The unrealised potential of school grounds in Britain to monitor and improve biodiversity

ABSTRACT

In this study, we aimed to understand the state of school grounds across Britain and how they are being used to support biodiversity conservation and pupils’ environmental education. We carried out an opt-in survey of schools across Britain, asking staff to report on habitats in their grounds and how they are used for learning. Our results showed that schools are under-using their grounds to provide habitats and environmental education. Realizing the potential of these spaces could be a vital tool in the future success of species diversity. This could be done through changes to the national curricula and teacher training.

KEYWORDS:

• biodiversity
• schools
• habitats
• school grounds
• learning
• environmental education

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful feedback on earlier versions of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Woodspring Trust, under grant IMPS: KTG/62258.1 to ACG.