On one extraordinary day in September CSP schools took part in a range of events linked to giving CSP pupils and teachers a voice on local and national environmental issues. We welcomed Sir Tim Smit back from the Eden Project, and Baroness Kate Parminter, chair of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Environment and Climate Change, who both joined us for a walk on the Jubilee Way. Teachers took met with representatives from OCR developing their new natural history GCSE for launching in 2025. We were grateful to ecotects Jo Saady and Babatunde Ibrahim for running a session on their designs for an outdoor learning zone.
“Our pupils were inspired to meet Sir Tim Smit and enjoyed talking with him about accessible issues and the importance of outside space to enjoy. Pupils were empowered as their opinions were shaping future learning and this encouraged boldness, to talk about ideas and how the space might work. We’ve received a number of thank you emails from parents because their children went home and couldn’t stop talking about the trip; their experiences on the walk, who they met and what is going to be happening. Parents have been thrilled at the engagement and inspiration that this time created and so are we!” Clare Akrasi, St Richard’s Catholic College
“I really enjoyed our walk on The Jubilee Way. It was really interesting discussing and designing ideas of how we could use the area to make it better and more enjoyable for our community – I love the idea of a star gazing area and an outside classroom.” Sarah Nightingale, The Turing School