Take action as a school
Trees for schools
We work with schools across Greater Manchester greening school grounds and creating woodlands on site. We supply free trees for schools, designing appropriate planting schemes for your site and leading tree planting days with pupils.
Trees improve student’s health and wellbeing, create habitats for wildlife and help to combat climate change.
We provide trees, tools, and the expertise. All we need from you is permission, space to plant and enthusiastic pupils!
This scheme is open to all educational institutions within Greater Manchester. If you don’t have land but are interested in tree planting, we may have opportunities to get involved in some of your local greenspaces.
Benefits to your school
Planting trees with City of Trees provides a whole host of benefits for your school and pupils:
- Provides a dynamic outdoor learning at all key stage levels
- Meets the curriculum in a unique way
- Trees remove pollutants from the air
- Helps to develop Forest School areas
- Creates safe spaces with woodland screening
- Improves health and wellbeing outcomes for pupils and staff
- Provides free fruit from newly planted orchards
Both children and adults will be supplied with all equipment and their own outdoor gloves for planting on the day.
All City of Trees staff have appropriate safeguarding checks and will comply with current safety guidance.
Spotlight on…
Christ Church Primary School, Bury
1195 trees were planted at Christ Church Primary School in Bury with the whole school joining in. This included a wildlife copse with an outdoor learning classroom and orchard planted at the school. A hedge including species such as crab apple, wild cherry and elder was also planted. Read more about the impacts here.
The school were looking to improve their outdoor learning opportunities for the children and as well as wanting to attract more biodiversity to the site. The hedge installed will play a functional role in providing natural screening between the school and the pub and residential gardens that sit next door.
“Lots of the children said they would like to plant trees for a job when they grow up. Also, a child with additional needs who often finds it difficult to access the national curriculum completely thrived in this environment and this was great to see.”
Miss Gilmore, Year 4, Abbotts Community Primary School
Frequently asked questions
There is no cost to the school. We provide free trees and tools to schools, including equipment suitable for children such as junior spades and gloves when planting trees.
City of Trees staff offer a tree planting session for each school. This includes a curriculum linked introduction to trees and how they shape our everyday lives followed by a demonstration on how to plant a tree.
During the remainder of the session, children plant trees themselves. We assist and answer any questions they have.
If there is space for the trees to grow safely and healthily then we can plant. To help ascertain this City of Trees will complete a site assessment to advise what trees would be suitable and what species would fit with the school’s individual needs. Get in touch and we can advise what could be possible.
We believe in ‘the right tree in the right place’ so the type of tree we plant depends on the needs of the school and size of land. Planting plans are designed by our professional team.
Once the free trees have been planted your school will be responsible for looking after them. However, City of Trees can provide a maintenance day during the summer and will supply schools with a ‘caring for your trees’ information pack, helping you to keep your trees healthy as they grow. We are also available to be contacted for any advice or guidance whenever the school may need it.
Availability of the funding will be based on demand for the project. If we receive a large number of enquiries we may need to plant with you the following tree planting season. This runs from October – April each year.