Hackney School Green Screens

Continuing our work on Hackney’s Air Quality Action Plan and their Green Screen Programme which began in 2023, we partnered with Hackney Council to deliver another round of green screens across 17 schools as part of the borough’s wider air quality goals. The project introduced over a kilometre of living ivy screens to create healthier, more pleasant outdoor spaces for students alongside bulb planting workshops ran by us. By integrating greenery, natural noise reduction and student engagement, the initiative supports both environmental improvement and student wellbeing.

The main goal of the project was to reduce roadside pollution by introducing natural barriers along school boundaries and create a safer, healthier environment for the school children. Alongside this, the scheme aimed to enhance biodiversity, improve air quality and provide calmer, more welcoming playgrounds. To engage students in their new green spaces and boost the educational element, bulb planting nature workshops were carried out across the schools.

We installed a total of 1,036 metres of green screens across 15 schools, supported by planters that both stabilised the structure and created additional planting areas for children. The work formed part of Hackney Council’s ongoing Green Screens Programme, designed to benefit schools located near busy roads by improving air quality and reducing noise pollution.

Our approach combined practical installations, interactive nature workshops and ongoing maintenance to produce benefits for the environment, school children and surrounding community.  Integrating living greenery into the school infrastructure helped to create natural barriers surrounding the schools and promoted positive social and environmental outcomes.

The project has significantly improved air quality and the surrounding environment for children at the schools with the teachers reporting a heightened sense of calm. As well as pollution reduction, the green screens have enhanced biodiversity and created more enjoyable outdoor spaces. The nature workshops also strengthened students’ connection to nature and fostered a sense of ownership over their green spaces.