13 October 2017
The Department of
the Environment is working with local primary schools to help pupils learn
about Jersey bats in science lessons.
It’s the second
phase of a project to increase awareness of Jersey bats and their environment.
The Jersey Bat Project was launched in May, using campaign mascot Hugh the Bat
to raise the profile of bats and their place in our eco system.
Environment officers
have worked with the Education Department to develop an education pack with
lesson plans that schools can use to meet the requirements of the curriculum.
The packs have been
given to all Island primary schools for use with pupils in years three and
four. The pack includes the offer of a school assembly to be delivered by the
Jersey Bat Group and two bat boxes to go up in school grounds. The boxes have
been made at Jersey Prison, and by Les Landes School pupils.
Research Ecologist
for the Department of the Environment, Nina Cornish said
‘We’re delighted to
be working closely with the Education Department to link core subjects like
science, with fascinating information about Jersey’s unique environment and the
creatures that inhabit it. We really hope it will inform the next generation of
Islanders about the richness and importance of our natural environment and what
we can do to protect it.’
eco active Programme
Manager Jane Burns said ‘Our experience at eco active is that Island schools
work hard to ensure sustainability is embedded in lessons so this is a way of
providing more direct support to schools to support those efforts and we hope that
further down the line we can include more local environmental topics in
classrooms, clearly linked to the curriculum.
‘We’ve had a lot of
help from the Bat Conservation Trust and Les Landes School to ensure that what
we’re producing for schools maps science curriculum requirements, and is both
useful for our fantastic teachers, and interesting for pupils. It hasn’t been
easy or quick, but it’s really been worth it to see the end result.’
An Education
Department spokesperson said ‘This is a good example of how the Jersey
Curriculum can help children to understand more about their island. This has
worked because Environment colleagues have understood the science curriculum
and worked hard to provide good quality resources that are ready for teachers
to use straight away.’
gov.je