Why the Fenlands Must Be Part of Sustainable Education in the UK Curriculum

The Fenlands - a unique and ecologically vital landscape in East Anglia - offer an exceptional opportunity to bring sustainability and place-based learning into UK classrooms. As the Department for Education reviews how to embed climate and nature education across subjects, our friends over at Fens for Kids explain why it’s crucial the Fenlands are included.

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What Are the Fenlands?

The Fenlands, or “the Fens,” stretch across parts of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, and Suffolk. This expansive, low-lying wetland was once navigated almost entirely by boat - a watery landscape shaped by rivers, meres, and reedbeds, rich in biodiversity and underlain by carbon-storing peat soils.

Over centuries, beginning with Roman engineering works and later intensified by Dutch drainage projects, the Fens were gradually transformed into some of the most productive farmland in England - earning the nickname “Breadbasket of Britain.” This transformation profoundly reshaped both the land and the communities that depended on it.

Today, the Fens are a crucial ecological hotspot, supporting rare species and fragile peatland ecosystems. But they also face increasing pressure from climate change, flood risk, and intensive agriculture. The story of the Fenlands is one of ancient innovation, environmental transformation, and a growing movement toward sustainable land management in the 21st century.

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Why Should the Fenlands Be Included in the UK Curriculum?

1) Local Place-Based Learning with Global Relevance

Sustainability education thrives when students connect big ideas to the places they live and learn. The Fenlands bring climate change, biodiversity, and human impact to life in a deeply local context - making environmental education relatable and tangible. For students in and beyond the region, learning about the Fenlands means understanding how ancient and modern engineering, farming, and conservation practices intersect with global challenges like carbon storage, habitat loss, and water management.

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2) Interdisciplinary Learning at Its Best

The Fenlands naturally connect science, history, literature, and geography:

• Science & Geography: Peatlands as carbon sinks, wetland ecosystems, and the science behind rewetting and sustainable farming (paludiculture).

• History & Classics: Roman drainage systems and roads like the Car Dyke, early modern land reclamation, and local responses during the English Civil War.

• Literature & Arts: Regional poetry and storytelling that reflect human relationships with the Fenland landscape.

This interdisciplinary approach equips students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills they need for real-world sustainability challenges.

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3) Empowering Students as Environmental Stewards

Place-based learning rooted in the Fenlands nurtures a connection to nature and a sense of responsibility. It encourages young people to see themselves as active participants in protecting their environment, grounding abstract ideas about climate and ecology in stories of their own communities.

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4) Filling a Gap in Curriculum Equity

Despite their national and ecological importance, the Fenlands are largely absent from the UK’s national curriculum. Many local students do not recognise or understand their own landscape’s significance, missing out on the chance to learn from their surroundings.

Including the Fenlands in the curriculum promotes inclusivity by representing diverse environments and histories, helping all students feel their home matters in education.

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5) Supporting National Climate and Biodiversity Goals

Embedding Fenlands education supports the UK’s commitments to climate action and biodiversity recovery. Schools can use the Fenlands as a real-world case study for sustainable land management, carbon capture, and habitat restoration, linking classroom learning to national and global policy goals.

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‍What Does Fens for Kids Offer?

Our platform provides interactive digital narratives and educational resources that bring the Fenlands into classrooms through storytelling, ecology, history, science, and art. We collaborate with partners including Wildlife Trust BCN, G’s Fresh Farmers, FutureFens 2100+, PECT, Fenland District Council, EcoCoach CIC, and local schools to create engaging, curriculum-aligned content for students aged 10+.

Our website features blog posts, activities and resources, interactive maps, timelines, and more, designed to inspire curiosity and critical thinking about the Fenlands’ past, present, and future.

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Next Steps: Expanding the Reach

We are developing a Key Stage 2/3 textbook and interactive toolkit that combine curriculum-linked modules with place-based activities and sustainability themes focused on the Fenlands. This resource will empower teachers to deliver interdisciplinary lessons that resonate with students’ local environment.

Excitingly, we’re also adapting our materials for inclusion in US public school curricula, targeting regions where wetland education and climate resilience are critical, such as Louisiana, Florida, and Virginia. The Fenlands’ story is part of a much bigger global conversation about water, land, and sustainability.

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Join Us in Making the Fenlands a Living Classroom

The Fenlands represent an incredible opportunity to embed sustainability education in a way that is meaningful, inclusive, and inspiring. We urge educators, policymakers, and parents to support the integration of Fenlands-focused content into the UK curriculum.

Together, we can help young people connect their local landscapes to the urgent environmental challenges of today - and equip them to be the stewards of tomorrow.

For more information or to get involved, visit Fens for Kids, visit our LinkedIn and Instagram @fensforkids, or send us an email at fensforkids@gmail.com.