Evaluation of the Children and Nature Programme for Defra

About

Defra Network eTendering Portal awarded a contract to NatCen for the evaluation of the Children and Nature Programme, encompassing the Nature Friendly Schools, Growing Care Farming, and Community Forest and Woodland Outreach projects.

The evaluation assessed whether each project's aims were achieved, the extent to which interventions caused impacts or changes, and what works for whom, in what circumstances, and why.

Each project underwent a process evaluation, with the Growing Care Farming and Community Forest and Woodland Outreach projects focusing on implementation, while the Nature Friendly Schools project included a robust quantitative impact assessment of outcomes for pupils and schools.

The contract, valued at AUD 48,236, aimed to provide high-quality evidence and learning to inform future policy and practice, with findings reported for each project and an overarching programme evaluation synthesizing learning across all three.