Education
Education is one of our mission's cornerstones. We have a range of initiatives to encourage young people to engage with rivers
Project Kingfisher
Children who are connected to nature are happier, healthier and more motivated to learn – this is the power of outdoor education.
Designed by a qualified teacher, these sessions have science and geography curriculum links and relate to topics such as rivers, flow, living things and their habitat.
We offer a variety of free and paid for sessions, from assemblies to walks and sessions for groups which involve river dipping.
Sessions are available for those in the areas of the River Wandle, Hogsmill or Beverley Brook.
Take a look at our dedicated Project Kingfisher page and book a session today!
What is available to book?
Our River, Our Water: primary school sessions in Crawley
Saving water is at the heart of a new, free education programme for primary schools, which the South East Rivers Trust will be delivering in Crawley from September 2022.
Schools can book assemblies or outdoor river sessions, which take place at Grattons Park on the Gatwick Stream. Children will explore what lives in the water and learn to appreciate the value of water – for wildlife and people.
These national curriculum linked sessions will highlight that the south east of England is water-stressed.
The area has less rainfall each year, yet demand for water is increasing, as the population grows and the climate continues to change.
River dipping at Grattons Park will inspire children to understand what is in the water, while a series of games will help them learn to value water by showing them how we use it in our daily lives.
This education project is a partnership between Southern Water, the Wessex Rivers Trust – who will be running sessions on the River Dun – and SERT, for whom The White Cliffs Countryside Partnership will be running sessions on the River Dour in Kent.
Sessions will be available throughout the school year for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
The activities include cards for the children to take back to school to follow up on what they have learned.
To enquire about sessions with SERT on the Gatwick Stream contact Jonathan Dean, our Education Development Officer, via education@southeastriverstrust.org.
Please check out the details for booking with our partner river trusts in Kent and Hampshire here.
Watch our promotional video for Our River Our Water
Home education
The resources available on the links below were developed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. They were designed as educational activities that can be carried out at home by 7-9 year olds with limited adult supervision. There are four series altogether.
Each series includes a set of six related activities that aim to be fun as well as educational. There are a huge range of ideas here that use art, science, maths, writing, geography, IT and even dance to learn about rivers.
Any age can have a go – at home or at school!
The four sections are:
Get in touch!
If the information you were looking for isn’t covered here, or if you would like to discuss a different kind of learning opportunity for your pupils, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
We like learning too! We are always interested in talking to teachers and schools to find out how we can ensure our education sessions are as useful and relevant as possible. If you have feedback or ideas to share with us, please get in touch.
Here’s what one school told us about a session:
Email us on education@southeastriverstrust.org.