SCHOOLS in the South West are being given the opportunity to explore the oceans with new interactive assemblies.

The Community Seagrass Initiative is visiting schools across the region to deliver fun sessions about marine ecosystems and the conservation of underwater wildlife, with the help of a £475,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Over the course of the project, representatives will visit a total of 19,000 pupils in the area to raise awareness of the importance of seagrass as a habitat for the likes of seahorses and cuttlefish.

It is one of the world's only marine flowering plants and forms meadows in shallow waters, providing valuable food and shelter for dozens of underwater species.

Project manager Mark Parry said: "The CSI schools outreach programme is providing opportunities for all age groups to discover the importance of seagrass around the South West.

"The project delivery team is currently visiting schools from Weymouth through to Looe in Cornwall, providing interactive and fun ways of learning.

"The sessions are a great way for teachers and pupils to find out how they can get involved in marine science themselves."

As well as the free assemblies, schools have the opportunity to link up with the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth via Google Hangouts, embracing technology to bring the interactivity into the classroom.

Mr Parry added: "We’ve got a busy two years ahead of us, and we’re really enjoying being out and about and visiting lots of school across the region.

"To reach more schools throughout the catchment of the project the CSI project has adopted video conference lessons using Google Hangouts.

"This is a readily and easily available free online resource that allows schools to explore seagrass habitats as well as rare parts of the National Marine Aquarium."

The initiative is being spearheaded by the National Marine Aquarium, in partnership with other conservation organisations including Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park.

Alongside their outreach work in schools, campaigners are urging people to help collect data that will assist in the study and conservation of seagrass meadows across the UK coast.

To get involved with the Community Seagrass Initiative, visit csi-seagrass.com.