Many schools are already creating new habitats and making significant improvements to their sites. But habitat creation is only the first step. We kept hearing stories of tree saplings being mown or wildflower meadows failing to establish because their long‑term management needs were not fully understood. 

The challenge for many schools is knowing how to move from conventional grounds maintenance to nature‑positive management, while still meeting safety, access, and operational requirements. This course has been developed to address exactly that gap.

The Managing School Grounds for Biodiversity course is free to access, requires only an email address to enrol, and takes approximately 1-1.5 hours to complete.

We know that schools have a duty to keep children safe, and this course puts wellbeing and safeguarding at its heart. However, its relevance reaches well beyond the school gate, as the principles and practices it covers apply equally to anyone managing public spaces, from hospital grounds and community gardens to parks and open spaces.

The course draws on guidance originally developed by the National Biodiversity Data Centre Ireland, carefully adapted for an English audience in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, the Royal Horticultural Society, and many more leading organisations from across the sector. It collates best practice on habitat creation, climate adaptation, planting for pollinators, and growing food, giving school grounds managers a comprehensive, authoritative resource they can put to use straight away.

During its development we consulted with industry as well as the environment sector and were delighted with this feedback from a Grounds Advisor at Norse Group: “Such a positive course that successfully engages both education and industry. It’s lovely to focus on working together to enhance the environment and improve sustainability for all. The included links are such a useful addition as is the downloadable PDF on completion.”