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Yes – we will provide plenty of other resources and ways for your Young Tree Champions to connect, learn and share the power of trees.

It would be useful to have recruited your Young Tree Champions, as your students will have great ideas for what you might do and any themes you may wish to focus on as a group, they are the projects driving force for nature. However, given the current pandemic we suggest the following:

• Engage with key work children in-school or remotely with existing eco-club, student council, afterschool club and put this project on the agenda
• Use this Young Tree Champion questionnaire to help decide what matters most to your young tree champions and select a tree theme
• Discuss ideas for your activities to connect, learn and share your project, and fill in the action plan template, you can then use this to complete the application form

Yes, this is really important – please make sure you have written permission from the landowner for the proposed location to plant the trees before completing the application form. It may be worth checking your school improvement plan for any new proposed developments onsite.

The trees have been carefully selected according to their size when mature. You have a choice of tree packs – small, medium and large trees.

• Small trees will grow to 5-10m and need to be planted 3-5m apart
• Medium trees will grow to 10-15m and need to be planted 5 to 8m apart
• Large trees will grow over 15m and need to be 15m apart

Please note: It is not possible to select specific species from the list to create a bespoke pack.

 Plant your trees where they can receive lots of sunlight and where the drainage is good. Also consider a location that is accessible to all and allows you to water your young trees and saplings regularly and easily in the first 2-3 years (near an outdoor tap).

Each tree pack consists of five mixed trees. The trees will be between 1 and 2 years old (approx. 1 – 1.5m tall) and will arrive ‘bare-rooted’ ready for immediately planting out. Your pack will include stakes, wire guards and hessian ties to support the tree for the first 2-3 years of its life. We will send you full instructions of how to plant and care for your trees nearer the time.

You can select one of the following tree packs, each containing five trees:

1. Small
2. Mix of small + medium
3. Medium
4. Mix of medium + large
5. Large

Your choice will be based on the area you have available to plant your trees.

The trees are perfect for creating a tree trail but you may wish to use them in other ways to support the delivery of your project – for example, to create a wildlife-friendly area or woodland classroom to support your project.

When your tree packs arrive, you will need get them into the ground straight away and give them a good water – they’ll be thirsty from their journey! Make sure you use the stakes, ties and guards to help protect your young trees from rabbits and strong winds. You will be provided with detailed instructions on how to plant and care for your trees.

Your Young Tree Champions will need to water the newly-planted trees for a year or two, especially when the weather is dry and during the Easter and Summer holidays. Consider consulting a local volunteer Tree Warden to help provide advice and expertise on caring for your trees.

This project can be as big as you want to make it! We estimate typically a lead teacher will need to allocate 4 to 6 days throughout the spring and summer term to deliver the project from application to completion, this depends upon the amount of support they receive.

It’s important that senior management allocate time to an enthusiastic member of staff to lead the project (LSA, Teacher). The lead contact will need to complete the application process, recruit the Young Tree Champions and make sure there is a plan of activities in place to plant, connect, learn and share the power of trees and care for your trees.

Compared to growing annual plants like tomatoes and salads, your trees will require much less annual care once the trees are established. However there is more to do in the first few years in order to get them established; they’ll need to be watered regularly, weeded and guarded for the first three years.

Young Tree Champion tech kits provide your young people with amazing resources with which to interact with the world of trees. The kit is designed to help you create an interactive trail, explore the science and wonder of your new or existing trees on your grounds and record a podcast to speak up for trees.

The kit consists of:

• One pair of headphones with an attached microphone
• A hand-held microscope camera
• Google cardboard VR headset
• Info sheet with a series of app recommendationsto help you develop your trail

Deliveries will take place on 24 and 25 March 2021 (0ption for delivery w/c 19 April).

A public speaking workshop led by Speakers Trust involves a teacher training workshop and a pupil workshop. Due to current restrictions, the workshops will take place online.

• Teacher training workshops are designed to inspire teachers to develop oracy within the curriculum and will include breakout sessions to facilitate questions. The session also helps to prepare teachers for their day of pupil workshops, which are to be delivered between April and June.
• Pupil workshops comprise two 2-hour sessions engaging the pupils in vocalising their personal journey to becoming a Force for Nature. These sessions can be delivered to a club group or whole class (up to 32 pupils). Speakers Trust will contact schools directly to arrange timings and to tailor the sessions.

The Teacher Training Workshops are on set dates – 3:30pm-5pm on 17 or 18 March 2021. The pupil workshops will be arranged with the selected school after this date.

Beacon Schools are determined once you have successfully completed your project and submitted a project self-assessment form. To achieve Beacon School status your schools needs to demonstrate in your self-assessment and posts on your club space that you are excelling in connecting, learning and sharing the power of trees and nature both in school and at a national level (by being active on your club account). Beacon Schools will be invited to attend and be awarded at the Force for Nature festival in July 2021.