CASE STUDY
In 2021 Pitlochry High School won the 'Scotland's Finest Woods Award'. This case study explains all of the elements which helped the school get recognised by the judging panel.
We set the pupils a variety of outdoor challenges which encouraged them to connect with their local woods and wild spaces. These included: combining wild art and sculpture with photography; exploring Scotland’s ancient history and sources of wild food through ‘The First Foresters’ resource; deepening an awareness of native Scottish species through the ‘John Muir Earth - Planet Universe’ resources; sharing their experiences in nature through school social media (such as cloud gazing, sound mapping; and other nature connection activities). This enabled pupils to continue working towards their John Muir Award which has long been a
core part of our school’s cross-curricular learning.
By fostering interest in their local woods and wild spaces pupils recognised the value of trees and woodlands to their health & well-being, to biodiversity and to the climate. This was seen in positive responses to a school survey about the climate and ecological crisis. Pupils also showed more care for the natural world through planting and nurturing trees or feeding birds. In Technologies pupils were introduced to the many qualities, uses and economic aspects of wood by exploring ‘Wood Theory’. There was also an option to learn more about careers in Forestry and Environmental Conservation with LANTRA through ‘Developing the Young Workforce’.
"We inspired pupils from S1-S3 (and their families) to explore their local woods and wild spaces. We wanted to provide stimulus and context for
learners to continue their outdoor learning remotely during periods of Covid-19 restrictions. It also supported their mental health and wellbeing during those strange and isolating times."Teacher
“A very creative response to the issues created by the Covid restrictions, and an important emphasis on mental health and wellbeing. An impressive use
of local and woodlands resources was seen throughout most subjects.”Judges Feedback
Learning How Pitlochry High School Won the Scotland’s Finest Woods Award
Pupils were supported to connect with their sense of awe and wonder about the natural world as well as reflecting on the ethics of their values and choices in life. This is linked to RME ‘Beliefs and the Environment’ unit of the curriculum. Families were encouraged to enjoy and explore local woodlands with their children and also learn to identify trees and birds. When restrictions began to ease some S1 pupils planted heritage apple trees to start a school orchard. They chose to site them beside a path that the Nursery and Primary school children use in the hope that the children would feel happier and become curious about the trees as they passed by.
Since winning the schools’ SFWA in 2021 S1 pupils have been involved in tree planting with Highland Perthshire Community Land Trust as part of their ‘Discoverer’ John Muir Award. S2 pupils are working alongside various local partners (such as the Cairngorms National Park Authority) to help clear path drains on Schiehallion and continue to maintain the school orchard that they planted. This will enable those pupils to complete the SCRA Junior Ranger Award as well as their ‘Conserver’ John Muir Award. Through Rural Skills S4 classes worked towards their RFS Scottish Junior Forester Award. They learned about wildlife tracks and signs (including badger setts) with National Trust Rangers and helped ‘Pitlochry Path’ group to rebuild a local woodland footpath. Pupils continue to contribute towards various citizen science projects, plant trees and record birds, frogs and red squirrels.
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