Schools celebrate sustainability
Fourteen schools from across Worcestershire and the West Midlands battled the elements to design and build a wonderfully inventive set of sustainable gardens.
Jim Ward, RHS Online
Friday, May 11, 2012
Fourteen schools from across Worcestershire and the West Midlands battled the elements to design and build a wonderfully inventive set of sustainable gardens.
Delighted teachers and students from Burlish Park Primary School (OS/923) from Stourport-on-Severn won the Best School Garden award, heading a list of 11 Highly Commended gardens.
Head judge Bob Sweet said: 'The standard is the highest I've ever seen.' He also hinted that future competitions may be split by age categories. The schools received their awards from TV presenter and garden designer Chris Beardshaw.
Teacher Rhian Duckworth said that 60 children from Year Four at the winning school, aged eight and nine, worked on the project, growing plants from seed, making bird boxes to sell at the show, and researching the medicinal properties of the plants they included in their garden. 'Absolutely every one of the children was involved and got a huge amount out of it,' said Rhian.
Literally hundreds of children from St John's Middle School, Bromsgrove (OS/928) - ranging from two to 18 years of age - helped create their modern take on a knot garden, which includes a handmade beehive with green roof and hand-carved wooden planters engraved with fun bee images.
Photo gallery of school gardens
All school gardens awards (30kB pdf)
Other schools that were Highly Commended included:
- Birchensale Middle School, Redditch (OS/920)
- Bromsgrove School (OS/921)
- Burlish Park Primary School, Stourport-on-Severn (OS/923)
- Castlemorton Primary School (OS/924)
- Meadows First School, Bromsgrove (OS/915)
- Pershore College (OS/926)
- Pitmaston Primary School, Worcester (OS/925)
- Stafford College (OS/918)
- Tudor Grange Academy, Worcester (OS/929)
The following schools were Commended:
- Bridge Training & Development (OS/930)
- Parkhall Academy, Castle Bromwich (OS/916)
- Tiverton Special School, Coventry with Year 10 Construction Students, North Bromsgrove High School (OS/919)
Malvern’s School Garden Project Challenge, supported by BAM Construct Ltd, was introduced seven years ago, as part of the Three Counties Agricultural Society’s commitment to work with education partners to deliver curriculum-based activities.