West Midlands teachers can enhance children’s wellbeing thanks to online session

The Waterways, Wildlife and Wellbeing project is funded through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and aims to engage schools across the West Midlands in order to enhance students’ wellbeing and embed learning beyond the classroom across the curriculum.

Teachers are being invited to sign up for a free online information session about the project on Thursday 12th May, with an aim for schools to get involved from June.

It is expected that the project will help hundreds of teachers feel more confident about taking learning beyond the classroom walls – within the school grounds, local area and further afield. As well as inspiring the next generation, the project will deliver a host of environmental benefits, connecting fragmented habitats for endangered species, such as water voles.

Those schools eligible for free environmental and wellbeing activities will work with Canal & River Trust to identify suitable locations and activities to suit their school and students’ need, as well as benefiting from free CLOtC Membership, bespoke training and mentoring, and hands-on environmental and wellbeing activities. 

David Wilkinson, of the Canal & River Trust, added: “As part of the Waterways, Wildlife and Wellbeing project, The Canal & River Trust is offering a new range of free hands-on learning activities at your school and your local canal to promote health and wellbeing outcomes and help pupils forge a stronger connection to the nature all around them.

He encouraged schools to learn about the waterway’s important role “as a corridor for nature through busy urban areas”, with curriculum-linked environmental survey activities, planting for habitat improvement and support for practical action to remove plastic pollution from waterways.

Green Recovery Challenge Fund

The Green Recovery Challenge Fund (by Defra, Environmental Agency, Natural England and National Lottery Heritage Fund) is a key part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 10- Point Plan to kick-start nature recovery and tackle climate change. Connecting people with nature is another priority theme – by increasing access to nature and green spaces, projects will support both physical and mental wellbeing.