The current state of our planet and environment are never far from the news, and at NGHS our Junior and Senior girls and staff are keen to learn, get involved and do what they can to help.

Underlining the Junior School’s commitment to empowering pupils to make a positive difference, Year 5 recently planted ninety British hedgerow saplings along the boundary fence of Upnah Wood, plus a variety of spring flowering bulbs in Upnah playground.  This initiative – in part supported by the Woodland Trust – will support our girls’ learning in future Science topics.  In due course, we hope to extend the project by teaching them how to compost and how to divide the bulbs as they reproduce – watch this space!

And girls from our Senior School Green Team recently went along to the amazing Young People’s Forest at Mead near Heanor in Derbyshire, created by the Woodland Trust. There they planted 200 trees which will grow into part of a beautiful forest, adding to a wonderful natural landscape and providing a home for a large variety of wildlife. The girls really enjoyed this experience, as you can see from this account of their day

“On Wednesday 13 November a team of girls from different years in the Senior School, set off on a mission to plant trees near Shipley Park, Derbyshire. Tree planting with school was a great experience, and we learnt a great deal of information about the environment. It was a resounding success and together we planted about 200 trees.

Even though the field was very muddy, and none of us left without taking a considerable amount of it with us, the paths had previously been flooded due to the amount of rain, and we were very lucky to have missed out on that. The staff from the Woodland trust were amazing, and they helped us every step of the way. Even once we had finished planting our trees, they had prepared a wide range of activities for us to participate in. We played a hoop game where we had to answer questions about the environment, and the work the Woodland Trust was doing to help the conservation of our forests, made dens for mini-beasts, and voted the best ones based on how sturdy and waterproof they were.

The NGHS staff Miss Lynn and Miss Oakley ran the whole operation, and kept everything running smoothly, to ensure that the trip was successful and a positive attitude was sustained by all.”

The Young People’s Forest is a brilliant initiative aiming to engage and educate new generations about environmental concerns, and we’re proud to be a part of it. Hopefully NGHS girls in the future will be able to visit the forest and see the amazing work done there and know that they have made a difference.

These activities form just a part of what we’re trying to do across the whole school at NGHS. The list of green initiatives is growing and our girls are currently involved in all sorts of projects from lunchtime litter picking to clothing swap shops. We know there’s a lot more to do, but we’ve made a start and we aim to continue working to help save the planet.