Pupils at St. Chad’s Catholic Primary School in Witton Park are celebrating after completing a series of exciting environmental activities to achieve the prestigious Gold Award in the RSPB Schools Challenge.

Over the past term, the children have embraced nature with enthusiasm and commitment, undertaking a wide range of outdoor learning tasks to enhance biodiversity and encourage wildlife to thrive in their school grounds. Their efforts included building bird boxes, hedgehog feeding stations, and bird feeders, as well as constructing a mini-pond, amphibian habitat, log habitat, and an impressive bug hotel.

They also completed a school bird watch, helping track local bird populations and learning about different species. A Springwatch-style visit to a local farm offered even more opportunities to engage with nature firsthand. To complete the challenge, pupils recently visited Low Barnes Nature Reserve, where they took part in an action-packed day of outdoor learning. Activities included pond dipping, where they discovered diving beetles and sticklebacks, water sampling, minibeast hunting, and a nature walk to explore the reserve’s rich ecosystems.

The school community is now eagerly awaiting official confirmation of the Gold Award, which recognises their exceptional commitment to outdoor education and environmental responsibility. This fantastic achievement reflects St. Chad’s continued commitment to offering a rich, hands-on curriculum that inspires children to care for the world around them.