Nature Park - University of Reading

As part of our commitment to promoting better climate education for young people across the UK, the University is developing its own Nature Park aligned with the National Education Nature Park scheme.

The University of Reading Nature Park will offer local schools access to nature-based learning experiences across the University estate.

Harris Garden on Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading

Wildflowers in the lakeside meadow on Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading

The National Education Nature Park

The National Education Nature Park, which launched in October 2023, aims to bring together all the land from across education settings in England into a vast virtual nature park. It enables children and young people to get involved in taking practical action to improve the biodiversity of their setting and see over time how the virtual park changes.

School children planting in a greenhouse on Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading

Learning in nature

We are developing the University of Reading Nature Park to help young people gain a deeper appreciation of our changing natural world.

Engaging in practical conservation work will help children learn more about the future of the world. They will also develop skills such as data collection, species identification, and habitat management that they can take back to their school or college.

Children learning about a bug hotel at the University of Reading

Working with partners

Over the next 18 months, we will carry out pilot activities with local schools, building on our established locations, and creating new exciting elements for the University of Reading Nature Park.

We will consult with partners such as the Natural History Museum (NHM), the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), to understand the evolving national scheme.

The lake on Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading

Living laboratory

By 2026, our centenary year, we hope to create a living laboratory that will benefit our students and local school children. This living laboratory will bring together locations such as Langley Mead, the Harris Garden and the lakeside meadow, as well as the University’s Atmospheric Observatory and Cole Museum of Zoology.