Environmental education has a long heritage in Devon with the establishment of a Devon Education for Sustainability Working Group (DESWG) over 25 years ago. More recently this has evolved into the Network of Environmental Educators in Devon (NEED) which continues this work through a large and diverse network of practitioners including local government, schools, further and higher education institutions, NGOs and local communities. All are committed to developing environmental awareness, stewardship and learning for sustainability within the formal and informal education sectors.
We know that providing the opportunity to embrace and experience the natural world gives us a sense of belonging, improves health and encourages stewardship of the natural world. Education and learning providers have huge potential to support wildlife and create generations of nature lovers.
NEED brings together a large and diverse network of practitioners including local government, schools, further and higher education institutions, NGOs and local communities. The group meets regularly at venues around the county (or virtually) to share good practice and work on joint projects. The group currently acts as a network for everyone involved in education and outdoor learning and seeks to provide a coherent and co-ordinated framework of support across Devon for helping all achieve environmental awareness and sustainability development work.
Join the network
NEED is committed to the principle of education being a transformative and socially critical process. It takes the leading role in Devon in advising local authorities and supporting teachers and others to recognise the importance of environmental education and sustainability as a mechanism for lifelong learning, school improvement and personal empowerment. This work is carried out through the Network and Steering Group.
If you would like to join the Network of Environmental Educators in Devon, please fill out the following form.
Additionally, join the NEED Facebook group to network, share your work and hear about events.
If you would like to find out more about NEED, please get involved by emailing the Chair, Tom Humphreys
Please see the NEED Terms of Reference here.
Events
The Network meets throughout the year to connect and share what is happening in the environmental education sector.
NEED’s Winter Event at Stover Country Park
7th February 2025
NEED’s first in-person event since 2022, hosted at the newly refurbished Stover Country Park, was a great success. We were fully booked with 60 attendees and the day was packed with networking, information sharing and inspiring presentations.
Our speakers were as follows:
- Claire Moodie (Plastic Free North Devon) on the Ocean Explorers Project, the North Devon Vision 2030 initiative, and research on secondary students’ sustainability views.
- Rebecca Skinner (Active Devon) on the role of physical activity in environmental education, youth engagement, and leadership.
- The Local Nature Partnership (LNP) on the latest developments in the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS).
- Nicki Schantz (Southwest Climate Ambassadors) on becoming a Climate Ambassador and assisting schools with developing their climate action.
We had a guided tour of Stover Country Park, showcasing the Restoring Stover Park project, community spaces and workshops, and volunteering opportunities.
Please check out the LNP Events pages for more NEED events.
School Climate Action Plans
The Department for Education has published its strategy ‘Sustainability and Climate Change: A Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services Systems’ which states that by 2025, all schools should have:
- A Climate Action Plan – outlining how the schools plan to work towards Net Zero.
- A Sustainability Lead – a individual or team of people who will implement actions to improve the sustainability of the school.
Visit the Devon County Council Sustainable Schools page for useful links and information: https://www.devon.gov.uk/support-schools-settings/school-effectiveness/teaching-and-learning/sustainable-schools/climate-action-plans/
The role of the Network
A platform to offer support, facilitate discussion and share information and best practice between practitioners inv
olved in outdoor, environmental and sustainability education across Devon whilst offering an opportunity to receive information disseminated from the LNP board and industry specialists.
We are working to achieve our vision through the following aims:
- Experience – Provide a lifetime of equitable access to outdoor learning for all
- Connect – Support learning and experiences that connect people to their local environment
- Care – Create generations of globally aware citizens that want to play their part in nature recovery.
- Act – Developing an environmentally literate population who enact sustainable ecological and regenerative changes for a resilient future for Devon.
Minutes and meetings
- 7th October minutes
- 13th July minutes
- 11th September minutes
- 15th January minutes
- 23rd April minutes
Find out about Outdoor Learning experts near you
NEED webinars
Webinars are hosted as a ‘lunch and learn’ session via Zoom on a monthly basis. Monthly webinar sessions are scheduled for the last Tuesday of each month from 1-2pm throughout the year. We invite a guest speaker at each session and encourage practitioners across Devon to join the discussion and connect.
If you would like to attend the session, please use this Zoom link to join the webinar. We are always on the lookout for interesting guest speakers to present at webinars. If you would like to volunteer for a guest slot in the coming months, please get in touch with Jess, Chair of NEED, on jess@planetandpeople.co.uk.
Previous presentations are recorded and posted on the NEED You Tube Channel. Recent guest speakers have included representatives from Farms For City Children, University of Plymouth, Plastic Free North Devon and Devon County Council.
NEED newsletters
We produce newsletters each season/quarter. If you have content that you would like to have included in our next newsletter, please email Jess Carter on jess@planetandpeople.co.uk with a short text and a picture.
You may also be interested in signing up to the Devon Schools Sustainability Bulletin.
Environmental education for all ages
Anyone can get outside and learn more about nature and sustainability in Devon. If you are interested in specific species like butterflies, bats or badgers; lichens, trees or wild flowers, there is a group to help you learn more. Learn from experience by volunteering with practical conservation tasks. Learn from the experts on a specialist course or help out and collect valuable data with a citizen science project. The learn about Devon’s natural history page will help point learners of all ages and inclinations in the right direction.
School resources
Taking your pupils outside to learn might seem daunting but there are lots of resources and organisations to help ease the process and make curriculum links clearer. The resources for schools page highlights NEED members as well as useful national resources.
The evidence for outdoor learning
A wealth of evidence exists on the benefits of taking learning outdoors. It can be useful for the reflective teacher / practitioner to develop what they do but also to persuade others and justify why it makes sense for children, young people and adults to make use of natural environments for learning. The evidence for outdoor learning page contains links to key studies and collections of research articles on the wide ranging benefits of Outdoor Learning.
Stay in touch
Twitter – for links and signposting
Facebook Group – for a more communal setting
WhatsApp – for more immediate communications
Teams Group – an alternative for more immediate communications