Ocean-Friendly Schools Award

What is the Ocean-Friendly Schools Award?

Bring your whole school together for a fun, hands‑on day of ocean discovery

The Ocean-Friendly Schools Award helps pupils explore the wonders of the sea, learn about the issues it's facing, and get inspired to protect it from their classroom.

Led by our experienced Learning Officer, your pupils will take part in a whole-school assembly followed by a series of interactive, curriculum‑linked activities for a class or year group. From investigating how the ocean affects our daily lives to creating a campaign to create positive change, every session is designed to be engaging, accessible, and relevant.

By completing the activities throughout the day, your school will be well on their way to achieving their Ocean‑Friendly Schools Award, recognising your pupils' commitment to caring for our blue planet.

A young girl sitting on a beach with her hand up

A school pupil sitting on a beach with her hand up | Image credit: Billy Barraclough

What's included?

A whole school assembly and series of workshops throughout the day for a class or year group
Dedicated support from the Marine Conservation Society's learning team
A printed award handbook with a checklist of activities to complete and two A3 posters
A suite of free, downloadable resources
An engraved bamboo award to display with pride

Registrations for the Ocean-Friendly Schools Award are now closed for this academic year. To book an online live lesson with us, please use our enquiry form and the team will be in touch!

A group of school children in a classroom taking part in the Natur Am Byth project by looking at objects in a white tray

A group of school children in a classroom looking at marine objects in a classroom | Image credit: Alison Palmer Hargraves

How it works

1. Choose your ocean action area

Pick one of two important conservation topics to focus on. Both topics include a pathway of activities to complete throughout the day. We also provide optional extra tasks for a deeper dive.

Clean up our seas

From marine litter and chemicals to tiny microplastics, explore the impact of pollution on our ocean and the marine life that call it home.

Fight climate change

Discover the connection between the ocean and climate change and how taking small steps can make a big difference to our blue planet.

A group of school children | Image credit: Lorna Donaghy

2. Book your visit

Use our simple booking form to select a date for your full-day visit with our team.

We'll start the day with a whole-school assembly, and then a year group, class or eco group will complete a series of activities throughout the day to complete the first three steps detailed below.

Please note: in-person visits are currently only available in the south of England

A classroom of children sitting on the floor looking at a screen, some have their hands up

A classroom taking part in the Ocean-Friendly Schools award | Image credit: Park School, Bournemouth

3. Complete four key steps

Now that you've learned about your chosen issue and gathered important data, it’s time to start making a difference.

Using the data you collected in Step 2, your pupils will design a creative campaign or project that helps improve the problem.

You could create posters to promote Deposit Return Schemes, design a campaign for reusable bottles, or write to your local government representative - it's up to you! We'll provide detailed planners on the day to help your team decide how to take action.

4. Achieving your award

After your one-day workshop has finished and you’ve shared what you’ve learned with your community, you’ll need to submit evidence using our online form up to four weeks after our visit. This can be images, videos, documents, PDFs - anything that best showcases your pupils’ work.

Once the team have reviewed your evidence, you’ll officially become an Ocean‑Friendly School! You’ll then receive an engraved bamboo award to display with pride.

A class having their picture taken near Scarborough beach | Image credit: John Westgarth

FAQs

The award is open to schools across the UK, whether you're based inland or by the sea. The content is aimed at primary learners but can be easily adapted for a secondary audience. Unfortunately, we currently cannot accept home educated groups.

We've designed the award to be run by a year group, class, school council or eco team. After the whole-school assembly, your group will lead the work on the award and complete the activities required. They'll then share what they've learned with the whole school or local community and inspire them to be more ocean friendly!

Booking your full-day visit using our booking form
Submitting a teacher pre- and post-award survey
Working with your Ocean-Friendly Schools Champion to complete each of the four required steps
Submitting evidence of how you've shared your learning with your school or local community – remember to take lots of photos!
Communicating with your Champion if you need support or your circumstances change

Submitting your Step 4 evidence is simple. Our online form has been set up to guide you with space to add a detailed description of your activities as well as supporting images, videos or documents.

Once we’ve received your evidence, your dedicated Ocean-Friendly Schools Champion will review it. If you're having any issues submitting your evidence through the form, please get in touch so we can help.

2 pages of a lined school notebook filled with notes about plastic pollution and drawings of marine animals

Plastic pollution research by pupils at Thomas's Clapham

Image credit: Anna Stringer

Real-life stories

Last year, a record-breaking 27 schools achieved their award. Check out two of their stories below!

Leverhulme Memorial Primary School, Isle of Harris

In 2025, our first Gaelic medium school and the first in the Western Isles, Leverhulme Memorial School/Sgoil an t-Òib on the Isle of Harris, achieved their award.

This fantastic group ran experiments on microfibres, a clothes swap event, and even invited their local government representative into school for their Big Blue Day!

Some students and 2 adults standing in front of an outside wall with an image of a waste funnel

Pupils with Alasdair Allan MSP at Leverhulme Memorial Primary School/Sgoil an t-Òib on the Isle of Harris | Image credit: Mairi Macleod

The brilliant thing was that it empowered the children to become agents of change. They now know that they can change not only their own habits, but drive change in the community and perhaps even the country!
Mairi Macleod, lead teacher at Leverhulme Memorial Primary School

Thomas’s Clapham, London

The brilliant team at Thomas’s Clapham in London have achieved their award for the second year running, with over 240 pupils getting involved in the past two years.

From site visits, guest speakers and speech writing to an environmental march at school, we can't wait to see what these impressive young people will do next!

4 school children standing in front of a classroom. There is a presentation named "Stop Ocean Pollution" on the whiteboard

Plastic pollution presentation by pupils at Thomas's Clapham | Image credit: Anna Stringer

Our pupils wrote letters to supermarkets about plastic pollution, held debates on environmental issues, took part in environmental protests and presented their own sustainable solutions, all around the theme of saving our ocean. Taking part in this award has supported our journey to becoming an environmentally led school.
Anna Stringer, lead teacher at Thomas’s Clapham

Get in touch

Have any questions or want to find out more?

Reach out to the team at education@mcsuk.org and we'll be happy to help.

Check out our teaching resources

A child wearing a red dinosaur patterned outfit and blue wellies is holding a litter picker and posing for the camera

Ages 5-7

Teach key ocean topics to your class or group with ocean-themed resources for ages 5-7, or those in Key Stage 1, Progression Steps 1-2 and P1-P3 in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)

Ages 7-11

Teach key ocean topics to your class or group with our downloadable resources for ages 7-11 or those in Key Stage 2, Progression Steps 2-3 and P4-P7 in the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence (CfE)

Activities

If you're looking for ocean-themed fun for the kids, then you're in the right place! Here you'll find games, activities and fun for all the family.