Pupils (above) from Oak Tree Primary School, Mansfield, planted native trees around their school site to increase wildlife habitat.

Funding for 60 hedgerow trees was secured from the Woodland Trust. Officers from the Greenwood Partnership helped with the planting and gave youngsters advice on how to look after their new trees.

A total of 18 children from the school council worked in small teams to plant the small native trees, alongside three adult helpers. The activity took place during British Science Week.

They hope the trees will quickly become established and create a wildlife haven.

The school hopes to repeat the activity over the next few years to create a hedgerow around its site.

Teacher Matt Thorne, science co-ordinator at Oak Tree Primary, said: “Having the Woodland Trust support to provide us with a selection of native trees has helped us to start our hedgerow.

“We could not have done this without the expertise of Greenwood Partnership to help us plant them.

“We hope our trees flourish over the coming years and that we can extend the boundary to create an even more extensive wildlife habitat.”

Nic Wort, project officer for Greenwood, said: “The Greenwood team is committed to supporting schools to plant trees.
Working with the Woodland Trust has helped us to reach even more schools and encourage them to plant native trees in their grounds.

“Trees are a great natural teaching resource and will also provide a shady area for outdoor lessons in years to come.”