Creating wild spaces and an allotment on the school grounds

Transcription

1 Creating wild spaces and an allotment on the school grounds Summary This is a case study of how a small area of land can be developed as a wildlife and allotment gardening area and used to support the curriculum in a variety of subject areas. School name The King s CE School Region West Midlands Topic Wildlife and Allotment gardening Type of school Secondary School

2 Brief description of the project The aim of the Breathing Places, Big Lottery Funded ( ), environmental project was to transform an unused area of the school grounds into a sustainable site for wildlife and vegetable growing. The project aimed to become the environmental focus of the school community further encouraging environmental awareness and providing a resource for teaching elements of the KS3 curriculum. Methodology Key criteria in the development of The King s School s Environmental Project are: Securing sufficient funds that enable successful completion of the main aims Allowing pupils to take a part in the management of the spending of funds and day to day activities Engagement by willing staff in their free time Support from outside agencies Consistent approach to the delivery of the project, especially the growing and maintaining of crops Full access to the site and sharing of experiences across the whole school and local community. Outcomes of the project A group of 20 pupils of mixed age, ethnicity and abilities formed the dedicated King s School Environmental Group which, led by key staff, managed the project over the year. The group invited and encouraged visits from all other key stage year groups across the school to participate in growing and maintenance activities throughout the year. Visitors from outside the school have included parents, local residents, and staff from the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust (Natural Curriculum Project) and RSPB. A

3 wheelchair accessible path has been laid and many of the vegetable beds are raised allowing for easy access. We have created wildlife sensitive areas alongside vegetable and fruit growing parts of the site, whilst still giving full access to all pupils during the school day, which is encouraged and led by lead pupils and staff from the environmental group. The improvements have meant that the project has become the environmental focus of the school and has acted as a case study for visiting schools. The site is now an important part of the green corridor running through the local area, with bird species monitoring from our new bird hide and feeding station highlighting this. Planning has at all times involved the pupils and we have taken advice from environmental staff at the RSPB and Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust. We have created the following distinct areas on the site - wild spaces, such as log piles and ground cover for nesting birds; bird feeding stations, nest boxes and a custom built bird hide for monitoring; orchard with a variety of fruit trees; and an allotment area and herb garden created on previous unused hard standing material. Being located on the school grounds the site is very accessible and is advertised throughout the school and becoming known in the local community. A knowledge of and appreciation for environmental issues has been increased by hands on experience. Pupils and staff have openly shared their experiences with visitors and other children. It has been very encouraging to see how by working outside, either feeding and watching the birds, growing and caring for the crops, or clearing weeds, a number of pupils have improved their attitude to school. Feedback from parents has been excellent. Links have been made with the local residents allotment, a member of whom has visited weekly to give support. A community artist also worked with some GCSE pupils on outdoor sculptures which are now located at the entrance to the site. The life skills and aspirations of the pupils involved have certainly been enhanced by the experiences gained in taking part in a unique project. Many of the pupils at our school are from inner city areas and would not normally be given the opportunity to access green

4 spaces. It has been fantastic to see the pupils learning the names of tree and bird species, and be able to explain how to grow potatoes and tomatoes! For staff involved this has been of benefit to continuing professional development in outdoor education; they have developed skills in the day to management of an environmental area and the costing and planning of such a project. Being located on school grounds we have had the added benefit of allowing the pupils to take ownership of the project, with each pupil in the environmental group being given a badge and key task/role. With the guidance and supervision of adults, and support from the Wildlife Trust staff, pupils have gained new skills in all aspects of project management and have also been able to appreciate the costs involved. By allowing pupils to gain an insight into this it will enable the site to be managed in a more sustainable way. This has led to selling produce to raise funds for next year s seeds and other essential equipment. Pupils work outdoors at least once a week in their own time at lunch. Transferability The project has supported pupils learning in a variety of subjects, including geography, science, CDT, art and cookery. There has been a focus on caring for the natural world and issues relating to food and farming. Pupil vocabulary has expanded and through participation new skills have been learnt that can be transferred to life outside of school. Challenges The proposed site was nearly a third of an acre and initially seemed too large a site to make an impact on. It became important to divide the site up into manageable sections. It was important, especially in the winter months, to engage the pupils by undertaking ground work that had a noticeable impact, for example, by adding the raised beds and path, the bare ground area of the site was immediately transformed.

5 Timing correctly the planting and sowing of crops whilst working in limited time slots as imposed by the constraints of the school day. Resources and staffing The project was supported through funds awarded by The Big Lottery Fund ( ) following the BBC Breathing Places Campaign was awarded the majority being used to clear the site and add paths, shed, and vegetable beds. Equipment was also essential and enough was purchased to allow large groups of pupils to participate. A custom built bid hide was also erected as a focus of the woodland part of the site. Two full time teaching staff managed the spending of funds and activities on site. This was time consuming but was aided by a strong group of older pupils in the group. School support and site staff assisted with grounds maintenance throughout. What s next? The schools Environmental Group meet weekly and are led by a core team of GCSE pupils who were members of the project in its initial year. Key staff still lead and supervise the activities on site. Pupils have developed an enterprise by harvesting and then selling the produce. This will support the purchase of seeds and plants into the future. It is also through this project that our school has become more eco-friendly, from our successes with growing vegetables, making compost and attracting wildlife, it is hoped that this ethos will continue across the whole school in the form of energy saving and recycling. Our positive experiences in managing a Breathing Places project and now seeing the outcomes of the hard work will also benefit other school and community groups by sharing best practice.