Success story
We work together to make our
Pupils take part in a planting session at Dairsie Primary School, Fife
members of the community and share their love of plants: brighten up a care home with bunches of sunflowers or help a vulnerable person grow their own vegetables by organising a seedling drop.
Resources l The RHS Campaign for School
Gardening has a huge range of resources including information sheets, activity ideas, how-to guides and lesson plans. Schools can also enter its School Gardening Awards.
schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk/home l Food for Life is a Soil Association programme that helps schools build knowledge and skills. Its Schools Award supports schools in initiatives such as growing their own food,
visiting farms and setting up cooking and growing clubs for pupils and
their families.
foodforlife.org.uk l Tesco Community Grants awards charities and local community organisations grants of up to £1,500 through its blue token scheme
tescocommunitygrants.org.uk l Learning Through Landscapes is a charity that promotes children’s outdoor learning. As well as resources and courses for educators, it offers grants for outdoor learning training and equipment.
ltl.org.uk/projects/
local-school-nature-grants/ l GROW is a London-based charity that works with schools to deliver tailor-made programmes in sustainable food growing and outdoor learning.
wearegrow.org
garden grow Our garden at Lane End Primary School in Stockport is managed by a proactive pairing of parents, teachers and the PTA. It was created in 2009 on some spare land next to the playground. A landscape gardener friend of a teacher volunteered to create the space, landscaping the ground, building six raised beds, pathways, turfed areas and a garden loom frame. PTA fundraising paid for planting and equipment. The garden is open to junior school pupils at playtime and teachers can take students there whenever they wish. Every Thursday, the parents run a gardening group with one or two children from each class. For half a term these pupils assist with planting, pruning, harvesting produce and garden maintenance. They also help create wildlife havens such as bug hotels, hedgehog houses and bee homes. The garden is run mainly through donations. Volunteers and teachers work closely with the PTA, who are brill! Whenever we want to reach out to local businesses or arrange an event, PTA chair Laura Barlow organises it for us. We also have an agreement with our
Creating habitats A haven for wildlife
Insects and other wild creatures play an essential part in your garden’s ecosystem. Ellie Mitchell from The Wildlife Garden podcast says: ‘A great way to encourage more wildlife to your garden is to plant more plants. Look around you: could you let grassy corners grow wild with flowers or install simple raised beds full of herbs in unused parts of your garden? Is there anywhere else on the site that could be made greener? Could you grow a native hedge along a fence or plant honeysuckle against a wall? The wider range of plants you can fit into your space, the more wildlife will make a home there, making your school and garden a beautiful sight.’ Other tips include not using chemicals, leaving some wild areas and digging a pond.
thewildlifegardenpodcast.podbean.com
16 SPRING 2022
pta.co.uk
local Waitrose and a nearby florist, which donate plants that are getting a bit old to sell. The children look after them and bring them back to life. Once, we had so many donations we held a plant sale with the surplus and raised more than £80 in 20 minutes – essential funds for keeping an invaluable school resource going. Gemma Carroll, garden group member, Lane End School, Stockport (210 pupils)
MAIN IMAGE: © RHS/JULIE HOWDEN
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