Throughout the year, we send out a Schools Newsletter to teachers and educators working within Charnwood Forest. The following is a compilation of some of the articles in the most recent issue. If you’d like to be added to the maillist, contact our Education Officer, Hayley Rock: hrock@nationalforest.org
Meet your new Heritage Education Officer!
Hayley Rock joined the Geopark team in June as our new Heritage Education Officer. With a background as a secondary science teacher and Head of Science, she brings a passion for making learning fun, engaging and inclusive—particularly for students with SEND. She strongly believes that outdoor learning is a powerful way to inspire curiosity, build confidence and connect young people with the natural world. Hayley is looking forward to bringing her experience to the heart of Charnwood Forest Geopark, helping young people discover and engage with its rich natural, geological and cultural heritage. If you’d like to find out more about the support we offer to schools and educational groups, please read on for a summary.
Supporting Teaching & Learning: Education Programme
What We Offer
- Free curriculum-linked resourcesacross all key stages and subjects
- Bespoke resources and field trips, developed in collaboration with schools and education groups to suit specific themes, topics or sites within Charnwood Forest.
- Networking opportunities and newslettersto share ideas, celebrate best practice and strengthen local connections.
- Inspiration and guidancefor using the local landscape of Charnwood Forest as a learning resource.
- Learning Landscapes Grant funding available for eligible schools to develop outdoor learning spaces and support CPD opportunities (location criteria apply).
How To Get Involved
Whether you’re looking for ready-to-use classroom resources, support in organising outdoor learning experiences, or ways to link up with like-minded educators, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch by contacting our Heritage Education Officer, Hayley Rock, at hrock@nationalforest.org
Free Education Hub Events: Calling all educators!
Our education hub events are an opportunity for schools and educational groups within and around Charnwood Forest Geopark, to connect, share ideas and access resources such as workshops, talks and field trips. Earlier this year we were hosted by the lovely team at Nanpantan Hall Nurture Centre near Loughborough. Forest School Lead, Marcus Parkes, and Head Teacher, John Furborough, welcomed us to their amazing woodland classroom on what turned out to be a bright and beautiful spring evening. To celebrate British Science Week, Rupert Loch from Feral Science led a practical session on Hooke’s Law. This is something that you can easily incorporate into your outdoor learning or science curriculum—if you would like a worksheet, please get in touch with Hayley Rock: hrock@nationalforest.org.
Thursday 20th November 2025
16.00—16.30 Arrival and Refreshments
16.30—18.00 Education Hub Event
18.00—18.30 Networking
Outdoor Learning Centre, Beaumanor Hall, Beaumanor Dr, Woodhouse, Loughborough LE12 8TX
STEM Scene Investigation: Discover how your outdoor learning space can be transformed into a real-life crime scene, using simple experiments and STEM skills to solve a crime mystery in this whodunnit activity. The session will also include an update on the Geopark’s education programme and an opportunity for networking. If you would like to attend this free event, please contact Hayley Rock to book your place(s): hrock@nationalforest.org
Richard Hill Primary School: Fossils, Forests and Future Geologists
Our Geoconservation Officer, Dr Jack Matthews, and Heritage Education Officer, Hayley Rock, recently visited Richard Hill Church of England Primary to deliver a workshop looking at the geology and history of Charnwood Forest. Students were able to delve into the 560-million-year-old history of the fossils of Charnwood Forest and reimagine what life might have been like for Charnia, our oldest known animal fossil.
With rock specimens to explore, students learned how to observe and describe rock features like professional geologists, using the correct terminology and sharp observation skills. Students had already been learning about the three main rock types and the rock cycle in lessons – and were keen to show off their knowledge.
It was a brilliant afternoon of discovery, discussion and hands-on learning – and who knows, we may just have inspired a future geologist or two!
100 Treasures of Charnwood Forest: Chosen by you!
Some of Leicestershire’s most popular sites, as well as objects and artefacts stretching back millions of years have been selected for celebration as part of the ‘100 Treasures of Charnwood Forest’.
Following nominations from the public, and selection by a panel of experts, Charnwood Forest Geopark have released the official 100 Treasures list, celebrating Charnwood Forest’s remarkable story that begins with Earth’s earliest animal life, taking in Ice Age hunters, invaders and settlers, religious communities, and some of the region’s most beautiful natural sites. The full list of Charnwood Forest’s 100 Treasures can be viewed at www.charnwoodforest.org/100treasures.
If you are interested in having the Geopark deliver an assembly about some of the 100 Treasures, please do get in touch and we’d be happy to tailor it the needs of your school around a geological or historical focus.
Creative minds reimagine Charnwood Forest’s past and nature’s future
Youngsters from across Leicestershire had the opportunity to create their own ancient fossils and bug hotels, as part of a recent Geopark-supported event near Loughborough. In August, the Geopark team, along with support from our fantastic volunteer Dina, ran sessions at Beaumanor Hall as part of Leicestershire County Council’s Summer Scheme for looked-after children. The young people were an absolute joy to work with and had a fantastic day making bug hotels and models of Charnwood Forest fossils from recycled materials. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the history and fossils of Charnwood Forest and to discuss the variety and importance of the current insect residents of the local area. There were some wonderfully unique and imaginative creations, including several Bug Palaces, and Auroralumina reimagined with toilet rolls and tissue paper.
The Colours of the Forest: Ink-Making at Woodside Lodge
Regular readers will know that we love a good ink-making session, and this time we packed our kit and headed over to see our friends at Woodside Lodge Outdoor Learning Centre at their Vale Farm campus in Oaks-in-Charnwood. On this occasion, there was no need to take the camping stove—the school’s amazing Forest School area provided the perfect outdoor classroom, complete with fire pit! The April weather was kind to us, and the students helped to make a batch of oak gall ink, and afterwards had lots of fun experimenting with writing and painting using different natural inks. Following the session, one of the students successfully found an oak gall in the school’s woodland.
Brookvale Orchard: A Community Orchard in Groby
Over the last few months, a new community orchard has been taking shape at Brookvale in Groby. The orchard is made up of a diverse range of fruit trees, including apples, pears, plums and cherries. To complete the planting, we invited students from Brookvale Groby Learning Campus to help us. So, in March, a group of Year 10 students, who are working towards their ASDAN personal development award came along to the orchard to plant fruit trees, and to help us finish planting a hedge. They also helped to sow wildflower seeds at the edge of a new ‘scrape’, designed to provide a source of natural water for the site. We hope that the school will enjoy many years of visiting the orchard and picking and eating the fruit!
Broom Leys Primary School, Coalville: Celebrating the Geopark
The Geopark’s Geoconservation Officer Jack Matthews, has been working with Broom Leys’ Headteacher Robert Prior to create a Geopark Information Hub at the school. The school was selected as one of several interpretation sites across the region that form part of the Geopark’s mission to share the geological, cultural and industrial stories of Charnwood Forest. The panel at Broom Leys School focuses on the legacy of William Whetstone, a renowned 19th-century tile manufacturer whose contributions to architecture include tiles made for the Grand Theatre in Leeds and Salisbury Cathedral. Whetstone originally commissioned the building that now houses Broom Leys Primary School as his home. The new interpretation is publicly accessible to all on the external fence of the school. Mr Prior said “The installation of the Geopark branded interpretation panel is a wonderful addition that ties in seamlessly with our curriculum and the history of our school. We hope it inspires our pupils and their families to explore other panels in the area, fostering a deeper appreciation for our local history and environment.”
Richard Hill Primary School, Thurcaston: The Rector’s Garden
In March, the Geopark team headed to Richard Hill Primary School in Thurcaston for a really special event. Several years ago, Education Officer Susan Kilby was working in the County Record Office when she came across an incredible document detailing the Rector of Thurcaston’s garden from the year 1694. This gave us an idea, and we contacted local artist Mandeep Dhadialla for help. Mandeep’s installation in Leicester Cathedral—Plants and Place—placed a garden at the heart of the cathedral, and so we felt that she would be the perfect person to help us to realise an ambitious plan: to recreate the Rector’s garden in the school hall. Mandeep worked with students to make the fruits, vegetables and nuts that were grown in 1694—including apples, figs, kidney beans, gooseberries, hazelnuts and radishes. It was a real community event, with the local Brownies helping to make leaves for the trees, and students’ families, as well as locals in attendance. In 1694, one of the apple trees growing in the Rector’s orchard was an old heritage variety called ‘John’. We thought it would be fantastic if a ‘John’ apple tree could be grown in Thurcaston again—331 years after the original tree graced the Rector’s garden, and so the Geopark funded a new ‘John’ apple, alongside ‘St Ailred’, a companion apple tree chosen by the school. The trees were blessed by current Rector, Reverend Matthew Gough, and students planted them in the school’s new orchard. The Rector’s Garden has recently been reinstalled at All Saints Church in Thurcaston for harvest festival and is well worth a visit.
