Primary schools widen pupils’ horizons with gardening

Chiltern, Neasden and Thoresby primary schools were selected from 14 local schools to pioneer the Open Futures programme. The schools are in areas affected by high unemployment and have among the highest percentages of children receiving free school meals in England.

Chiltern primary school headteacher Lynne Clark said gardening linked in “beautifully” to the curriculum and gave it a sense of purpose. She said: “The children absolutely love getting their hands dirty. Most of our children are in back to back terraces and have small courtyards; a few lucky ones have small gardens. Gardening isn’t in their day-to-day life and that’s what it makes it so exciting.”

She added: “They couldn’t distinguish between a cow, sheep or pig and dog. (To them) potatoes come from the supermarket as does meat and milk. “Our year three pupils went to Driffield Show this year and they were absolutely stunned to know there were different breeds of sheep and pigs.”

She said they were already seeing a difference in attendance: “There’s a small number of families who are disengaged.

“We know since we started a more hands on approach, these children are saying they want to be at school.”

The scheme focuses on four “learning strands” that can be integrated with the national curriculum – askit, growit, cookit and filmit.

The three aim to become Open Futures Centres of Excellence within two years. Lucy O’Rorke, Director of the Open Futures Trust said: “It is vitally important to foster life skills and thinking skills from an early age and there is particular need for support in inner city areas, where families and children experience many forms of disadvantage. Too many children can be switched off from learning and become disillusioned at school – or cannot connect with their education because they don’t see how it relates to their own lives.”