Lawn Manor Academy is well on its way to becoming a carbon-neutral school as it extends its woodland planting and donates trees to nearby primary schools.

The school is taking part in the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, which is part of the celebrations to mark Her Majesty’s Jubilee this year.

It already has a green woodland area as part of its forest school, which is a dedicated outdoor learning area that allows children to develop a range of skills that cannot be taught in the classroom.

Now, pupils are working on making the area even greener and more sustainable by planting hundreds of native British species including wild cherry, rowans, oaks, hawthorn and silver birch.

Staff have arranged to donate trees to primary schools which feed into Lawn Manor Academy, so they can carry out their own planting schemes.

Forest school leader and head of geography Guy Henderson has set pupils and colleagues a tough challenge in aiming to make the school carbon neutral, but they are off to a good start.

Pupils are already encouraged to be active and explore nature working in the school’s outdoor small-scale eco-system, as research shows being outside can help to improve mental health, communication and social relationships.

Throughout the school year, all pupils have access to the forest school area, both during lessons and at the Lawn Manor forest school after-school club. Activity in the area ties in with the in-classroom curriculum, with links to geography, science and many other subjects.

The school dedicated their work on Earth Day earlier this year to finding ways of cutting energy use and minimising waste. Activities included identifying how small changes in behaviour, such as unplugging phones from the electricity supply as soon as they are charged or leaving corridors and classrooms unlit, could have significant positive impacts to the environment.

Mr Henderson said: “Planting the trees and encouraging primary schools to do the same has been particularly rewarding for the students, and will continue to be.

“Young people are acutely aware of the potential problems they and future generations face as a result of climate change, and are eager to do their bit to support the planet.

"They are not only creating a wonderful new green canopy but know that long after they have left the school the trees will continue growing and taking even more carbon out of the atmosphere.

"Climate change is a very pressing issue for us all, and I’m proud that our students are not only engaged in it but are keen to do their bit to help.”