The likelihood of experiencing nature daily drops from 30% in primary school to just 12% in secondary school. In the same report, published in 2024, WWF also found a ‘nature gap’ between schools in better-off and more deprived areas, and that 56% of state secondary schools don’t offer any outdoor learning. 
 
That’s why it was inspiring to see 100 Mile Classroom in action last month, as 50 Year 9 students from Ifield Community College planted 400 hedge saplings with the William Robinson Gravetye Charity near East Grinstead.

After an introduction to Weald to Waves and the importance of nature connectivity across Sussex – including habitat creation, such as hedgerows and ponds – the group enjoyed a tour of the estate before embarking on two hands-on activities: planting native hedgerow species and constructing a dead hedge from coppiced trees and shrubs.

The trip was designed to move through the University of Derby’s five pathways to nature connection — senses, beauty, emotion, meaning, and compassion. The final pathway, compassion, is about helping and caring for nature, and is something young people rarely get the chance to experience. By linking active nature restoration sites with schools across Sussex, 100 Mile Classroom is changing that by giving young people a sense of belonging and ownership over the natural environment on their doorstep.  

Associate Senior Leader at Ifield Community College, Paul Derbyshire, selected students who would benefit most from the trip, and joined both days. Reflecting on the trips, he says, “Students not only worked in the outdoors in the natural environment but achieved great success in planting large volumes of trees and building many hedges. This gave the students a great sense of achievement.” 

We loved seeing the students get stuck in despite very muddy conditions, and several have already signed up for further volunteering opportunities at Gravetye. Feedback from students highlighted that they particularly enjoyed working in teams, learning about how hedgerows support wildlife and absorb carbon, and spending the day outside. This quote from one of the more reluctant hedge planters summed it up: “It’s not my environment, but I had a fun day with my friends helping nature.” 

100 Mile Classroom is made possible thanks to a second round of support from the Garfield Weston Foundation helping us move from pilots into the next stage of growth.  

We are working with state secondary schools across Sussex. If you’re interested in finding out more, get in touch with Holly Tuppen holly@kneppwildlandfoundation.org