The Windermere Catchment Pilot Programme

Inspiring Young Guardians of Windermere

Keeping Windermere special starts with the next generation. In the Autumn term of 2025, the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) Learning Team introduced a new pilot programme of learning activities to the Year 5 and 6 classes at Goodly Dale School in Windermere, bringing the lake’s catchment, water quality, and biodiversity to life through hands-on learning and local site visits. This pilot was funded by United Utilities. The programme is supported by the Love Windermere Partnership and features as a key action within the Love Windermere Partnership Plan. It explored a broad range of curriculum‑linked topics to deepen young people’s understanding of Windermere, its catchment, and the actions needed to protect its long‑term health.

The programme explored a broad range of topics to deepen the children’s understanding of water movement in the Windermere catchment, the impact of human activity on the lake, the surrounding natural environment, the local water treatment works, and the complex relationships among human activity, land use, and the environment. The learning team, based at Brockhole on Windermere, designed bespoke hands-on learning activities and engaging excursions outside of the classroom.

What the pupils explored

Over five half-day sessions across five weeks, Year 5 and 6 pupils investigated the Windermere catchment and water cycle, how dirty water is processed, how residents, visitors and businesses impact the lake and what sustainable water management looks like in homes, schools and new housing developments. They also discovered the range of careers involved with the water sector. The programme blended classroom activities with real-world learning, including a visit to Windermere Wastewater Treatment Works and explored their local beck with the United Utilities River Rangers.

Keeping Windermere special – through role play and discovery

In session 3 – ‘Keeping Windermere Special’, the children stepped into the roles of tourists, residents, food outlets, hoteliers, lake businesses, and farmers, while the learning team took on the roles of the lake and water companies. Together, they explored how everyday actions of various groups ripple through the catchment and can impact the water system and environment. High-energy activities, from Lego builds and a “Guess the Animal” challenge to sending plastic balls down drainpipes, kept the learning playful while making complex systems feel tangible.

Learning that sticks

Amidst the playful tasks, the learning objectives were to develop the children’s knowledge of nutrient inputs, water quality, biodiversity and how various groups can influence them.

With the help of a fabric illustration of the lake, originally created through the ‘Windermere Reflections’ project, the team helped the children appreciate and understand the value of the lake itself in terms of recreation, wildlife, biodiversity, and water supply, and identified opportunities for positive action in their own lives.

What’s next

Following the successful pilot and incorporating feedback from staff and children, the LDNPA team is refining the resources and will invite other primary schools within the catchment to participate later this term.