Climate change success stories
It’s important
to us that the pupils can learn in the garden. It also helps children understand where their food comes from
The positive mental health benefits of being outside and in nature are well documented, and it’s important to us that the pupils can learn in the garden. It also helps children understand where their food comes from and the importance of conserving water, looking after and protecting nature, and encouraging biodiversity. It even encourages them to try new foods. After one session where the children ate the spinach they had grown, some shocked parents told me their children were demanding spinach for tea. I was thrilled! The school has asked us to run sessions that link to the curriculum, for example, focusing on composting and biodiversity. Our next challenge is to get more parent helpers on board. Whether it’s a one-off or regular commitment, we’re grateful to those who can spare the time. Laura Harrison, PTA member, Oakwood PTA, St Albans (320 pupils)
Mini orchard
‘Knowing how to grow your own produce is a life skill’
includes a garden and a woodland area. But the woodland area had been neglected and was overgrown, the pond had a broken liner and the shed was condemned. I have a passion for plants, which
A
inspired me to improve the garden. A friend who lives adjacent to the school heard of my involvement and told me about the non-profit organisation One Planet Matters (
oneplanetmatters.com), which provides schools with free resources. The requirements to join One
Planet Matters’ Schools Network were pretty straightforward. All we needed to do was hold an annual non-uniform day to help raise funds and put the One Planet Matters logo on the school website. I approached the school and they were very keen. I joined forces with Dilys
Richardson, who leads the school’s eco projects. Dilys had some great ideas, which we continue to work on with our PTA Groundforce Team: parents and children who come in for a morning of gardening. One Planet Matters also helps implement ideas by providing activities with links to the curriculum. Over the summer and autumn,
we removed the broken shed, cut everything back to create a usable
t Raysfield, we are lucky to have outdoor space that
teaching space, cleared the overgrown beds and improved the pathways. Then in February 2023, our mini orchard was delivered. Dilys and I arranged for the pupils to plant the new fruit trees in holes we had dug on Groundforce Day. Shortly after, One Planet Matters delivered wildflower plugs to begin turning the orchard area into a biodiverse meadow. We believe that all children should
have the opportunity to learn how to grow their own produce, as it is a valuable life skill, but not all families have the necessary space or time. Raysfield has an ongoing partnership with food redistributors FareShare, so we pass any produce grown to families in need. After planting the orchard, I
contacted a local newspaper to share the news and hopefully inspire other schools to start similar projects. Kevin Thomas, founder of One Planet Matters, also reached out to me and I joined their team. Recently I’ve been working to create a new Schools Network Awards Scheme. The network currently includes around 20 schools in the South West, South Wales and Derbyshire and we are hoping to attract more schools to work with us. Holly Woodruff, secretary, Friends of Raysfield, Chipping Sodbury (420 pupils)
pta.co.uk SPRING 2024 13
IMAGE: ID8 PHOTOGRAPHY
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