RHS School Gardening Awards
Level 1

Level 1 is about starting out on your school’s gardening journey and getting growing

How do we achieve Level 1?

To achieve Level 1, you need to demonstrate the following:

  • We understand the benefits of gardening
  • Our growing space is accessible (for example, growing in raised pots for easy reach or using pictures or symbols to provide information)
  • We have started gardening

How do we apply?

Log in to your account to submit your evidence to reach the RHS Level 1 Award

children gardening

When your school is ready to apply for Level 1, please submit up to 100 words for each of the above criteria explaining how you have met each one. Please show how at least 10 pupils have been involved when you submit your evidence. You are welcome to include quotes from children and young people as part of your submission.

Submit evidence for your school

Rewards

Once you have achieved Level 1 you will receive the following rewards to promote and celebrate your achievement:

  • A certificate
  • A digital logo
School Gardening Award submissions are assessed twice a month and rewards will arrive within 15 working days of successful achievement. If we need any further information to help assess the level, we will be in touch by email.

Information and resources to support your submission:

We understand the benefits of gardening

Growing and caring for plants can have multiple benefits. Tell us what benefits children and young people are learning about. This could include:

  • Establishing and respecting personal space and boundaries and sharing resources
  • Working together to achieve a shared goal
  • Building life skills such as teamwork, resilience and confidence

Our growing space is accessible

Growing plants is something everyone should have the opportunity to do. Tell us how you are ensuring gardening is accessible to all. This could include:

  • Ensuring wheelchair users can access and pass one another in the growing space
  • Using raised growing pots, beds or vertical gardening for easy reach
  • Having clearly marked boundaries to support gardening for pupils with visual impairments

  • Having a seated area for rest breaks
  • Providing labels in community languages
  • Using pictures or symbols to provide information

We have started gardening

Tell us what you've started to grow. You can start off small and go from there. Examples could include:

  • Creating a growing space, this could be on a windowsill or outside
  • Growing and caring for some indoor plants
  • Growing fast-growing microgreens like cress or pea shoots

  • Sowing some seeds in pots
  • Planting some bulbs or seedlings
  • Sowing potatoes in compost bags

Ready to progress?

Find out how you can achieve the next level.

Level 2 

Get involved

The RHS is the UK’s gardening charity, helping people and plants to grow - nurturing a healthier, happier world, one person and one plant at a time.