case sTudy
“We Turned Our School Yard Into an Allotmnet!”
What They Achieved grounds more attractive in the process.” take part in a challenge centred around
Thanks to the hard work of the pupils The project also linked into the food, waste or growing and St. Mark’s
and members of the local community, curriculum in a number of areas, with was picked as the winning school from
the school grounds were transformed pupils investigating different habitats, thousands of entrants.
into a thriving garden that produced learning about honey bees, making their Headteacher Glen Robinson said:
a vast range of different fruits and own scarecrows, creating a blog to chart “Winning the awards has been extremely
vegetables including carrots, beetroot, their progress, publishing an Eco-Schools esteem-building for the school. We’re
celery, runner beans, strawberries, pears newsletter and developing a plan to a small school in a highly deprived area
and rhubarb. create community allotments behind the and it’s been fantastic for a national
Karen Long explained: “We created school. organisation to recognise what we’ve
ten raised beds altogether, and built a “We’ve tried to make the initiative done.”
pond to try and encourage wildlife in the sustainable and link it to the curriculum
school grounds. The children grew wild wherever possible,” said Karen. “At Lasting Impact
flowers to attract bees to pollinate the the moment, Year 3 are learning about The prize has meant that the project has
plants and we bought hanging baskets health and healthy eating, Year 2 are had a lasting impact on the school as
to grow plants in from seed. We’ve also studying mini-beasts and Year 5 are well as on St. Mark’s ‘Eco-Warriors’ and
got a small house that we call ‘the igloo’ studying World War 2, all of which have all the pupils involved in the gardening
made entirely out of willow, and a ‘bug links to the growing of produce.” project.
hotel’ near the pond that’s made of wire “The pupils have really benefitted
meshing and dried leaves and should at- Challenges from taking responsibility for the
SUST
tract a range of bugs and insects.” “We faced our biggest challenge right garden and nurturing the plants over an
at the beginning,” said Karen. “We extended period of time,” said Karen.
Sustainable Schools
AINABLE SCHOOLS
wanted to go for our Green Flag award “Some of the pupils that usually struggle
St. Mark’s gardening project has had but the information all seemed quite in the school environment have really
an impact on the whole school and daunting and impossible to achieve. enjoyed the project and one of the boys
helped it to become more sustainable Then, I started asking for help from has turned out to be a natural gardener!”
in a number of ways. Over the past year various individuals and organisations The school is now looking forwards
the students measured water use, set and the project just took off. There are to turning its disused school field into
up their own composting system and a lot of people out there who are willing a series of allotments that can be used
even served some of the produce that and able to help – you just have to be by pupils and members of the local
they had grown themselves in the school prepared to ask.” community too.
canteen! “Gardening is now firmly embedded
Headteacher Glen Robinson com- Success in the life of the school,” said Karen,
mented: “We haven’t created an St Mark’s school was recognised for its “and we’re really looking forward to
enormous market garden but our garden inspirational gardening project when it extending our gardening activities with
does go some way towards helping won the Appetite for Action Competition the new allotments. The pupils will be
the school become more sustainable. in 2009, securing £3,000 for the school able to use the land during the school
We’ve used some of the fruit and veg and a visit from the Sky News team for day, the community will have access to
that we’ve grown in the school kitchen, the day. it outside of school hours and together
we’ve involved the local community in The Appetite for Action challenge they will be able to grow a range of fresh
the project and we’ve made the school invited all primary schools in the UK to produce all year round.”
School Management Today • 55
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76