Peak District Ambassador Schools
In 2022 we offered a new opportunity for schools in and around the Peak District to connect with the Peak District National Park from their own setting: our Ambassador Schools programme. The pandemic had been especially hard for young people and schools; however green spaces, outdoor recreation and education were, and remain, vital in their recovery.
The Peak District has a history of almost one hundred years of support from people who live in its surrounding towns and cities. Dating back to the Kinder Mass Trespass in 1932 and earlier, people have shown their love for the area and campaigned to access it and protect it.
In the continued pioneering spirit of inspiring enthusiasm for the great outdoors, and for learning about wildlife and cultural heritage, we were pleased to bring local schools the chance to become an Ambassador School, and deepen their connections with the Peak District.
We want the National Park to be loved, understood and supported by schools and communities across the region.
Our Mission is to:
- build lasting relationships with schools and communities,
- promote the benefits of outdoor learning and connection to nature,
- enable young people to enjoy, care for and take pride in the Peak District National Park.
What are Ambassador Schools?
Ambassador Schools are schools inside or within half an hour of the Peak District Boundary that have made a strong connection to the National Park.
It means that your school understands and cares about the Peak District National Park and champions wild places wherever they may be, including your own school grounds.
The Ambassador School scheme is a free package for selected primary and secondary schools including online resources, tailored support, and opportunities for rangers to visit your school.
Proud to be an Ambassador for the Peak District National Park
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” David Attenborough
We want schools in our local area to be part of our network of Ambassadors that are excited by and interested in the Peak District National Park.
Young people can take simple actions locally to help protect and support the Peak District, both within school and through visiting the National Park to learn more.
The scheme is designed so young people have the benefits of connecting with the outdoors and wild places for learning, wellbeing and enjoyment, and the National Park gains champions for the future.
Proud to work with our partners: Working with the Peak District Foundation we aim to support schools wherever possible to make getting outdoors easy. We believe connecting with local green spaces is just as important as connecting with the National Park. To support this aim the Peak District Foundation provides funding through several partners to provide equipment, and reduce barriers to accessing the National Park location and education services.
We have received support from Hydro Flask, Equip UK Outdoor Technologies and Spotty Otter towards our work with Ambassador Schools.
What are the benefits of becoming an Ambassador School?
Our Ambassador Schools gain access to:
- our online learning materials to help you embed connections to nature in the curriculum,
- over-the-phone or online support from a National Park engagement ranger,
- support to make the most of health and wellbeing benefits in outdoor learning to help raise standards and improve students’ life chances,
- help to identify, celebrate and understand the special qualities of your own wild places,
- opportunities for Peak District Rangers to visit your school (as available),
- a wider network of Ambassador Schools,
- training and exclusive offers,
Please note: benefits of the scheme may change over time. Please see T&C (633KB) for full information.
The scheme complements and supports other awards such as Eco awards, Learning Outside the Classroom Mark, and the National Outdoor Learning Award.
Please note: Responsibility lies with the school for ensuring adequate health and safety, legal and insurance arrangements for activities towards achieving a John Muir Award or Ambassador School status. All activities provided by the Peak District National Park will have their own risk assessments done and the National Park instructors will be suitably trained. Ambassador School status only applies to the single school applying and not a group of schools (e.g. Academies).
What is the commitment to become an Ambassador School?
You can do as much activity and learning as you like within your setting to contribute to the ethos of National Parks and sharing those passions with others in your community.
The minimum requirement is one activity per year for each year group and to share those experience with the Peak District National Park team.
We ask all schools to give feedback on the scheme in the form of surveys, photos and/or classwork. Renewal for the scheme each year depends upon us receiving this feedback.
How to become an Ambassador School
As of March 2026 we have temporarily paused our Ambassador School programme, and will not be recruiting any new schools to the programme for the time being. We are awaiting news of grant funding which will allow us to expand the programme to include support for new schools, but at the moment we don't have the capacity in the team to resource this.
Existing Ambassador Schools will remain part of the programme and will continue to have access to the benefits listed in the bullet points above, although we will have a much more limited capacity to offer Ranger visits to schools or telephone/online support. However, we will not be asking you to renew your membership at the end of this school year by completing an updated application form. Instead, we will simply roll your membership over into the next academic year.
We would like to thank all existing Ambassador Schools for their contributions to the programme, their support for the Peak District and for other schools in the Ambassador Schools network, and their passion to help their pupils learn about and connect to the National Park. We look forward to being able to support you again in a more active way, in the future!
Ambassador Schools Resources
For teachers, we have a wide range of new Peak District National Park designed lessons and a collection of great resources to support your Ambassador School journey: Peak District Ambassador Schools Resources
High School students and their teachers will find lots of useful information about careers in the environmental, or Green, sector, on our designated Green Careers page. This includes downloadable case studies (3.6MB) featuring a number of Green Careers in the Peak District National Park.
Pupils of all ages (and their teachers) can also make use of our Nature Boost wellbeing resources
Contact us and share with us:
- Twitter: twitter.com/peakdistrict
- Facebook: facebook.com/peakdistrictnationalpark
- Email us via ambassadorschools@peakdistrict.gov.uk if you need more information.
