Learning outside

Environmental consultancy Wildscapes has been working with a number of Sheffield schools to enhance their landscaped areas and make learning outside in the natural environment much more accessible for them.
The work involved four projects: at Dobcroft Infant School, Wildscapes improved the biodiversity of the school’s Green Flag accredited wildlife garden by providing landscape maintenance and pond work, as well as installing rustic furniture and creating planting schemes. Wherever possible, pupils can now take lessons in the landscaped area, to develop an understanding of how plants, insects and animals grow and the need to protect the environment.
At Waterthorpe Infant School, the landscape design consultancy enhanced the natural play area of the school grounds, creating a bog garden, planting a native hedgerow and providing outdoor seating. At Woodthorpe School, Wildscapes created a memorial garden for an ex-teacher, including planting cherry trees and a wildflower meadow and installing large stoned-filled gabion cages, along with burying a time capsule.
Wildscapes’ Chief Executive Vicky Smith told The Landscaper “The Government, through its recently-released Environment White Paper, is encouraging people to develop a passion for the natural world from an early age. It is great to see so many Sheffield schools putting this into practice and really helping future generations to develop a greater appreciation of our environment by learning through nature.”