and it's completely different [in nature]”

“the sounds of nature tend to be more relaxed than the sounds of urban life”

“he was much more sort of settled in lessons”

“[the garden was] particularly good for some of the students who are on the autism spectrum” 

“there's almost something about the sort of abundance and reciprocity and beauty of nature that just brings out good behaviour in these kids”

“one of the [students] finds it very difficult to get into school but always comes in for gardening” 

“they then feel part of our community still, so we’re not pushing them away”

“an hour or two out doing something productive is really great for them just emotionally, physically, but also will lead to better exam results”

“over time you really see a massive transformation, like kids that that have been excluded for extreme violence turning into functional human beings”

“I don't see it as a treat”

“you have to be quite skilful”

“you can be creative with time and resources to make it happen”

“I think school systems can incorporate more nature with continued professional development for teachers”

This project was part of an Agile Sprint research project funded by NERC through the Oxford Martin School. You can find more details on this work and read the case studies.

Seven principles for engaging schools with nature

Nature education can feel daunting or risky for schools already under pressure. Our group of researchers, teachers and nature educators from wildlife organisations and the community worked together to create seven guiding principles for integrating nature within UK secondary schools.

These aim to help teachers and schools take advantage of cited opportunities: for wellbeing, skills development, brain development, alternative settings for learning and community building.

1. Experience nature first-hand. Hands-on is much much better than pictures. Contact with soil and plants supports gut health. Different outdoor spaces support different students.
2. Address key school issues. Thoughtfully-designed nature engagement activities can be used to build confidence, resilience, community, attendance and attainment, with benefits resonating through the school community.
3. Work close to school. Nature is everywhere. Lack of funds for a big trip doesn’t preclude getting out into nature locally or in school grounds. There are lichens on the school walls, a huge variety of species on playing fields and verges, and birds everywhere. A pile of dead wood or a small pond creates a mini ecosystem. Visiting areas near school, within the students’ own environment, cultivates place-based connection.
4. Diversify views of nature. nature can be studied through science and geography, but also through art, literature, history, drama, religion, philosophy, economics and maths. Examining the varied interrelationships between humans and nature through human history offers many entry points.
5. Embrace co-learning. Teachers don’t need to be experts, they can become learning coaches, discovering with and from their students, using the many tools available. Nature is such an immense topic that we’re all learning all the time.
6. Mediate with care. nature engagement is best when it’s led thoughtfully: managing expectations, involving students in risk assessments, accepting variable behaviour and remaining calm and confident will build students’ confidence and enjoyment, and support their ability to learn.
7. Work together and celebrate difference. People approach nature in different ways. Some are quiet observers, others are active workers. Nature spaces can help collaboration, allow individuals to thrive, and develop mutual appreciation and respect.

Our group felt that these principles offer actionable, flexible guidance for transformative, educational nature engagement. The project was funded by the HERO project at the Oxford Martin School. Find out more details on this work.

How to work with schools and teenagers

For our third project in this series teachers, educators and researchers shared their relevant experiences to develop practical guidance for external nature educators in secondary schools, such as wildlife organisations, local community groups and researchers.

They concluded that nature educators can bring real benefits to schools and students. To make sure these opportunities work well, they highlighted the following points:

1. Keep communication clear and respectful of teachers’ time. Teachers are so busy that finding even a few spare minutes a day is challenging. It helps if external people are clear and concise in their communication, are reliable, consistent and long term in their engagement, and are always on time.
2. Fit into the school’s existing routines. The secondary school curriculum and schedule is already packed. The best opportunities to add nature education into the mix is to fit into the system, such as after school clubs, careers days, work experience, or Duke of Edinburgh volunteering. As visitors need to be accompanied at all times, the value of any activity must justify the additional time.
3. Collaborate with teachers and students. Working together to design and conduct activities shows respect, increases involvement, and yields the best outcomes.
4. Understand what the school is already doing. Before offering new ideas, it helps to know how the school is teaching nature or climate topics. This makes it easier to make extra activities relevant.
5. Support teenagers. Teenagers often need well-designed programmes and thoughtful support to feel confident in sharing their views. Skilled facilitation helps them take part, speak up, and feel valued.

The full paper from this research will be available soon. Contact Kim Polgreen for a copy.

Regional communities of practice

Our work has focused mainly on the Oxfordshire area. We are finding that having a community of people who are close enough to visit each other’s sites, meet up at events, and get to know each other, is creating a sense of community endeavour, joint initiative and local pride.

There are amazing networks of people working on nature education across the country. We are inspired by what others are doing in their regions and hope to share our experiences in Oxfordshire to the conversation.

Please do get in touch if you’d like to exchange ideas.

Stay connected

You can read more about the Cambridge OCR proposed GCSE Natural History on our web page.

If you have any questions, you can email us at support@ocr.org.uk, or call us on 01223 553998. You can also sign up for our subject updates to keep up to date with the latest news, updates, and resources.

If you are considering teaching any of our qualifications, use our online form to let us know, so that we can help you with more information.

About the authors

Kim Polgreen is the Community Outreach Officer at the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery at the University of Oxford, and an Honorary Norham Fellow and member of the Education Deanery Sustainability Team at the Oxford University Department of Education. Kim developed her approaches to nature education as Youth Educator in Residence at the University of Oxford research woodlands, Wytham Woods, engaging teenagers with nature through science and wellbeing. Her practical education work and her research activities are now focused on understanding the opportunities for encouraging nature education in schools, and the most effective ways of delivering it. 

Kim.polgreen@education.ox.ac.uk

Joe Boyle is a researcher and outdoor educator working with The University of Oxford and Kilómetro Uno after several years in the charity sector. His approach is built on recognising people as nature using participatory methods and co-design to learn from lived experience and varied connections to diverse ecologies in engagement, planning, and conservation.

Joseph.boyle@worc.ox.ac.uk