Primary school pupils in Coventry team up with Orbit Homes to become ‘Eco Buddies’

Pupils at Whoberley Hall Primary School in Coventry recently put their biodiversity knowledge to the test after participating in ‘Eco Buddies’, a new, free educational programme by affordable housebuilder, Orbit Homes. 

During the session, which aims to support pupils with their understanding of nature and what they can do to promote greater biodiversity, Orbit Homes colleagues helped pupils to build and decorate their own bird boxes and learn about the important role that plants and animals play in keeping our planet healthy.

Pupils also learned how Orbit Homes works to develop sustainably by integrating eco-friendly features into its homes and developments, such as bug hotels and hedgehog highways. 

Brian Nearney, Chief Development Officer at Orbit, said: “We were delighted to join pupils at Whoberley Hall Primary School for an exciting Eco Buddies session. We heard how passionate the children are about the environment and felt this was a great opportunity for us to buddy up with them and help them learn more about biodiversity and how they can make their own positive impact, both at home and at school.

“All the pupils were amazing at building and decorating the bird boxes and we’d like to thank Whoberley Hall Primary for having us.”

Sally Mills, Year 3 Teacher at Whoberley Hall Primary School, added: “Our pupils are really curious about the environment and we even have our own Eco Squad here so this ‘Eco Buddies’ experience was the perfect chance to help the children learn more about nature and biodiversity. 

“The students absolutely loved the bird box activity because it gave them the opportunity to get hands-on with the idea of protecting the wildlife we have around us. We’ve all enjoyed learning about being as eco-friendly as possible and we’re very grateful to Orbit Homes for visiting us.” 

Eco Buddies is designed by Orbit Homes to support students in understanding the importance of nature and how all living things are connected. Free classroom resources are available for schools to download at orbithomes.org.uk/eco-buddies. To book a visit and for more information, schools can contact eco.buddies@orbit.org.uk.

Eco Buddies joins Building Buddies, another educational programme from Orbit Homes that allows primary school children to experience hands-on visits to construction sites.

Pupils can learn about all the different processes involved in building a brand-new home and how the skills they learn in Maths and English are used daily in a variety of jobs. Find out more about ‘Building Buddies’ here.

Orbit Homes currently has several developments underway across the Midlands. To find out more, visit: www.orbithomes.org.uk.   

Picture caption: Coventry pupils from Whoberley Hall Primary built and decorated bird boxes alongside Orbit Homes colleagues as part of the housebuilder’s free ‘Eco Buddies’ educational programme.