Magazine calls for all schools to have pond to teach kids about nature

Every school should have a pond and bird box to help children appreciate nature, Country Life magazine has declared.

The publication's editor Mark Hedges said that to get pupils interested in the environment, they needed to witness nature first-hand.

He believes having a pond and a 'swift brick' bird box – a small box specifically built for nesting swifts – will turn the 'heads and hearts' of children alongside the launch of a natural history GCSE.

The qualification was introduced by the previous Tory government and aims to increase understanding of the climate and natural world.

This Government will publish a report on the proposed subject content this autumn.