Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he collects statistics on the number of trees (a) planted and (b) removed each year on land owned by schools in England.

The Department does not currently collect data on the number of trees planted and felled on school grounds.

The Department is committed to launching a new National Education Nature Park which will help education providers improve their biodiversity, engage children and young people in nature and improve their scientific and digital skills. Through the Park’s digital services, delivered by partnering with a prestigious provider, there will be the opportunity to engage in biodiversity mapping, including the mapping of trees on site, alongside wider biodiversity data. This will enable the Department to centrally collate data that will show how the biodiversity on the education estate is improving. The Department expects to announce the key providers we will be working with and the roll out strategy in the near future.

Furthermore, by 2025 we will aim to introduce a natural history GCSE, giving young people a further opportunity to engage with and develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of the natural world, including the importance of species of trees in ecosystems.