News
Calling all green-fingered pupils Does your child know their Acanthus from their Agapanthus? Could they be the next Alan Titchmarsh or Bunny Guinness? If so, the RHS would like to hear from them. Its Young School Gardener of the Year Award, which was launched last year, rewards horticultural potential in pupils across four age cat- egories: 5–7, 7–11, 11–14 and 14–16. Initially, 16 applicants (four from each category) will be chosen to receive a digital camera, enabling them to make a short film demonstrating their gardening skills at school. Having watched these, the judges will whittle the shortlist down to a winner from each age group, who will each be given gardening tools and Nat- ional Garden Gift vouchers worth £500 for their schools. One overall winner will also be invited to spend a day working with staff at an RHS garden in early September and will receive family tickets to either the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show or the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show in 2014. Last year’s winner, 11-year-old Lucas Hatch from Woodbridge in Suffolk, impressed
the judges by demonstrating the ability to design beds as well as sow, prick out and nurture a wide range of fruits, vegetables and flowers. He has become involved with plant trials with Thompson & Morgan, and has visited designer Xa Tollemache. Entrants should visit
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/schoolgardening/teachershome/news/
youngschoolgardeneroftheyear2012.aspa, fill out the application form and return it by 5pm on Friday, May 18.
School reports
All the latest news from staff and pupils at schools around the country, collated by Emma Hughes
Go back to school
Parents with a hankering to relive their teenage years may wish to consider enrolling on one of the Bedales Summer School courses for adults (01730 300100;
www.bedalessummerschool.
org.uk). Participants will learn the ins and outs of contemporary songwriting, landscape painting and yoga, among other things, and will enjoy barbeques, open-air performances of Shakespeare and wine tastings in the evenings. Five days at the Summer School will
cost £599, with lunch and supper pro- vided, and Bedales is able to organise accommodation locally.
So Wired for Work prepares school leavers to deal with the challenges of going to work
Work skills for school leavers They may have qualifications coming out of their ears, but school leavers still have a long way to go before they’re ready for the office —in August last year, a poll revealed that eight out of 10 firms believe 18 year olds simply aren’t equipped to deal with the challenges of a work environment. In a bid to address this issue, Hampshire-based Nigel Barton and his wife, Kate (co-creator of Mini Boden) have launched So Wired for Work (01730 827098;
www.sowiredforwork.com), a 10-
58 School Life, Spring 2013
week summer course for those who’ve finished their A levels or equivalent exams. Aimed at teenagers who aren’t sure that
university is for them, So Wired for Work begins with a five-day residential module at Priors Dean, near Petersfield, Hampshire, where attendees will work with communica- tions consultants, careers advisors and successful entrepreneurs to develop a per- sonal action plan aimed at kick-starting their career. They’ll then be assigned a Tracker, who will mentor them during the next nine
weeks through a combination of face-to- face meetings, emails, phonecalls and Skype chats. ‘If young people are motivated and have energy, we want to hear from them,’ says Mr Barton. ‘Whether you want to be a farmer or a banker, there are common elements that are relevant.’ So Wired for Work will have a maximum
of 20 attendees in the 2013 intake and costs £1,950, including board and lodging for the residential module. To apply for a place, email
info@sowiredforwork.com
www.countrylife.co.uk
Parents compare the market Comparison websites are many people’s first stop when they’re choosing insurance, a mortgage or a holiday—now, parents can take advantage of similar technology when they’re trying to work out which school to send their child to. The Good Schools Guide’s new online Find a School, Save and Compare search engine (www.goodschoolsguide.
co.uk) enables subscribers to browse entries for every school in the UK, select the ones that look promising and then see how they measure up against each other on criteria including percentage of pupils studying a foreign language, latest exam results and ratio of boarders to day pupils. Results are displayed on a map or in list form and users can create separate short- lists for each child or region they’re considering moving to.
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