The RSPB have a spring in their step and are looking forward to another bustling season welcoming schools across East Yorkshire to nature reserves.
Getting out in nature has never been more important for our young people and the UK’s largest nature conservation charity is looking to welcome even more children and schools onto their fantastic network of nature reserves. Pre-covid over 25,000 children from across England took part in the Schools on Reserves programme, and they’re looking to make it even bigger and better for 2023.
Lisa Yarrow, RSPB Learning Officer at Bempton Cliffs nature reserve, said: “We’re so excited to welcome school trips to RSPB Bempton Cliffs. Spring is an incredible time to get outside and discover the natural world, as new life emerges around every corner. Here at RSPB Bempton Cliffs we’ve got half a million breeding seabirds including puffins and gannets, wildflower meadows that are home to butterflies and bees and grasslands full of bird song. If you think back to your school days, what do you remember? Friendships, adventures, and the excitement of learning through a school trip.”
Studies show that learning outdoors builds children’s confidence and encourages a greater affinity with the natural world. It brings classroom learning to life, benefiting mental and physical wellbeing. It has also been shown to help children develop deeper understanding of concepts and to use new skills.
The RSPB’s dedicated Education teams have a suite of curriculum-linked programmes to ensure that school visits are both fun and informative, and every site has been externally verified by the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge scheme. Primarily linked to Science and Geography, sessions encourage hands on exploration and discovery whilst making connections to nature.
Lisa added: “Our RSPB school trips encourage pupils to gain a curiosity about the natural world, they can help to develop their social and personal skills – growing in confidence and working together with classmates and teachers in RSPB Bempton Cliffs’ unique green and blue spaces and a purpose-built educational ‘nestbox’, and see more wildlife than you could ever hope to see.”
Both half-day and whole day visit options are available to book. There is also a bursary schools can apply for funding to assist with costs to RSPB sites, via ‘Hyundai Great British School Trip’.
Trips can take place at any time of year, with bookings being taken now for the coming Summer and Autumn terms. With the summer full of the sights, sounds and smells of hundreds and thousands of seabirds, the autumn brings changing seasons, migrating birds, hunting owls and the occasional leaping dolphin.
At RSPB Bempton Cliffs nature-based sessions are on offer for Primary & Early Years students. RSPB specialists will help pupils of all abilities explore nature and work together to discover lots of new things about Bempton Cliffs nature reserve and the wildlife that calls it home. The sessions offer a great opportunity to inspire pupils to talk about and develop this understanding of science and geography, to meet their learning objectives of working scientifically, and to use technical vocabulary in context.
Lisa continued: “Our educational visits can also help benefit pupils with special educational needs and disabilities – the new visual and sensory experiences available at RSPB Bempton Cliffs can deepen their understanding of topics and help them to engage with people and activities outside the classroom.”
The RSPB also offers a range of activities, resources and opportunities that support teachers to take learning outdoors and inspire students to discover and delight in nature when back in the classroom and school grounds. To find out more visit: rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-teachers/school-trips
