Junior Park Rangers

    A free nature club for Primary Schools!

    Is your school looking for a new challenge that can help the environment? Junior Park Rangers (JPR) is a free, inclusive and fun club that you could become a part of!

    JPR is for up to 10 students in Years 4 to 6 from Milton Keynes schools exclusively. Each school must nominate an adult staff member to become a “JPR Coordinator” for your team – we cannot accept registration from individuals, so please ask your school to get in touch with us if you are a parent/carer that is keen for your child to join.

    A Coordinator’s role is very flexible and doesn’t take up much time. We look for a commitment of approximately 2-3 hours a month, and you can run your monthly sessions at lunch or after school. If you are a teacher or teaching assistant, you can find out more about the role of a school coordinator.

    The Parks Trust provides all the resources required to run your club, including some free goodies and a monthly newsletter with links to resources and ideas for your club. We also provide free practical workshops for students to attend. Please note, these weekend workshops are independent so teachers and parents are not required to attend, but you are very welcome to come if you want to!  

    Are you ready to sign up for adventure? Register your interest to become a JPR Coordinator for your school, or contact us for more information at jpr@theparkstrust.com. If you want to talk directly, please call 01908 233600 and ask to speak to a member of the Outdoor Learning Team.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    • How much does the scheme cost?

      Absolutely nothing - signing up to be a Junior Park Ranger (JPR) school is totally free! A big part of our work at The Parks Trust is to encourage people of all ages to get outside and enjoy nature, while protecting our wildlife and lovely parks. This scheme is just one way we use to do that!

    • What is the role of a JPR?

      JPRs are responsible for communicating the work of The Parks Trust, the ideas behind the JPR scheme and general nature-friendly content to the rest of their school. This can be achieved by taking part in four ways recommended by this programme:

      • Reading the monthly nature bulletin (either electronically or as part of an assembly)

      • Setting up and updating a noticeboard to display info about JPR and your group’s achievements

      • Running competitions, quizzes and other activities with your group

      • Getting involved in activities organised through The Parks Trust

    • What benefits do JPRs gain?

      • Access to free resources on our website

      • Invitations to 4 FREE, exclusive weekend workshops as well as other activities with The Parks Trust

      • The chance to win £200 worth of equipment or school sessions for your school for winning our “Outstanding Rangers Award”

      • A JPR-branded hat & activity journal to keep

      • A scrapbook for your school’s JPR group to record all your achievements throughout the year

    • What is the role of a JPR Coordinator?

      The main role of the Coordinator is to facilitate meetings and plan any assemblies where the bulletin could be read out. You are also there to support JPRs by finding them a noticeboard in the school, helping to maintain it and supporting them in their competitions/quizzes etc. These tasks generally equate to 2-3 hours per month.

    • When are the workshops and does the Coordinator need to attend?

      Workshops are run four times a year on a Saturday. All JPRs are invited, but there will not necessarily be space available for everyone to attend. Tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis so it is important to share reminders of these when prompted by the monthly newsletter so that parents/carers can book on in time. JPR parents/carers are responsible for signing up to the workshops once they have received the link from you. We do not contact parents/carers directly until the booking has been made so all information about booking workshops should come from you.

      Adults are not required to attend. Our staff are DBS-checked, First Aid-trained and fully equipped to lead the sessions. The theme of the workshop is different each season and will be hosted in a different park each time to enable the JPRs to explore more of Milton Keynes.

    • When are this year’s workshops?

      This academic year's workshops will take place on the following days:

      • Saturday 11th November 2023 - Floodplain Forest Nature Reserve
      • Saturday 23rd March 2024 - Howe Park Wood
      • Saturday 4th May 2024 - Middleton Wood Meadow
      • Saturday 22nd June 2024 - Elfield Park Nature Reserve

    • What is the Outstanding Rangers Award and how do we apply?

      The Outstanding Rangers Award is a group achievement for your school. Throughout the year, you will collect evidence of the tasks your JPRs have achieved, including drawings, photos and even copies of activities like poems and quizzes you have done!

      You may choose to record your evidence digitally or keep it in a scrapbook form. Whatever your preference, please share it with us by Tuesday 25th June 2024 so we can decide on a winner. We will look over submissions and choose a school to receive £200 worth of Outdoor Learning sessions or nature equipment for your school!

      Please note, it is free to apply for the award, but we do need your evidence in order to count you. We recommend taking photos and keeping track as you go to reduce your end-of-term admin.

    • What are JPR Sharing Events?

      Sharing Events are a chance for our JPR groups from across Milton Keynes to take part in fun activities together with us at The Parks Trust, and will give you a taster of what we get up to at our JPR workshops and Outdoor Learning sessions. The Sharing Events will be a chance for you to have fun, share ideas with other schools and meet other Coordinators.

      Sharing Events for this academic year will take place on:

      • Thursday 4th July at Campbell Park – 12.30pm-2.30pm or

      • Friday 5th July at Howe Park Wood – 9.30am-11.30am

      Please note you only need to book onto one of these sessions as they will be repeated over the 2 days. Details and reminders will be sent nearer the time but we hope you will be able to come along!

    • "It gave them a sense of responsibility and wanting to ‘make a difference’ in MK”

      JPR coordinator in MK Primary

    • “It boosted the children's confidence by speaking/reading bulletins in assembly and running competitions and quizzes”

      JPR coordinator in MK Primary

    • “It spreads enthusiasm across our school"

      JPR coordinator in MK Primary

    • “ JPR enriched and increased the children's environmental and wildlife knowledge through interactive Saturday workshops”

      JPR coordinator in MK Primary

    • “ …involvement with National and local environmental projects has developed a sense of belonging and contribution to important wildlife discussions”

      JPR coordinator in MK Primary