Sowing the Seeds for Social Growth

On the allotment, it’s surprising what grows; it goes a lot deeper than just vegetables. It’s an organic, evolving space where seeds of social change are being sown. It’s a valuable learning resource for the children, but it is also a platform for families to meet and gather; chat and play. It promotes health and well being, fosters friendships and channels peace of mind.

When not being used by the school for cross curriculum topics, or by gardening club for after school activities, it has been delightful to see individual families using the allotment in their own time, for their own purpose: to enjoy the simple pleasures that are to be found from the ground. One Mum explained how she and her son often stop there on their way home from school. Her son will engage in a spot of pond dipping as she sits and relaxes, watching on. The allotment offers them something that their own garden does not: open space, countryside views, fresh air and tranquility. It was deeply encouraging to hear her talk about the benefits it brings to her family’s health and wellbeing.

That families can ‘bump’ into each other in this way adds an interesting social dynamic to the school. Parents with young children can sometimes feel isolated, with many carrying the weight of work and life pressures on their shoulders. The school run is not conducive for finding solace among friends. The allotment, however, provides a space, not only for friends to take a moment together, but strangers too. Oakridge is a small school, but there are still a surprising number of Mums and Dads who don’t know each other all that well. Sometimes it’s nice just to stop, and the allotment is that stop. It provides an alternative space for the school community, where conversations can carry in the wind and self seed in the most surprising of places. Just recently two families bumped into each other there. The Mum’s had never spoken to each other before and yet they discovered they had a remarkable amount in common. The allotment provides opportunities for chance encounters from which longer term connections between people can be made.

It’s the children who ultimately benefit though. The allotment is a powerful tool that helps friendships germinate and inquisitive minds to blossom. The picture below is another example of the allotment’s social success story. Little ones can kick off their shoes and stresses from the day and loose themselves in a world of natural wonder. Friendships can be enjoyed, imaginations can run wild and hearts can sing to the songs of the birds. That sense of belonging and escaping, both simultaneously, are what makes the allotment special.

Just last week, two families enjoyed an impromptu play date. The Mum’s mowed and strimmed, the younger ones played, while the older ones were keen to help. One doesn’t feel inhibited when engaged in productive tasks. Shyness ebbs away and is replaced with a natural curiosity; at the allotment, the children flourish as much as the flowers. Nature evokes an enthusiasm that formal education can only dream of. There is a deep desire to engage in activities, which for the most part, require working together as a team. This couldn’t be more true for the two children in the picture below, who helped to strim the raised beds. There was mutual turn taking, not only with the strimmer but, lacking any safety goggles, also with the young girl’s glasses! One would hold the water soaker hose up while the other strimmed and then they would swap. A valued partnership was formed as was an important lesson in friendship.

You don’t have to dig very deep to see how well rooted children, and adults for that matter, become when they’re given time and space to grow, naturally. Purposeful tasks soak up normal social boundaries and consequently, conversations bud with evergreen smiles. Since the allotment’s first inception six months ago, great energy has gone into creating a productive plot that is capable of growing vegetables. To this end, staff, pupils and parents have succeeded: potatoes, broad beans, lettuces and courgettes are all ready and waiting to be picked. What the allotment has also shown is that it is capable of growing friendships too. The term companion planting couldn’t be more apt: we have created our own special community, which has mutual benefits for everyone. Much like our children, who have nurtured the vegetables on the allotment, so we nurture our children, and in so doing, help them grow into strong, young adults.

Six Month Reflection

Its been six months since the school acquired its allotment and what a busy time its been. What started as a lumpy patch of grass has been transformed into a productive plot that now boasts six raised vegetable beds, a pond, wildlife area, wildflower meadow, a rainwater harvesting system, plastic bottle greenhouse, shed and teaching area. The transformation is all thanks to a big effort from pupils, parents and staff who have worked tirelessly in order to create this valuable learning resource for the school.

A successful fundraising campaign that began in January also generated £600 and a further £500 came from a generous donation from a private individual. The latter donation is being invested in a large work table for the children. It has been built by local blacksmith, William Pankhurst, and he finished it only yesterday! A plaque will be made and fixed to the table in memory of the donor’s late wife, who would have loved the allotment and everything the school is striving to achieve.

The Plot

The Oakridge allotment site is situated in a beautiful spot nestled just on the outskirts of the village. There’s not a house to be seen, just soaring skies and the sounds of song birds. The school plot is a full size one but it’s easily filled with thirty seven children! The school doesn’t have a playground of its own as such, but is fortunate to have access to the two adjacent quintessential village greens. It’s rather like travelling back in time when you see the children all playing outside together.

This lack of outdoor space was the inspiration behind the allotment. Think of it as an extension of the school, where classroom learning is brought to life. Theories the children can only read about in books can be put into practice here. It engages them on a level that goes above and beyond the criteria of the National Curriculum. It beggars belief that this type of learning, one that satisfies the children’s natural curiosity and generates such wonderful enthusiasm, isn’t a core part of the education system. Learning could be so much more enriched as a result.

The school allotment has been warmly received and backed by the local and wider community. Local press and radio have given the initiative great coverage, which has provided a good marketing opportunity for the school. Local community groups, Down to Earth and Stroud Valleys Project, have also shown great support, giving the children worm and soil workshops as well as passing on words of advice to parent volunteers.

November 2018

May 2019

The Raised Beds

The school was incredibly fortunate to receive a very generous donation from Jewson’s in Stroud, who kindly supplied and delivered all the wood for the raised beds free of charge. There was over £200 worth of timber, so it really was a very kind gesture. Both class one and class two have their own beds for school specific topics and activities while the other four beds have been put to good purpose and planted up with a wonderful assortment of vegetables, all chosen by the children. From broad beans and runners, potatoes, peas and pumpkins, squashes and sweet peas, lettuces and tomatoes, the children have enjoyed being involved in the process of sowing seeds and watching them grow.

Back in February the children had a visit from MP David Drew, Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He has been extremely supportive of everything the school is trying to do and even helped the children plant their seed potatoes! From that first meeting an important relationship has formed. The school is looking forward to welcoming David back in the Autumn for a spot of seed saving.

Speaking of which, the school has become a member of the Heritage Seed Library, which means the children can now call themselves Seed Guardians. We are the first school in Gloucestershire to hold this accolade, which is really special. It is a great opportunity for the children to be involved in important conservation work. They will be responsible for rescuing heirloom orphan vegetable treasures from extinction and in so doing secure the genetic diversity of our food.

There are important cultural and scientific reasons for growing old kinds of vegetables. Seeds carry stories through generations, and also across continents. There is a surprising amount of history to be taught through this cross-curriculum subject. Few beans can be as poignant as the Cherokee Trail of Tears. In the winter of 1838-39, Cherokee people in the US were forced to march from their lands in Georgia, over the Smoky Mountains; 4,000 died on the way. The shiny black bean the Cherokee took with them is an important heirloom seed and has been grown in Britain for a long time. Seed conservation is important, but by growing these old varieties - many of which have adapted to very local conditions - more can be understood about their adaptability to climate change, pests and diseases.

January 2019

May 2019

The Pond

The pond has really begun to settle into the landscape. From its first conception on a cold and rainy day in January, where the Dad’s did such a good job at digging THAT hole, it is now starting to flourish with life. The children have so enjoyed watching the frog spawn develop - the pond is teaming with hundreds of tadpoles. There really is nothing more delightful than watching the children participate in the most simple of pleasures that is pond dipping.

So much wonderful work has gone on in this area over the last few months, the highlight being the dry stone walling workshop the children did with Adrian Montague. They all absolutely loved the experience. So rewarding to see them learning, and appreciating, this age old tradition, which taught them about the value of patience and hard work, values that are so important in this digital world in which they live. Work in this area is ongoing, with the erection of the fence underway in order to make the pond safe.

January 2019

May 2019

The Team

The success of the allotment over the last six months reflects the positive relationship the school enjoys with the parents. Education, in the true sense of the word, really is a team effort. It’s a close knit group of people who all share the same ideal - to provide something better for the children.

This photo is just a snippet of all the people who have been involved in the project so far. Mr Williams, the interim head, has been a beacon of support. Big thanks to him for having such faith in other people’s ideas and for letting the concept find its feet and flourish. The class one and class two teachers and teaching assistants have worked miracles with the current National Curriculum. Despite its limitations, opportunities have been created. None were more so apparent than on World Book Day when an author visited the allotment. Story telling, reading, acting and engaged learning were at the very roots. The children took that experience back to the classroom and it provided weeks of learning opportunities with amazing outcomes.

The Future

The school hopes to have the plastic bottle greenhouse finished by the end of the Summer term. The fence for the pond is due to be completed by the end of term as well. The large work bench has literally just been finished and is ready to be carried up to the allotment right now!

Looking a little further ahead at the 2019/2020 school year. Come the Autumn the children will receive their free trees for schools pack. Two hundred and forty saplings are due to be delivered thanks to the Woodland Trust. The trees will form part of a native hedging scheme that will wrap around the perimeter of the allotment creating a more defined area. It will also create an important new habitat for birds and other animals. Saplings have been carefully selected in order to provide the children with as many learning opportunities as possible. From working wood such as willow and hazel to a wild harvest from which the children can make jams and jellies through to wildlife hedging. The children will be involved in all aspects of planting.

As with all the projects the school undertakes on the allotment, the emphasis is always on the children and involving the community as much as possible so that the village and the school can feel the full weight of each other’s support. With that in mind, there has been suggestion of inviting local residents, friends and families to plant one of the Woodland Trust’s trees in memory of a loved one, therefore really unifying the space and all that it stands for.

Perhaps most important to the future of Oakridge school’s allotment is the appointment of the new head teacher, Mr Jonathan Preston, who takes on the role full time in September. Teachers, parents and pupils have great faith that he will cement the strong foundations that have already been laid on the allotment so that future generations of Oakridge children can enjoy the enormous benefits that outdoor learning brings.

Gardening Club #13

This week’s gardening club was a family special as work got underway to build the fence to make the pond area secure. It was lovely to see so many parents and children stepping in to lend a hand. Despite the downpour, it didn’t dampen spirits, as these two lovely ladies can testify!

Some children helped to dig the holes for the fence posts, which is not an easy task given how stoney the soil is…

…while others tried their hand with the post driver, using some interesting techniques!

A bit more muscle was required, so some of the Dad’s stepped in.

The tractor tyre planters are a great new addition that not only add extra growing space but also double up really well as seats!

Children’s imaginations have the run of the great outdoors - canes make great fishing rods!

After all that digging, a wheelbarrow makes an easy resting place for weary legs and arms.

A few of the parents organised a BBQ for the hard working team, the food and warmth was a welcome relief from the rather drizzly, cold conditions.

This was the first time that some parents had been to the allotment so it was lovely to see some new enthusiasm! There were four rather large holes that needed to be dug, before dropping in each post and back filling with a dry sand/cement mix.

Spending time on the allotment is an opportunity for parents and children to get together and do something constructive. It’s always very satisfying to see just how much can be achieved when a group of people come together with one common purpose - to provide something better for their children.

Plastic Bottle Greenhouse Prep Work

Over the last few months, local recycling company, Print Waste, have been collecting and storing 650 plastic bottles for the school’s plastic bottle greenhouse project.

The bottles were delivered to school a few weeks ago and this afternoon, work got underway as the children helped to prepare them ready for installation on site.

It’s a relatively simple concept: remove lids and labels and cut the bottom off, grab a cane and slot the bottles into each other so they fit nice and snug. The canes are then inserted into the frame of a greenhouse.

It was a pretty sticky, filthy job but none of the children seemed to be put off by this, they loved it! Some worked in pairs…

…while others just took themselves away and quietly got on with it. Between them, the children managed to prep half the bottles and will finish off the rest over the coming weeks. The greenhouse will be up and running by the end of the Summer term.

BBC Radio Gloucestershire - Breakfast Show

Since getting the allotment out of the ground in November last year, it has received great support from the local and wider community. All the good work the children have been doing has been well publicised in local papers and on local radio stations. It has really helped to promote the school.

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On this occasion, the children met a journalist from BBC Radio Gloucestershire. The programme aired on their popular breakfast show this morning.

Click on the link below to hear what the children and parents had to say.

Rainwater Harvesting

After a week off, gardening club was back with a bang today as the irrigation system that class 2 had designed was installed on the allotment. The session was led by the class 2 teacher and attended by many of the KS2 children.

The irrigation project follows up the topic of rainwater harvesting systems that the children have been studying as one of their geography topics in school. The class 2 teacher felt the children’s understanding of the subject would be bolstered by a practical, hands on session, allowing them to put theory into practice, and bring learning to life.

This model is just one of the designs the children came up with. A raised water butt is connected to the raised beds using a hose.

The children began by moving large breeze blocks into position for the water butt to sit on. Nearly every activity on the allotment teaches the children about the importance of team work, it’s a lesson that never gets old.

With the help of a parent, the children enjoyed some DT by putting the guttering together. They offered it up to the shed to check the length was correct.

With careful supervision, the children had a go with hand tools including saws and drills. They helped to cut down to size the batons that the guttering system would be fixed to the shed with.

There was much measuring and holding ends of wood up, which some of the children were only just tall enough to do!

What’s so lovely about the allotment is that there is always so much fun to be had. Outdoor learning isn’t always about being set a specific activity, much of the learning that children do comes through play, be that with friends jumping up and down on giant tractor tyres…

…or pushing friends around in wheelbarrows. At the allotment children learn a lot about who they are, what they’re good at and how to develop confidence.

The children all had a go at cutting the guttering down to the right size...

…and when it was too tough, they watched and listened.

An impromptu tug of war fight commenced with an old piece of rope the children found lying on the ground. Really lovely stuff.

Once the guttering system was fitted, it needed testing to check it worked. It was a big moment!

The children were so excited to see the first droplets of water seeping out of the hose, and for good reason. It was a subject they initially read about in books in school, which was turned into a real life problem solving exercise on the allotment. From models they made themselves, the final irrigation system is a true reflection of the children’s designs. The great sense of satisfaction about what they have achieved is massively important for their confidence. They should all feel very proud of themselves.

Whole School Visit

Today was a triumph of many months of hard work from all those who have been involved in getting the allotment out of the ground: the whole school visited for the very fist time. Full credit to the teachers for not only managing to coordinate and occupy all 37 children but for being so bold as to take them out of the classroom and into the fresh air for some truly enriched learning. Change is afoot and there is hope among many that it won’t be too long before this sort of thing becomes a mandatory part of the curriculum.

After a busy morning of SATS, a visit to the allotment was just what was needed. The children walked up in the morning and, bar a quick trip back to school for lunch, spent the rest of the day submersed in various science, maths and DT activities. Topics included life cycles, water harvesting, recycling, habitats and plants. The children were broken down into small groups and using a carousel system, everybody had a go at everything.

Life Cycles

The pond adds a really important dimension to the school allotment. It teaches about different habitats, eco systems and life cycles.

Needless to say, pond dipping proved the most popular activity from today, but it’s so easy to understand why. Despite being a village school nestled in the gorgeous Cotswold countryside, not all the children have the chance to enjoy first hand encounters with creatures like the humble tadpole. What a priviledge that their school can give them this opportunity.

Recycling

Over the last few months, Print Waste Recycling in Cheltenham have kindly been collecting and storing 650 plastic bottles for the school’s plastic bottle greenhouse project. Print Waste dropped all the bottles off at school a few weeks ago and the children have started to remove the caps and labels ready for erection.

Today, the class 2 teacher wanted the children to work out how many bottles would be needed and how they would be fitted to the greenhouse frame.

The activity covered a whole range of topics, including maths, science and design technology.

Water Harvtsting

Another project that class 2 have been involved with is creating a rainwater harvesting system. They have been studying the subject in geography and have looked at irrigation systems in other countries, like Africa. The class 2 teacher asked them to come up with their own designs. The best one would be built on the allotment, providing water to the six raised beds. Today, the children were tasked with the challenge of how to build the system, resulting, again, in much maths and design technology.

Habitats

Back in January the school was awarded a £500 grant from Learning Through Landscapes. Only 100 schools are selected from over thousands of applications, so everyone felt very proud. As part of the grant, the children were able to select a variety of items, one of those was an insect observatory, and today, the children helped to set it up and site it.

Some of the class 2 children got stuck in and worked really well together, helping the younger ones in class 1 to site the observatory. The children decided it should go in the wildflower meadow.

Plants

Another activity the children were tasked with was weeding, which they always love to do!! There is much digging and tooting around in the soil and the chance of finding a whopping worm generates much enthusiasm! Lovely to see.

It’s been six months since the school first acquired the allotment and how satisfying to see all the children up there, together, in the sunshine enjoying all the wonderful benefits that outdoor learning brings.

Dry Stone Walling

Who knew the age old tradition of dry stone walling still has a place in the hearts of children who are growing up in a world where screen time and online social media are the norm? At Oakridge we embrace such ideals and encourage our children to do the same.

A really big thank you to Adrian Montague, a dry stone wall specialist, who offered to come and give a workshop to the children in his own free time and at no cost to the school. Establishing such links within the local community and passing on knowledge from one generation to the next is invaluable, in terms of the way it brings people together, the skills it develops and the awareness it promotes.

After a brief introduction about what dry stone walling is, why it is still practised and a bit of a safety drill, the children were all invited to build their own dry stone wall. The wall was cited near the wildlife pond and, according to Adrian, it will provide a vital habitat to toads, who just love hiding in between the cracks.

There was much enthusiasm and concentration as Adrian helped the children lay the stones. Much of dry stone walling comes down to simply feeling how the stones sit. The children seemed to understand this in a way that only children intrinsically can, so mindful are they in their task. Without distraction they simply laid stone after stone after stone, working solidly together to build a wall fit for a toad!

As the wall got bigger, so the children had to think more carefully about their choices. Larger stones are generally laid around the perimeter, perpendicular to the rest of the wall thus ensuring it all knits together.

Children from as young as Reception age were finding much satisfaction from the process. How delightful to hear comments like, “I want to start a walling club!” It’s why parents run these extra curricular activities. Skills such as dry stone walling may be viewed by some as a dying trade; as a craft from the past that has no place in the future, but what is a future without a nod to the heritage that went into shaping it? Lets get our children out of screens and into skills that encourage growth rather than waste; team work rather than isolation; resilience rather than resistance; openness rather than closure. Our children are the future , lets teach them not to waste it.

Gardening Club #6 #7

Last week’s gardening club session was a busy one where the children sowed lots of vegetables. This week’s session followed a similar theme.

The lettuces that had been sown a few weeks earlier were ready to be thinned out…

…the first tomatoes of the season were sown too. Until the plastic bottle greenhouse has been built these delicate seedlings will take shelter in the warmth of one of the children’s homes.

Peas were planted both in pots and straight into the ground. It was thought that a nice comparison might be made to see which does better.

Sunflowers were also sown, everyone is hoping for some giants this Summer!

To try and keep our plastic use down, good old fashioned paper pots were still in production! Thank you to a team of parents who were on hand to help remind the children how to do it.

So that takes us onto this week’s gardening club, where even more veggies were sown. Beetroot went into the ground…

…a variety of different flowers were planted too.

Carrots and courgettes were also sown. Overall, the raised beds are slowly beginning to fill up and we can’t wait to see more go into the ground soon!