During the last few years, at the Stoke-on-Trent Leek Road campus, we have improved the biodiversity of our environment by rewilding the river, planting trees, and creating areas of ‘no-mow’ wildflowers and grasses. We also created Wild Staffs – a staff and student group who have undertaken projects on campus.
In 2022, we opened the Woodlands Nursery and Forest School – our first carbon neutral building on site. The building has since won two construction awards for its innovative design and low carbon engineering.
Through the Woodlands Forest School, we are developing programmes to give local school children the opportunity to engage with the natural world through a purpose built teaching and learning space and within our on-campus nature reserve.
We are also helping local primary and secondary schools, further education institutions and community groups to bring opportunities to teach about biodiversity into their own environments. Our education specialists are also developing a new course for student teachers called ‘Outdoor learning for a sustainable world’.