Feedback from teachers around the Bay has been loud and clear for the last six years; to embed place-based sustainability knowledge into day to day teaching, they need relevant, relatable and reliable knowledge and support. In 2024, 40 educators and academics worked together to ensure that every teacher and child around the Bay (no matter their circumstances) has access to high-quality, locally focused, environmental education materials. And so, Resources for our Bay: Place, Sustainability, Environment and Hope was born. Over six months, these colleagues worked together to create a Morecambe Bay Curriculum Booklet and 16 individual projects, generating 130 educational resources designed for classrooms around the Bay across all ages and phases. These resources were launched to an audience of 200 educators at the MBC Conference on the 5^th July 2024.

Enjoy this overview of the project and hear from our co-designers:

In September 2024, 330 booklets and targeted resources were sent to every school and college around the Bay, with 100 gifted to early years settings and childminders. These packs invite all teachers to join the Morecambe Bay Curriculum membership, so we can continue to be the fastest growing teacher-led movement for educational and social change in the region. We are only just starting to see the long-term impact of this work, but are delighted with teacher reactions so far.

Duncan Webster, Deputy Headteacher at Willow Lane told us;

‘Each step of the learning journey is based in a real historical source so we were able to weave in the historical skills in a way they can access and hook into it… it’s doing everything that the National Curriculum are asking us to provide as educators, but with a real opportunity to create a connection and love to the place that they’re in and an understanding of their impact and role in that place.’

There were also benefits for the teachers and academics who created the resources themselves. Academic colleagues could see how their research was going to be used in practice and thus could develop impact from this. Whilst teachers were able to use their expertise to ensure the work was engaging and helpful for their pupils.

‘I loved seeing the wide array of inspirational and imaginative partnerships. I really got a sense of being part of a community.’ (Teacher)

One academic talked about the ‘desire to make a tangible impact on real world education by bringing my academic expertise to the table’, whilst another said that her highlights from the project were: ‘Situating my broader academic knowledge in local landscapes; trying out the teaching ideas in outdoor settings; being able to be creative with designing lesson plans’. (Academic)

Download the Resources for our Bay Booklet.

Read more about the other co-designed resources.

To join the Morecambe Bay Curriculum Membership and access the Moodle full of resources, sign up here.

As part of the launch, Dr Bethan Garrett hosted a panel discussion between teachers and academics, exploring the projects that have been created and the process they used to create them.

Speakers included (L-R in photo below): Professor Des Fagan, Head of Architecture, Lancaster University, Sam Taylor, Plumbing and Gas Tutor, Lancaster and Morecambe College, Joanne Daly, Deputy Manager, Lancaster University Pre-School, Dr Marina Bazhydai, Lecturer in Psychology, Lancaster University, Dr Beccy Whittle, Lancaster Environment Centre, Dr Emily Fitzherbert, Science Teacher, The Lakes School and Duncan Webster, Deputy Headteacher, Willow Lane School