THE man leading the project to build Devon’s first nature school in Okehampton has said ‘there seems to be a real appetite’ for the initiative following a public meeting last week.

Last Friday (February 24), Devon Wildlife Trust held a drop-in event at the Ockment Centre for anyone interested in its plans to open the county’s first nature school in Okehampton.

At the meeting, people could talk to Devon Wildlife Trust representatives, look at maps and information on the wildlife trust’s plans, fill in a questionnaire or look at nature-based educational activities for children.

The nature school would be a mainstream school following the national curriculum, but one which would put outdoor learning and the natural environment at the heart of a high quality education for local children.

The wildlife trust is one of the organisations bidding to run a second primary school in Okehampton under the free school programme on a 1.7-hectare site to the north of Crediton Road. A new school on the site is aiming to accommodate up to 420 new pupils with provision for early years children.

Peter Burgess is putting together the application to the Department of Education to open the nature school.

He said: ‘The consultation event at Okehampton outdid our expectations. We had more than 100 members of the local community attend to learn more and ask questions.

‘The response was overwhelmingly positive – there seems to be a real appetite for Devon’s first nature school to be in Okehampton.

‘A total of 49 people filled in our questionnaire at the event. Of these 42 respondents said they would choose a nature school for their child, while four were undecided.

‘We certainly gained a sense that people want us to work closely with the existing local school community. This was great to hear because it is part of our plans to do so.

‘We’ve listened to local people and their views and it’ll help us in finalising our application to the Department of Education which will be submitted this spring.

‘If we are successful then we’ll be looking for community input in the period of the school’s development before its planned opening in either 2018 or 2019.’

Mr Burgess said the wildlife trust was not intending to hold any future public meeting at this stage as the ‘application timetable is tight and doesn’t leave a great deal of time’, with its application to the Department of Education due by April.

The wildlife trust is not the only organisation looking to run a new school on the site. Okehampton Primary School, in partnership with Okehampton College and the Diocese of Exeter, is looking to establish a new Church of England primary and nursery school on the site.

People who wish to find out more and register their support for the plans to establish Devon’s first nature school can do so online at www.natureschools.org.uk/devon.html

People with questions about Devon Wildlife Trust’s Nature School plans are being urged to emailcontactus@devon wildlifetrust.org using the message title ‘Nature Schools’.

To find out more about the plans being put forward by Okehampton Primary, Okehampton College and the Diocese of Exeter, visit www.dartmooracademy.org