SCHOOL VISITS
Educational School Trips Sussex - Wildlife Adventures
New Environmental Education Programme
Here at the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, we have fantastic facilities to take educational school trips in Sussex to the next level for pupils in EYFS to KS3. For your school trip to Lewes we offer a wide range of engaging sessions to meet learning objectives right across the curriculum. From science, geography, literacy and maths to history, PSHE, and citizenship.
The Trust has a wonderful mosaic of habitats throughout the seasons. Educational adventures will stretch between woodlands, meadows, ponds, and wetlands. We have a purpose built environmental education centre and advanced technology such as digital microscopes and webcams - all of which will create a truly memorable school visit!
With woodlands full of birdsong, water meadows brimming with invertebrates, and ponds with frogs, newts and dragonflies, there are so many opportunities to learn. Perhaps a heron, an egret, or even a peregrine falcon will be nesting nearby.
The Railway Land Wildlife Trust is a small, independent wildlife trust based at the Linklater Pavilion.
As a local team in Lewes, we are always happy to tailor our sessions to your specific learning objectives. An excellent way to get the students excited about the nature surrounding them!
Contact our Education Officer for further information
What School Learning Sessions do we offer at
The Railway Land Nature Reserve?
Living Things and their Habitats – Woodland, Pond or Meadow. Identify plants and animals by using simple keys, and discuss ways to classify them. Look at adaptations, food chains, life stages, and reproduction. Collect data. Distinguish between living and nonliving parts of a habitat.
Rivers – The River Ouse flows right through the reserve! Investigate the physical and human geography of the river and its changes over time. Make predictions, collect data to measure its flow, and see how the river fits into the wider landscape.
Water and Wildlife – Identify life in our ponds, ditches and stream, look at
adaptations, food chains and life cycles. Compare biodiversity of the different
habitats, find out how these habitats change over time and their importance in the
water cycle.
Rocks and Soils – Explore what makes soil and why it is so important. Test the soil
and compare between different parts of the site. Investigate rock types and fossils
and get an idea of the timescale rocks work on!
Reuse/Recycle/Reduce – A light hearted look at serious sustainable issues. Games
and activities to explore sustainability, including reducing plastic waste, and what
actions we can take to help.
Citizen Science Survey – Fantastic way of observing nature purposefully, and
collecting and handling data in a variety of our habitats that will feed back to real
scientific research.
Weather, habitats and Microclimates – Make predictions and collect data from
different habitats on the reserve, using it to answer some relevant questions.
Compare and explore how habitats are influenced by weather conditions.
Hunting Stories – Stories lurk in the woods, ponds, and meadows just waiting to be
found. Creative literacy and story making and telling in our lovely diverse habitats.
Maths Adventure – Yes, we can make maths active, purposeful and fun! Explore the reserve, measure, count, estimate, sequence and calculate and collect data.
Sustainable Ancestors – Pre History session with a sustainability slant. How did our ancestors meet all their needs from this land? Expect hunting, and gathering (fire making on request and depending on numbers).
Bring Back the Wolf! – Games and activities exploring the dynamic relationships between predator, prey, and their environment, focusing on the positive effects re-introduction of some species has had on biodiversity.
We can also offer forest school, green woodwork and bushcraft activities. Just ask!
You can choose 2 or 3 sessions per visit, depending on your timings and depth of study required. We will provide you with a pre-visit activity, and suggestions for follow up activities to help you make the most of your visit.
Where is the Railway Land Wildlife Trust?
Situated in the Ouse Valley, the river borders the Railway Land Local Nature Reserve, providing an excellent teaching resource for physical and human geography. The whole site is a positive example of regeneration and changing land use, having previously been extensive railway sidings.
We are a fully accessible site. We are near to transport links, and encourage schools to consider travelling to us by sustainable transport.
The Sussex Community Rail Partnership may be able to assist on your journey.