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"I've loved my visit to Co-op Academy Manchester today, seeing first hand all the amazing things the students have been doing with their Nature Park funding. From a self-sustaining wildflower meadow to a green wall that has helped lower the temperature of an overheating technology classroom, this school shows how involved students have been in their programme in the past year”
- Stephen Morgan MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary Department for Education.
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Address
Plant Hill Road, Higher Blackley, Manchester. M9 0W
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Value/Worth:
Funding total: £12,000. National Education Nature Parks Grant Scheme.
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Timeline
Complete. 2023 to 2025
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Background
The Co-op Academy Manchester has partnered with the National Education Nature Park (NENP) to enhance biodiversity and green spaces on campus. The NENP is a collaboration between the Department for Education, the Natural History Museum, and the Royal Horticultural Society, aimed at empowering young people to positively impact the natural environment. At Co-op Academy, nature-rich environments have been created, providing students with opportunities to take hands-on actions to improve biodiversity and combat climate change. The programme has integrated nature-based learning into the curriculum, educating students and encouraging young people to enhance their surroundings for both people and wildlife. Mr. Simpson from the Academy’s Science Department is leading this initiative at the Higher Blackley school. He is responsible for accessing funding and organising the after-school Eco Club. Students have been planting trees, building habitats for wildlife, increasing biodiversity, and developing their understanding of climate and nature whilst having fun and acquiring valuable green skills together.
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Projects
The after-school Eco Club runs twice a week as well as on some lunch times. The spaces are embedded into the GCSE curriculum in science, geography and art. The sites at the school are varied. Invertebrate habitats, including a wet woodland walk and a south-facing slope, were created in September 2023. Over the winter, bird boxes and hoverfly lagoons were added to the wet woodland. Contractors created the ponds and paths in February 2024, adding bark and substrates until June. Log piles were added, and wildflower mixes were sown on substrates. Solitary bee posts were set up in April/May 2024 created by students. The south-facing slope was topped with sand and MOT Type 1 in February 2024 and sown with wildflower seeds shortly after. 2024-2025 focused on enhancing the wet woodland ponds with gravel and sand substrates, and plants were introduced. A green roof was installed on an outdoor classroom in February 2025, featuring a small pond and wildflowers. Sandy bee mounds were created to support ground-nesting species. All these features help educate and engage students whilst benefiting the natural environment and species.
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Outcomes
These areas are now utilised in several lessons, particularly at the GCSE level. Both science and geography have an ecosystems topic in their GCSE curriculum that requires students to engage in fieldwork activities, such as using quadrats to estimate biodiversity. Previously, students conducted these activities on a regularly maintained and mown rugby pitch, where the quadrats mostly captured grass and the occasional clover. Now, an additional outdoor lesson has been added, allowing students to explore the more species-rich areas developed on-site. Biodiversity data is being collected by students, which is being used to create an overview of the ecological health of the grounds. Beyond the ecological topics in the GCSE curriculum, the variety and beauty of these areas are used in art and graphic design lessons. These spaces serve to illustrate biophilic design and natural still life in these classes. Outside of education, the most notable highlight is the significant impact on biodiversity that the project has had, especially concerning invertebrates. Although official numerical data has not been shared by the school, it has been reported by staff that the mounds created from the subsoil and clay are already being used by ground-nesting bees and wasps. Additionally, the bee posts are being explored by several cavity-nesting bees and wasps, and there has been a noticeable increase in hoverflies as one walks through the wet woodland area.
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Future
According to the staff at the school, the future of this project is currently uncertain and may depend on the school's ability to secure additional funding from the National Education Nature Parks. As a result, expansions in the areas will likely be limited. However, the current interventions already cover considerable land, so the primary focus will now be on managing the site. The low substrate areas will not require extensive maintenance, and the bee posts and mounds should remain undisturbed. The school staff are developing a 5-10 year management rotation for these areas to maintain a variety of vegetation ages and growth stages, thereby maximising the potential for invertebrate habitats on site. In the coming years, the low-nutrient substrate areas will be monitored to assess their ongoing viability with minimal management. Overall, these natural spaces will continue to be utilised by school departments and students for education and aim to keep providing habitats and spaces for species and nature.
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