Annual Conference

Morecambe Bay Curriculum Conference

Every year, the Morecambe Bay Curriculum hosts an annual conference to welcome all educators across the Bay.

This year the conference was held at LICA, Lancaster University on Friday 5th July 2024. Over 200 people attended from local, national and global partnerships with the MBC. 150 representatives from the Bay's schools were in attendance - from Fleetwood to Barrow!

Hope Abounds - 2024 Roundup

Team MBC are grateful to every delegate, organisation and partner who took time to ensure that our ever-expanding MBC community had a great day. We had a jam-packed programme of events and it was brought together by inspiring people who care about Morecambe Bay, the education of its pupils, the health of the population and the diversity and strength of its ecology. Thank you!

Here's a brief roundup of the day's events.

24 organisations engaged in roundtable discussions with our community; our next strategy was outlined by our partnership board; Dr Andy Knox re-imagined how we live well together; we had a virtual tour of Eden Project Cornwall's rainforest biome; we took an educational Eden trip through time with Darwin's Doodles; the installation space housed Steven Saunders' ethereal visual spectacle 'The Voice of Lichen' and we had one big band celebration!

Catch up with what we got up on our YouTube channel.

And don't forget to check back here to see what's in store for 2025.

Programme

Below you'll find the archive of the day's roundtables. Team MBC are so grateful to everyone who contributed to make the day the success it was!

09:30-10:00: Arrivals, registration, teas and coffees

Plus a chance to sign up to your afternoon roundtable sessions

10:00-10:20:  Welcome Address from the MBC Partnership Board

10:20-10:50: ‘Reimagining how we live well together’- Dr Andy Knox, Associate Medical Director in the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB and co-founder of the LSC Population Health Leadership Academy

10.50-11:20:  Welcome to Spaceship Eden – Eden Project Morecambe and live link (hopefully) from Eden Project Cornwall! Sam Kendall, Sarah Peake, Robbie Kirkman – Science Engagement & Learning Team, Eden Project

11.20-11:40:  Coffee break and networking

11:40-12.10: Linking sustainability and place into the curriculum: Panel Discussion between teachers and academics focused on these themes

12:10-13:00: Weaving sustainability and place into your subject specialisms

13:00-14:00:  Lunch! (plant-based lunch provided)

14:00-14:50: Delegates can choose from a variety of roundtable discussions and workshop sessions designed to inspire and support your learning

15:00-15:50 Delegates can choose from a variety of roundtable discussions and workshop sessions designed to explore how the day’s learning might inform your future practice

15:50-16:00: Closing remarks and a performance from More Music’s Baybeat Band!

16:00-18:00: Drinks, music and networking at the Northern Oak Bar!

Roundtable Discussion 1: 2:00 pm - 2:50 pm

Expect small workshops, roundtable discussions and resources designed to help you feel inspired. Subjects will include outdoor learning, growing, climate change, the national education nature park, how to engage with blue spaces, nature-based art and more. These sessions will be run by members of the MBC community, local and national organisations. On the morning of the conference, you'll be able to sign up to one - take a look now to find out more!

Inspiration choices:

Emma Garston & Kate Parker: Lancashire Wildlife Trust, bringing nature into the curriculum (classroom and school grounds)
Gina Parker (Mullarkey) & Dave Harvey: Little Chatters and Outdoor Learning, teaching and Learning at the Beach
Ant Briggs/Lauren Munro-Bennett/Geoff Norman/Michelle Cooper: Global Link/Morecambe Bay Partnerships/CDEC. Using Youth Social Action to address climate issues around Blue Spaces. Opportunity to discuss what the Blue Influencers Scheme is and how schools, youth groups and other organisations can get involved.
Heather Prince: University of Cumbria, the development of an Outdoor Learning Place-based Curriculum Framework for teachers
Andy Harrod: Lancaster Environment Centre, the role of nature-based activities on young people's long-term nature connection
Alex Hall: Rewilding Roots, growing in your school
Steven Saunders, Nathan Jones & Jen Southern: Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, (LICA) Installation - 'The Voice of Lichen' and rockpool vignettes
Sarah Urmson: Myerscough College, how to communicate Climate Change in the classroom
Jenny Lobo: National Education Nature Park, an introduction to the National Education Nature Park and exploration of the best ways it could work for schools in their settings
Louise Andrews: Little Researchers, using the research tool to enable co-production in the classroom
Irene Wise: Engineering, Lancaster University, nature as inspiration for problem solving
Liz Edwards and Lorraine Underwood, Computing, Lancaster University, clip:bits in the classroom demonstration

Roundtable Discussion 2: 3:00 pm - 3:50 pm

A second round of small workshops, discussions and resources designed to support you to think about next steps and how you can take what you have learnt into the classroom. There will be an opportunity to network with colleagues from similar ages and stages, as well as learn more about outdoor education, the North West Beach School Network and hear updates on the Earnse Bay Hub. These sessions will be run by members of the MBC community, local and national organisations. On the morning of the conference, you'll be able to sign up to one - take a look now to find out more!

Dr Michael Stead: LICA, Lancaster University

We will discuss how educators might re-engage pupils with D&T education – particularly one which embodies ‘More-than-Human’ principles so that pupils can best navigate the pros and cons that human-focused technological innovation can have on the planet’s climate, bio-diversity and natural resources.

Cormac Lawler, Manchester Metropolitan University

An introduction to the Climate Ambassador scheme: climate action in education' This session will give an overview of Climate Ambassadors, a Department for Education-funded scheme supporting education settings from early years to FE to develop and implement climate action plans. It will provide a space to explore opportunities, in both how your educational setting can access support to take climate action, and how you can be involved as a Climate Ambassador.

Gina Parker (Mullarkey): Little Chatters

Thinking and Oracy in the Outdoors

Dr Beth Garrett: Educational Research, MBC, Lancaster University

Beach School in Action: Developing a vision for the North-West Coast

Professor Bronwyn Williams and Professor Mary Brydon-Miller: University of Louisville

Living and Learning in a Culture of Climate Change

Geoff Norman and Professor Heather Prince: CDEC/University of Cumbria

An Introduction to Learning Naturally at Earnse Bay

Dr Celine Germond-Duret: Lancaster University

SeaSights: How do young people feel about the coastal and marine environment?

Alex Hall: Rewilding Roots

Growing in your school

Dr Marina Bazhydai: Psychology, Lancaster University

Promoting children's curiosity, wonder and creativity through engagement with nature - evidence from psychological science and innovative education

Steph Johnson: LPDS, Lancashire County Council

Literacy and Place

Linda Pye: Ryelands Primary and Nursery School

MBC: What next? Discussing and sharing ideas for ways forward (Early Years & Primary)

Maggie Cawthorn: Lancaster & Morecambe College and Stacey Gatley: MBC, Lancaster University

MBC: What next? Discussion and sharing ideas for ways forward (Secondary & FE)

Keynote Speakers

The MBC is proud to announce our 2024 line up of fantastic keynote speakers!

Dr Andy Knox

Andy Knox is a husband, a dad and a friend. He is also Associate Medical Director in the Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB and a GP Partner at Ash Trees Surgery, Carnforth. His work is primarily focused on improving Population Health and tackling Health Inequity. He co-founded the LSC Population Health Leadership Academy, is Population Health Associate at the King’s Fund, Associate at the Centre for Population Health, a member of the NHS Assembly, Vice-Chair of the South Westmorland MAT, Director of The Well Communities, part of the Poverty Truth Commission and Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Health at Lancaster University. He has recently published his first book, ‘Sick Society’ (www.drandyknox.com/sicksocietybook).

He is impressively tall when sat down, but disappointingly short when stood up and has a ridiculously loud laugh. He is often found singing on walks with his Springer Spaniel around the beauty that is Morecambe Bay. He was recently awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list for services to Primary Care and Health Inequalities. Twitter: @drandyknox Blog:reimagininghealth.com

Sam Kendall

Sam has led the Eden Project’s work with schools, young people and their teachers since 2010 in her role as Head of School Learning. Eden’s Schools Team design and deliver programmes and projects for children and young people and offer training, consultancy and resources. This work supports Eden’s vision for children and young people who are motivated and equipped to create, and flourish in, a better world in which people and nature thrive.

Sam has been a member of Eden’s Education Team since the project opened, establishing Eden as a must- visit destination for schools across the UK. Sam and her team maintain a focus on high quality teaching and learning across Eden’s programmes. Following a first degree in Natural Science at Jesus College, Cambridge, she qualified as a primary school teacher, with science specialism, in 1997 and worked in schools in Bristol, Cornwall, Karachi and South Africa prior to joining Eden in 2001. In 2021 she completed an MSc in Environment and Human Health.

Conference Aims

The MBC Conference welcomes all teachers and educators across the Bay, we foster a space for place-based, collaborative projects and curriculum to come to life in your classroom! Our 2024 aims specifically address:

Hosting an inclusive, dedicated space for teachers to meet other partners involved in sustainability and place in the Bay, in order to join up thinking and create connections that will benefit teachers, pupils and our local area
Inspiring teachers by benefiting from the latest CPD in health, wellbeing and co-design to improve our ecosystems and relationships in Morecambe Bay
Helping teachers to embed sustainability and place into your practice by hosting deliberate conversations between Lancaster University partners and friends of the MBC