Home Wildlife Education Free School Talks

Free School Talks

Many organisations are realising that children and young people are an untapped resource to advocate for change in habitat loss and biodiversity. Our free sessions are designed to help your students develop the skills and knowledge to become effective advocates for wildlife.

Children at workshop, education
Jo Mieszkowski

Booking the perfect workshops or talk for your group:

  1. We offer free workshops and talks for primary key stages one and two.
  2. You can now book a session 5 days a week Monday – Friday.
  3. You can book a digital or virtual session, dependent on your location in the UK.
  4. Our in-person sessions cover most of the UK, and virtual sessions can be delivered in English to any country in the world.
  5. We are happy to support whole school assemblies, and more informal settings such as libraries or home settings.
  6. We can work with you to tailor something that is appropriate for your group of young people, or you can choose from our range of talks and longer workshops.

Find further information on what’s included in sessions below.

Most importantly, our talks are FREE but a donation to the foundation will always be gratefully received and will go towards the protection of endangered species.

We also welcome you to purchase one of our adoption packs for your class, so you can receive regular updates about your chosen species and receive your very own class mascot.

Image credit Jo Mieszkowski

Register your details

Free School Talk

Contact / Educator’s details

Interested in booking a free conservation talk or workshop with DSWF?

Register your details here and we will be contact with the best options to suit your needs.

In Person talks will depend on availability and geography, but where these are not possible, we will always offer a virtual alternative instead.

What’s included with free school talks and workshops?

  • Each talk still contains lots of information about the species we support and will cover aspects of the science, geography and PSHE curriculum depending on what you opt for.
  • Your children will meet a cast of real people that are working in wildlife conservation across Africa and Asia and stories about the animals we protect.
  • Our talks articulate the lived experience of the people around national parks in Africa and Asia. What is it like to have a tiger or an elephant in your back garden?
  • We have now embedded aspects of dialogic pedagogy in our talks to help the children practice speaking and listening in group settings.

FAQ’s

Who can book an online visit?

We can provide talks to any English-speaking school across the world online, but please do check any time differences from where you are to the UK.

What will happen during the virtual visit?

One if the education team will introduce him or herself and will then share a PowerPoint presentation that she will talk through for 15 – 25 minutes depending on the age of the children and the talk selected.

At the end there will be an opportunity for the students to ask questions; please could the school organise who will be responsible for choosing who is asking questions.

What will the school need to run the virtual wildlife talk?
  • After emailing the Education Manager and agreeing a date and time for the session, the school is asked to set up a meeting using the school’s preferred virtual meeting platform (Microsoft TeamsSkype or Zoom) and invite DSWF to join the meeting using the email address given.
  • DSWF will then share their screen so that they can show the students the PowerPoint presentation.
  • Sound: please make sure that any speakers are loud enough so that the students can hear the talk, and that the microphone you are using will enable our Education Manager to hear the students. Please note that in a large room such as an assembly hall, the sound will need to be louder than in a classroom.
  • A webcam is helpful but not necessary so that our Education Manager can see the students while speaking.
  • It is best to connect your computer to a large screen or projector so that the students can see our Education Manager.
  • It would be great if you can make sure that all of this is set up in advance of the session.

Please note: sessions should not be recorded without prior permission from DSWF

Looking for something more bespoke?

Contact our education team today, and we will tailor the perfect wildlife conservation experience for you.

Feedback from children

“We had fun making the animal habitats… when I grow up, I want to work at an animal charity and help animals.”

David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

“I really enjoyed your talk about the endangered animals and I never knew that there were not many tigers left.”

Last year we delivered to over 9,000 children and young people in the UK with the support of our global conservation partners.

Our aim is to help create conservation advocates for the future, to ensure the long-term survival of the world’s most endangered species. Before this can happen, we believe young people need to learn the knowledge and skills required to be able to do this, including confidence, vocabulary, oracy and literacy.

Global Canvas Entrant 2024 – Long Nguyen
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Key Stage Talks & Workshops

DSWF offers a tailored programme of conservation and animal art-based talks and workshops for primary schools. These workshops and talks have been shaped around key curriculum components within science, geography, and citizenship.

David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Curriculum Links

The purpose of the DSWF education programme is to support children and young people to become effective advocates for wildlife conservation and biodiversity’. Find out how we strive to accomplish this goal.

David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Education Hub

Access a selection of information, resources, activities designed to support both Educators and Students to better understand biodiversity and conservation.