Gardening Club was started by two parents who felt that gardening would be a great way to further enhance children’s learning at Chad Vale School.

Gardening brings together aspects of the curriculum, healthy lifestyle choices, and an awareness of some ecological issues.

The project has been well supported financially. The School Council gave money to buy seeds, to get the club started, and the school, PPTA, Alison Hillman Trust (a local charity) and Curry & Partners (a local business) donated enough funds to build six raised beds on the school field.

The project has also been well supported by people! The children are very keen to garden, and most come with great consistency. Their parents support them by supplying the gloves and wellies they need and help them to remember to bring them each week. They have also donated seeds for us to use. Some parents came regularly to help, others have just dropped in to see what is going on. We also have the support of the local allotment society, who have invited the children to look around their plots, and have donated plants.

The club consists of about twenty children. They have a wonderful time planting seeds, fruit bushes, and flowers. They are all learning about the conditions plants need to grow, and the things that hinder them. We hope to be able to supply the classrooms with fresh flowers and the kitchens with fresh veg!

In the future we hope to acquire a greenhouse, to help to house our many seedlings, to start the school composting some of its waste and make the club largely self funding by selling some of our plants to willing parents!

March 2009

New raised beds...