England’s Private Schools Provide 41% Greater Tree Shade Than State Counterparts, Study Shows

A new study has found that private school grounds in England contain 41% more tree cover than state schools, providing greater cooling and shade during periods of extreme heat.

As teachers and pupils break for summer following weeks of high temperatures—with some classrooms hitting 40C—an analysis of school tree cover across England exposes a sharp socioeconomic divide.

Researchers mapped every primary and secondary school in England and cross-referenced the locations with government woodland and trees-outside-woodland datasets to calculate total tree cover within a 100-metre radius of each school. Local authority areas were also examined.

Private schools recorded the highest levels of tree cover. Among state mainstream schools, those with the greatest proportion of free school meal eligibility—a marker of deprivation—had 29% less tree cover than the least deprived schools. Median tree cover stood at 11.7% for high free-school-meal schools, against 16.3% in more affluent areas.

A previous Guardian investigation found that pupils at England’s leading private schools enjoy ten times more green space than state school students.

During extreme heat, trees lower ambient temperatures through shade and transpiration, reducing surface temperatures by as much as 12C to 18C compared with bare asphalt or concrete.

Lewis Winks, the environmental social scientist who led the research, said: “Trees in and around school grounds offer vital shade during heatwaves like the one we’ve just experienced, while also benefiting wellbeing, improving air quality, enhancing biodiversity and enriching outdoor learning opportunities.

“It is unacceptable that these benefits are so unevenly distributed, with the most advantaged children more likely to attend schools with greener, better-shaded surroundings.”

The Guardian has reported how teachers struggled to keep children cool this summer, with some primary pupils lying on floors wrapped in wet paper towels and older students given trays of water to rest their feet in.

Western Europe has just recorded its hottest June on record as the climate crisis, driven by fossil fuel use, intensifies. The UK saw its third heatwave of the year in early July, with temperatures reaching 35C.

The tree cover gap was visible in rural areas too. Rural schools had 23% more tree cover than urban schools, yet those with higher free school meal rates still tended to have less.

Devon schools show a median tree cover of 15%, rising to 27% in affluent rural zones. In Plymouth, the county’s largest city, median cover falls as low as 4%.

A secondary teacher in Plymouth said several mature trees at his school were felled last winter. “Trees at schools are seen as problematic and not beneficial. That is clearly shortsighted. You can be under a mature tree on our site and the temperature there is 5-10 degrees cooler. Teaching and learning over the last few weeks has been very difficult for everyone.

“There seems to be an illogical attitude towards tree coverage and the cooling it offers in schools.”

The study identified Blackpool, Bradford and Luton—among England’s most deprived areas—as having the least tree cover. Affluent Wokingham, Richmond and Hampshire had the most. Blackpool’s median school tree cover is 4.9%, Luton’s 7.7%, and Richmond upon Thames’ 20%.

Andy Egan, head of conservation policy at the Woodland Trust, which has donated over 7.5m free trees to UK schools, urged the government to tackle unequal tree access. “We want to see 20% of the government’s planned tree planting taking place in towns and cities with the lowest tree cover, as part of its England Tree Action Plan,” he said.

The Woodland Trust noted city streets can be up to 12C warmer than surrounding countryside, and England has among the lowest tree-canopy cover in Europe.

Winks said: “As periods of extreme heat become more frequent and intense, we should prioritise tree planting in and around the schools that need it most. Trees near schools aren’t something quaint, they are increasingly vital for keeping our children safe and well in a changing climate.”

A Plymouth city council spokesperson said: “Through the Plymouth and South Devon Community Forest, a Plymouth city council-led partnership, more than 70,000 trees have been planted across the city since 2021. Of that number, around 12% have been across 22 schools and nurseries in Plymouth, with a range of planting including micro-forests, standard trees, fruit trees and hedgerows.

“When prioritising projects, we also consider wider environmental and social benefits, including opportunities to improve flood resilience and surface water management, engage local communities and under-represented groups, and increase access to nature,” the spokesperson added.

A spokesperson for the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs said: “We are funding a range of initiatives to increase tree cover in our towns and cities, including providing £1m to the Trees Outside Woodland Fund for 2025-26 and working with over 80 local authorities to embed green infrastructure.

“We are also investing in a collaboration with the Tree Council to provide grants for tree planting to bring trees closer to where people live and continue to explore new and innovative ways to support urban tree planting, including areas of deprivation.”

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