New OutSeed outdoor classroom at St Albert's Catholic Primary School in Knowsley uses live environmental data to inspire the next generation of climate champions
The Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team celebrated the opening of the UK's first Outseed Learning Pod at St Albert's Catholic Primary School in Knowsley, Merseyside last week. The Pod provides a dedicated outdoor learning space that brings together climate education, biodiversity and live environmental data.
Emirates GBR has worked with OutSeed, the 1851 Trust and sponsor Low Carbon to deliver this first Pod. St Albert’s was selected from more than 240 schools and education centres that entered the nationwide competition earlier this year.
For Emirates GBR, 2025 Season Champions and back-to-back winners of SailGP's Impact League, the Pod represents the team's commitment to translating success on the water into tangible impact in UK communities.
The Pod will become part of everyday learning at St Albert's, giving pupils a unique space to collaborate, connect with nature and explore environmental topics. Teachers will be able to build the Pod, and the data it collects, into lessons and wider school activities, using free STEM education resources from the 1851 Trust.
Featuring a living wall, biodiversity and environmental sensors and a live data dashboard, the Pod allows pupils to explore local air quality, temperature, irradiance and pollinator activity. By turning real-time environmental data into hands-on learning, it aims to inspire the next generation to understand changes in their own environment and the role they can play in protecting it.
The project builds on the long-standing partnership between Emirates GBR, the 1851 Trust and Low Carbon to empower young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence to contribute to climate action – including through the 1851 Trust's STEM Crew programme, which connect classrooms to the science behind high-performance sailing.
Sir Ben Ainslie, Founder of the 1851 Trust and CEO and co-owner of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, said:
"When young people are given the chance to engage with science and the environment in a hands-on way, they get curious and start to see a role for themselves in it. The Outseed Pod brings that to life at St Albert's, giving pupils in Knowsley a space to make sense of their own environment and the part they can play in protecting it. We are delighted to see the Pod in action, proud that resources from the 1851 Trust are being put to use, and pleased that the solar panels which once powered our team base have found a second life here."
Roy Bedlow, Founder and Chief Executive of Low Carbon and Trustee of the 1851 Trust, said:
“At Low Carbon, we believe that inspiring and educating the next generation is essential if we are to build a sustainable future and make a meaningful contribution to tackling climate change. The Outseed Pod is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when different organisations come together with a shared purpose.
“We are delighted to see the Pod open and being enjoyed by the pupils at St Albert's Catholic Primary School, helping to create memorable learning experiences that empower young people to become climate champions.”
Rhianon Riddick, Deputy Headteacher at St Albert’s Catholic Primary School, said:
“We are incredibly proud to be the home of the UK’s first OutSeed Learning Pod.
“At St Albert’s, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do, so having an outdoor learning environment that allows children to explore, question, collaborate and engage with the natural world in different ways is incredibly valuable
“We are enormously grateful to OutSeed, Low Carbon, the 1851 Trust and Emirates GBR SailGP Team for choosing St Albert’s and for the time, enthusiasm and care everyone involved has invested in bringing this project to life.”