We started the project to help us achieve our target of the Green Flag. The school had 10 raised beds which had been left for years, the children wanted to grow but the soil was compact and impossible to dig into, a lot of work and commitment was going to be needed. We had a small pond put in, but again bare, we needed to develop this area to attract wildlife. The school had also been accepted to join Faiths4Change – Schools Food Growing Programme, because we have a strong ethos about caring for the environment, were seriously considering growing food in the school grounds and this initiative would support Eco Schools, Healthy Eating, outdoor learning and support the curriculum in innovative ways. Eco Schools and the environment were linked i.e. litter in the school grounds, water butt to save water, etc.
We began by forming a group ‘St Marks Muddy Meddlers’ to generate ideas and involve the community. The hard work was making sure we could sustain the area but each class was eager to help and so we decided to link school growing with the wildlife garden. Each year group were involved with reception growing sunflowers, runner beans and watching frog spawn all the way up to Y6 who look after the day-to-day running of the School Garden, looking for pests, which they investigate and organically treat. We are very proud of our School Garden but know it would have been impossible without the help of our community. We have no gardening expert and usually rely on advice from the school caretaker and school cook. The Eco-Warriors (School Council) are always looking for ways to improve our school garden. We can now look to develop the land at the back of school, to grow further vegetables and different varieties.
The appearance of the school grounds has changed dramatically and the whole school is proud. As the children have been the ones changing and developing the grounds, they have more respect for it and look after it. The growing area is accessible to all the children during playtime and lunchtime. We have installed a Willow Dome and the children have begun to weave the branches. There are now a number of vegetable garden around the school which grow beetroot, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, leeks, lettuces, onions, peppers, potatoes, runner beans, salad leaves, strawberries and tomatoes. Our flowers include, asters, daisy, lavender, marigolds, and sunflowers which attract insects as these are important for our vegetables to stay organic. (We need more ladybirds to eat the greenfly). Developing the school garden and wildlife area has enriched the curriculum, teaching life skills, and contributing to children’s mental and physical health. This can be developed further by helping the children to nurture their own vegetables and plants and this is achievable for all children, giving then learning opportunities, social activities, and the joy of growing their own produce. There are many other projects that we are currently working on, we came 2nd in making a rap to encourage others about dropping litter, with WMBC. We have won 1st prize with ‘Appetite For Action’ of £3,000 and a visit from SKY NEWS, and have a video on their website.
http://schools.appetiteforaction.org.uk/
Our budget was 0. At the beginning the cost of replacing the soil and removing weeds was £800 but we didn’t have this. To help with this we sought the support of the community by asking for help through our Eco-Newsletter. Here we asked for donations of seeds and any spare gardening equipment which could be used, With this local help we were able to purchase plant seeds and plant trays and even had a bird box donated. Initially the project seemed too large but our team and the Eco-Warriors linked the activities to each class, so everyone was doing a little bit, but making a big difference. Through other activities we have gained rewards, for example reaching our leaf goal of 100% through generation green and using some of the Tesco tokens to buy gardening equipment.
We began this project in February this year and have made a huge difference to the school. We hope to further the project by developing the land at the back of school and growing even more vegetables with the help of the local community.
| Green Flag: | 1,179 |
| Silver: | 3,924 |
| Bronze: | 4,646 |
