The Nature Premium is led by a diverse group of volunteers with a common passion for the benefits of outdoor education.
You can learn more about who is involved in our Steering Group and Core Team below.
We are always keen to hear from anyone who has skills, experiences or expertise to contribute to the campaign.
If you’d like to join The Nature Premium Campaign, contact us.
Steering Group
Dr Sara Collins
Nature Premium Campaign Co-Founder and Lead
I’m a self-employed biologist, Accredited Practitioner of the Institute for Outdoor Learning and Forest School Practitioner. While working in schools I have realised that children today do not explore the natural world as I did when I was their age. They don’t have simple experiences that would open up a world of beauty and awe or would inspire green career choices. During Lockdown 1 it became apparent that there is an inequity of access to nature for some children in addition to the lack of experiences that the majority of children miss out on. The Nature Premium is a simple idea that could transform a generation and help children grow up greener.
Sarah Lawfull
Co-Chair of Steering Group / Co-Founder of the Nature Premium Campaign / Chair of Forest School Association
Through teaching, parenting, voluntary youth work and Forest School training I have come to understand that children need nature and nature needs children. For young people to grow up happy, healthy and hopeful requires regular opportunities to play and learn in, through, from, about, and as, nature. Education is the best route to change outcomes for an individual, a community, a nation and the global population, both human and non-human. I believe the Nature Premium will ensure that younger generations learn to live in harmony with the natural world, in line with the UNSDGs, and bring their green skills to solve the problems previous generations have created.
Abigail Hopper
Headteacher - Nightingale Primary School, Hackney
As a Headteacher of an Urban Primary school, I have seen first-hand the impact that being out in nature has on my pupils. They find peace and joy in the outdoors and it allows them to build their social skills and learn to solve problems for themselves. Crucially, they also build an affinity with the natural world and through this a much deeper commitment to protecting the environment as they move through their lives. The impact of making this available to every child cannot be underestimated.
Amy Arnold
Working in education for over 25 years I have seen the enormous benefits that being immersed in nature brings to children, of all ages.
Nature instantly ignites children's sense of wonder and joy, and brings about a sense of calm and stillness that is often impossible to find in a fast paced every increasing digital environment. Each child has their own unique journey and path of discovery inspired by nature, with differing thoughts, hypotheses and questions linked to what the natural world is showing at that moment.
Spending time in and with nature clearly boosts children's physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual health and in turn this permeates through other areas of their lives.
Each and every child deserves access to nature, instilling a love and appreciation to protect and cherish our planet for generations to come.
Andrew Dowling
I am a passionate advocate for outdoor education, with a lifelong love for nature that began in my youth. Growing up, I spent countless hours exploring the great outdoors, whether it was hiking through woodland, camping, or visiting historical sites.. These formative experiences instilled a deep appreciation for the natural world and its potential to inspire learning and personal growth.
As a parent, I witnessed first hand the educational benefits of outdoor experiences for my two sons. Camping trips walks and visits to historical sites became more than just family outings; they were opportunities for discovery, creativity, and connection. Watching my children engage with their surroundings sparked a realisation of the profound impact that outdoor education can have on young minds.
With a diverse teaching background in primary, secondary, and Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) education, I have dedicated my career to harnessing the power of the outdoors for learning. I observed that when students learn outside the traditional classroom setting, they not only become more engaged but also demonstrate improved outcomes in both academic and social contexts. My commitment to outdoor education culminated in innovative teaching practices that incorporate nature into the curriculum, fostering resilience, teamwork, and critical thinking skills among students.
In addition to my teaching experience, I am a qualified Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) with a keen interest in Educational Neuroscience. I am particularly interested by how outdoor experiences can influence brain plasticity and reshape maladaptive behaviour schemas. By encompassing the therapeutic benefits of nature, I seek to create transformative educational experiences that promote emotional well-being and cognitive development.
Through my work as Schools Outdoor Education Lead for Coventry City Council I hope to inspire educators, parents, and students alike to embrace the outdoors as a vital component of learning, advocating for a future where nature is integrated into every aspect of education.
Anthony Mcgeeney
Headteacher - Galley Hill Primary School
The Nature Premium promotes regular nature experiences for students, enhancing both learning and well-being. For headteachers, it offers a flexible framework to integrate outdoor activities, from gardening to Forest School, tailored to each school's unique setting and needs. Beyond academic enrichment, nature exposure boosts mental and physical health. The Department for Education's emphasis on school autonomy aligns seamlessly with this initiative, allowing schools to innovate while achieving key outcomes. By adopting the Nature Premium, headteachers can ensure a holistic education, fostering environmentally-aware, healthy students, and enriching their school's curriculum.
Becky Wilkinson
Learning and Outreach Manager - Royal Forestry Society
We have never needed the Nature Premium more. Our world is facing a climate crisis and our children and young people are facing a crisis in their mental health. Equipping schools to connect with the opportunities that nature presents to us helps to address both of these crises.
Hannah Jones McVey
'Too many children do not have a connected, curious, and confident relationship with nature, to the detriment of their health, happiness and ability to become the future generation that our planet needs. Through my career with the Wildlife Trust, National Trust, Teach First and now The Country Trust I have witnessed these transformational moments and their subsequent benefits again and again. Parity of support to be, learn and explore in nature should be a foundation stone in our society, but isn’t. Nature Premium would be a huge step in making this happen. But to ensure these are within reach of all children we need action to ensure access to nature becomes a cornerstone of every child’s school experience. '
Karen Letten
Schools and Communities Engagement Manager - The Woodland Trust
Karen Letten is Schools Engagement Manager at the Woodland Trust and leads the Trust’s UK programme for schools, inspiring schools about woods and trees. Responsible for creating the Trust’s Green Tree Schools Award that now has over 14K UK schools registered. This follows a career spanning over 20 years working in engagement, environmental & sustainable development education and outdoor learning largely in the charity sector but also in local government. She believes passionately that children and young people, whatever their background should learn firsthand about the amazing benefits of woods and trees and nature. This is why the Woodland Trust are supporting the Nature Premium campaign.
Kate Pahl
The NERC funded Voices of the Future project is part of the UKTreescapes programme. We have been researching with children and young people and supporting them to design, plant and care for future treescapes. Working in outdoor settings in schools planting trees with children and young people has opened our eyes to the importance of outdoor education. Making this a statutory offer is something we passionately agree with. We are very concerned about schools without outdoor space. We stress the importance of working outdoors, with trees and growing things, as vital for our shared futures. We whole-heartedly support this fantastic campaign.
Mary Jackson
Head of Education and Communities - Learning through Landscapes
Mary Jackson is Head of Education and Communities at Learning through Landscapes (LtL). LtL is the national school grounds charity dedicated to enhancing outdoor learning and play for all children and young people, through well-designed, nature-rich school grounds and the outdoor spaces of early years settings.
Our aims therefore strongly align with those of the Nature Premium initiative - that all children should have regular time in nature, with particular support for those who need it most, and believe that by working in partnership we can help to ensure that this becomes a reality for children and young people throughout the UK.
Matt Larsen Daw
CEO - The Mammal Society
Schools and colleges can act as ‘levellers’ to enable all young people to have a minimum level of nature experience, when the opportunities and encouragement they get at home may differ enormously. The Nature Premium campaign is a vital piece of the jigsaw puzzle to realise this potential, recognising that schools and colleges will have different barriers to overcome in order to bring nature into school life for students. A premium applied per pupil would allow schools to come up with a bespoke plan of action to ensure that each student has opportunities for positive first-hand nature experiences in a safe, supported and social environment.
Peter Kraftl
I wholeheartedly support the Nature Premium Campaign. I have been researching alternative and outdoor education spaces for over two decades, working with educators and other practitioners who sometimes struggle to evidence the impact of their work and the need for a nationwide, coordinated approach to how we support children and young people’s access to nature (however conceived). In our recent research, we have the discussed the need for national policy, guidance and/or funding to support schools and other learning environments to enable children and young people’s access to nature. There is a particular need to carefully address this need working with marginalised and minoritised communities, ensuring that nature is something that everyone can engage with and learn from in ways appropriate to them. With its nationwide, multisector, inclusive remit, the Nature Premium Campaign represents the opportunity for a true step change in meeting the above needs.
