We love to hear about what our schools are up to and see photos of their gardening activities. Tell us about what you grew, how you grew it, what you learnt, and we will upload it to the website.
You can send us your news stories in PDF format and your photos in jpg format.
The YGT for Schools Grounds Development Award for 2024, granted Priory Primary School the sum of £300, to be used to create a Key Stage Two garden.
We had an overgrown, untidy Key Stage 2 garden which was originally a cut flower garden but was in need of repair. The raised beds were starting to rot and the bark was thin on the ground.
We aimed to have new refurbished raised beds so the children can go outside and enjoy nature, benefit from being hands on in the garden, move more, enjoy the fresh air, learn where food comes from and develop gross and fine motor skills. They will also learn social skills; taking turns, sharing and team work whilst in the garden.
We managed to recruit a small band of enthusiastic volunteers who will help maintain the garden and we also have a weekly children’s gardening club who have been actively involved with growing seeds, planting plants, watering, weeding etc. In addition to this each class in Key Stage two will have sessions in the garden during school time, although this has been limited this year due to volume of rain we have had this year. In fact the whole process took longer than expected due to the bad weather but we are very happy that the project is more than underway; we have some seeds that will be ready for early next year.
We had initially planned on using some of the funds to buy scaffold boards for the raised beds but came across a seller on social media who sold pallet collars at a considerably lower price. This meant we could double the amount of beds we had originally planned. We ordered weed suppressant and bark for the surrounding area to make the area look better and keep the weeds down and sowed seeds to fill the beds. The weather beat us on several occasions but we now have an amazing space for the children to enjoy the outdoors and engage all of the skills mentioned above. The school match funded the grant so we were also able to buy compost as well as flower and vegetable seeds for the children to cultivate.
'Yes, our water butt and 2 raised beds are complete.
I've attached some photos for you. Sorry, not much growing in the beds at the moment, so the children "planted" some artificial flowers for me today! They also love digging in the soil and playing with their dumper trucks.'
'Thanks for your continued interest in our gardening club project. The funding we received has been put to good use so far. We have been able to purchase compost, raised beds and some wood chippings all of which have helped transform our small allotment area, so it is easy for the children to manage. We have negotiated reduced costs from suppliers which has helped our funding go a bit further. The gardening club team have cleared the area of weeds and are adopting a "no dig" approach to the area. We have recycled cardboard from deliveries to school and used this as a base for our "no dig" approach and plan to use pallets from deliveries to create a bug hotel. The gardening club have been busy this week distributing the wood chippings throughout the area. Staff have donated planters and other bits and pieces which were destined for landfill. Children have planted beans, squash, tomatoes, soft fruit and salad - they've been able to observe nature, as spiderlings hatched on one of the plants. We also have an area of the garden where a plum tree was planted in memory of a former pupil - it's all part of learning about the history of the school too!
We have also been busy asking other businesses for donations/recycling where we can, trying to make the most of our small budget.'
The following are some "Before" and "After" photos of the work so far........
'We have installed green screens to screen the children from the road and reduce air pollution, and also created two living 'Teepees'. A new digging area and sand pit has also been created.
The money you gave us has been used to create a raised planter which the children will use to grow, flowers, herbs and vegetables.
I am sure will agree that there has been massive improvement since we started! Thank you very much for your contribution'
In keeping with our theme of ‘Recycle in your garden!’, Karen wrote in to say:
"We are growing rhubarb in an old sand pit, have lots of recycled things around the school garden, frequently fill the wheelbarrow with items from nearby skips and the kids are getting tired of me saying, "no not in the bin, we can recycle that!"
The garden is looking great but still a work in process....
Since we started the development, we have weeded the area, revamped the shed, cleaned the paths, added tables and chairs and started to add some planting.
Children have worked in small groups alongside staff to assist with some of these tasks. They’ve loved the opportunity to be involved in leaving a lasting legacy at the school and spending time in nature. Each week children eagerly ask if they will get chance to do some gardening.
We’ve also had a gardening after school group, who have planted lots of spring bulbs ready for next year. It’s been wonderful to see children, who don’t have access to their own gardens able to experience gardening and all the benefits it brings.
We have also been fortunate to have the support of Community Fit, a voluntary organisation who combine a group run each week with volunteering in the local community. In mid-December some junior soldiers are also due to visit our school and volunteer in our outdoor areas.
Thank you so much again for this opportunity.'
Our planted planter is flourishing, thanks once again.
Ravensthorpe School Council went on foraging walks to collect materials to constructed their own bug hotel. They up-cycled wooden pallets to provide the framework, and have included planters to provide additional habitats and interest to their bug hotel.
At Osbaldwick Primary Academy, we have managed to build upcycled planters out of old climbing frames, renovate our old sandpit into a veg bed, brightened up the area with lots of lovely bee-friendly flowers, planted apple and pear trees, and fostered a real love of caring for the environment with our KS1 pupils. We have also bought new tools and procured a pop up greenhouse. Our highlight this year was a very successful tomato harvest!
The children have loved being involved in the gardening club and we will be continuing running it this year with more upcoming projects; we hope to establish a wildflower meadow, grow new types of fruit and veg, get a compost bin going, and build a bug hotel.
We are so grateful for the YGT funding so may I take this time to once again thank you for your support! We would not have been able to renovate our area without your help.'
From Osbaldwick, York-
'Thank you very much for granting Osbaldwick Primary School the YGT Grounds Development Award! We are thrilled!...we are so excited to get underway with our KS1 outdoor area!'
From St Joseph's, Keighley -
'Thank you so much for your reply! I wanted to say a huge thank you for your kind words about our plans for the area, it is so very under-utilised and the grant will go to good use. Thank you for your ideas and suggestions, these will definitely be taken on board and used when we start the work. I will keep you informed...pictures both along the way and when it is completed with children using them.’