Wilder School - Worlingham CEVC Primary School

Throughout the 23/24 school year, the whole of Worlingham CEVC Primary School has experienced activities that have sparked curiosity, taking part in fun and interesting ways to measure the wildlife and habitats in their school grounds, whilst being supported to create plans for making their school grounds more wildlife-friendly. The Wilder Schools project aims to inspire and engage children with the natural world, so why not start outside their own school windows?!

At the beginning of the three year project, the pupils and staff were introduced to the wider work of Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the vision for their own Wilder Schools project through an all school assembly. Vicky, Wilder Communities Officer for the Trust, then spent a day visiting every class to discuss further plans and play games with the pupils to assess their knowledge and understanding of the natural world. By creating a game show-style session, children were invited to think about nature and their school grounds in age-appropriate activities. 

Over several visits, the students worked together to explore different areas of their outdoor space, recording observations on the types of plants, habitats, and wildlife they saw. They were guided to identify potential habitats for animals and plants and helped to recognise what the school could do to enhance these areas for local biodiversity.

During these sessions, students were given the opportunity to identify areas in need of improvement, such as increasing wildflower areas, adding bird feeders, or creating sheltered spaces for small mammals and insects. It was a perfect way to begin the project, as the school grounds assessment set the stage for the rest of the project.

Throughout several visits over the summer term, all age groups were invited outdoors to further explore the animals that inhabit the school grounds already. With a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions, classes were introduced to investigation techniques, then were able to look for land-based and water-based invertebrates.

The pupils are lucky that the school has a small, thriving pond on site. With nets and trays, some of the children discovered the creatures that made the pond their home. Safe handling and dipping techniques were demonstrated, and resources provided to help with identifying and studying the pond's life. These sessions gave the pupils a deeper understanding of how ecosystems function and the role that every tiny creature plays in the environment.

As the wheel of the year turned, the children took to the field, wooded areas, and gardens to observe how the environment was changing. Together - over several visits with different year groups - they began really planning improvements to the school’s outdoor space with a focus on encouraging wildlife. We spent time indoors mapping out ideas for creating bird habitats, planting native wildflowers, and designing bug hotels to support pollinators. We also worked together to plan how to fundraise for our shopping list of items, as well as coming up with ideas for what to ask to be donated by adults in our lives.

We reflected on the visits from earlier in the year. Some of the children were able to reflect that they felt more responsibility and ownership of their outdoor space and were keen to help more with the transformations to positively impact the environment.