A massive British study that found most school grounds have "no identity, no sense of place and designs that take no account of children's needs'' forms the basis of an ambitious new project to revolutionise Bermuda's schoolyards.

Under the School Grounds Initiative, Bermuda's school grounds are to be transformed, with flourishing gardens and attractive landscapes.

What makes this plan even more special is that students themselves will be actively involved in the design and maintenance of their own grounds.

The UK survey found the design, care and management of school grounds has an important impact, not only on children's attitudes to the environment, but also on their general behaviour and academic performance.

The survey was remarkable in that it is one of the few examples of research where children have been consulted directly as consumers about matters that concern and involve them.

The idea of Bermuda's School Grounds Initiative actually began some years ago, with plans for establishing small gardens or miniature nature trails on some school premises.

A few schools have already embarked on such projects, notably St. David's Primary, where a pond is being built, and East End Primary, where a vegetable and butterfly garden is being created.

Says principal, Mrs. Kathy Bassett, "We believe this is a very good idea. We have already been involved in improving our grounds here and we are in process of increasing the play and recreational areas.'' Like all good ideas, says Mrs. Mary Winchell, Education Department resource teacher and education co-ordinator of BAMZ (Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo), the original plan seems to have now acquired a life of its own and become a major project embracing all primary and secondary schools.

"The 25th anniversary of Earth Day seemed like a perfect time to launch a plan that has important long-term ramifications -- both from an environmental, educational and social standpoint,'' she explains. "We believe that this scheme will develop a sense of community responsibility and ownership.'' At a time when violence and vandalism seems to have become the norm in too many of Bermuda's schools, the idea is gaining strong support from education and environmental experts as a refreshingly practical approach to improving young peoples' attitudes.

A recent survey of development needs by Bermuda's teachers identified disruptive behavioural management as the second most important priority with the improvement of classroom and general school climate as the third and fourth priorities in a list of 56 possible areas.

Judging from results in Britain, the School Grounds project, says Mrs.

Winchell, will go a long way in improving the overall climate of our schools and modifying behaviour.

The projected scheme will initially be based on the highly successful British charitable trust, Learning Through Landscape.

Last summer, the trust's development officer, Ms Siobhan Hayward, was on holiday in Bermuda.

"We were very interested to hear her explain how this scheme has evolved in Britain, and now, Europe. The Zoological Society has invited her back to run a week's series of workshops in June,'' says Mrs. Winchell.

In the meantime, Mrs. Winchell has brought together and made presentations to some of the people who will be key players in the project, such as the Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries and Parks (presently responsible for school grounds upkeep), senior education officers, landscape architects, school governors, teachers and PTA groups.

"Everyone is very enthusiastic,'' says Mrs. Winchell, "so we are now busy fund-raising and trying to find a sponsor who would bring Ms Hayward back for a three-month period in September to set the whole thing up.'' Noting that Bermuda's climate is especially well suited to the scheme in that a huge variety of trees and plants grow rapidly here and that outdoor classrooms could be used for the greater part of the year, she says, "We also have the support of the National Trust, the Botanical Society, Mr. David Wingate and other individuals connected with conservation groups. Bill Cooke (Parks Department) is very `pro' the idea and is being a great help to us,'' she adds. "Of course, it is absolutely vital that parents and PTA groups get involved in the project.'' Emphasising that it is not the intention for any of the involved organisations to actually build gardens, Mrs. Winchell says, "We want the schools to do it themselves! The whole point is to get the children actively involved so that they feel it really belongs to them. But we do need the support and help of people who could, for instance, lend a digger or a payloader, or even gardenings tools, or perhaps there's a parent out there who could help with architectural plans! People who are willing to contribute time as just as important as money.'' Learning Through Landscape (LTL), which undertook its groundbreaking two-year research study in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, has worked with authorities throughout the UK, bringing more than 5,000 rural and inner-city schools into the scheme.

An LTL promotional video, which opens with the observation that school grounds are "a staggeringly under-used resource,'' illustrates the way in which spectacular improvements can be made without necessarily spending a lot of money: drab asphalt playgrounds have been transformed by the planting of grass, trees and bushes, the building of small ponds, the introduction of wildlife (such as butterfly gardens, tadpoles and fish) and climbing equipment; in rural schools, wild garden areas have been established, with hide-aways and little nooks that offer children a sense of privacy.

Besides developing a healthy interest in the physical creation of a garden or play area, the project doesn't end there. Increasingly, teachers are utilising these areas as outside learning areas for hands-on learning, not only in the more obvious fields of science and nature observation, but also in mathematics, geography, technology -- and what better way to expound the beauty of a poem than "under the greenwood tree'' itself? The video reveals that the scheme virtually knows no limits: one school has built a small amphitheatre where students can stage plays and concerts, while another rural English school has re-created an iron-age settlement in its grounds.