I was lucky enough to be brought up in the geographical haven that is North Wales, and spent most of my youth walking in the Carneddau, canoeing around the coastline of the Llŷn Peninsula and mountain biking in the Gwydyr Forest. After my subsequent travels around the world, I maintain that North Wales is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to, and while many children perhaps don’t fully appreciate where they live, I certainly did. Even when other social distractions surfaced around A-Level time (Llandudno’s Broadway Boulevard), I still spent as much time as possible out and about.

With the weather growing warmer and summer most definitely imminent, students everywhere are starting to gaze out of windows and wish they were somewhere other than a hot, stuffy classroom. And when you think about it, they might have a good point. Taking learning outside the classroom can carry some very significant benefits...

More and more schools across the country are striving to encourage innovation and creativity in the classroom – rethinking how they structure their classrooms, how they teach, and how they engage children in educational activities. Innovation and experimentation is thought to be one of the key factors in determining how kids develop and learn, encouraging creativity, logical thinking, teamwork, and laying down the groundwork for understanding the world from both an arts and science perspective. So just how can innovation make such a big impact, and how can schools plan activities to ensure kids are able to effectively hone their ability to innovate while also learning and having fun?

How do you tackle the issue of littering in your school, as well as encouraging kids to be mindful of this issue after they leave? Alex West of The Wrigley Company gives her top tips.

When it comes to the issue of litter, prevention is very much the cure. Encouraging those who currently dispose of their waste irresponsibly to change their behaviour, and not only take pride in their local community but also acknowledge their own personal role in keeping the area clean, tidy and litter-free, is the only real sustainable solution to this problem.