Daven Primary School, part of the Learning for Life Partnership Trust, is calling for support from the wider community to help restore the woodland area located on the school grounds.
Without expert attention, the space will become completely inaccessible. Therefore, as part of the school's drive to increase outside learning and pupil's learning in nature, they are raising money to remove the fallen trees, large saplings and unwieldy undergrowth to ensure the space is welcoming and safe.
To support this, the school plans on purchasing equipment for lessons in the woodland, such as a fire pit, seating and shelter. These steps will create a space that is safe for pupils and for the Children's Centre, which is based on the school's site, to run programmes in.
The school is also hoping to acquire a community grant from the Local Authority in order to reach their target of £2,500. The crowd funder (https://www.spacehive.com/davens-woodland-restoration) is up and running and the school are hoping for members of the community to join them on their mission to restore the woodland.
If the financial goal is reached, the project will kick off outside learning in the woodlands, helping to enhance pupil wellbeing, in addition to being used for wider community groups that focus on improving mental health.
Moreover, the restoration plans will protect the woodland's biodiversity; assisting in maintaining the habitats of countless animals and plants that live in the woodland. Daven Primary School, which was the first school in Congleton to sign up to the Let's Go Zero pledge, is committed to making changes around the school to improve their sustainability and hit their net zero target. The Let's Go Zero pledge is a national campaign to get schools to commit to becoming carbon neutral and assists them in putting in place policies that will support this.
This renovation project is part of wider improvements being made at Daven Primary School in recent years, including the fitting of a new heating system and new windows, which have improved the energy efficiency of the school, saving money and helping to protect the environment. Additionally, a trim trail is being fitted into the grounds in January in another improvement to the grounds and infrastructure of the school.
Julia Gawn, Headteacher at Daven Primary School, said:
"The Woodland area on our grounds at Daven Primary School is a wonderful space that we want to utilise to enrich the learning of our pupils and the wider local community. Sadly, this rich environment is not currently accessible and so isn't being used. We know that outdoor learning, particularly in nature, is brilliant for pupils' wellbeing, and so we are keen to introduce more of it across our school. We have fantastic, large grounds and we want to make them a central feature in our school and our wider local community.
"This project is also part of our Let's Go Zero pledge, in our campaign to fight climate change. Renovating the woodland will improve the biodiversity, which is crucial for greater environmental and ecological health."