Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: ann hunter on March 24, 2006, 14:24:47
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Has anybody out there become involved with secondary school pupils and setting up an allotment. Either on school site or local to it. The school where I work is due for a rebuild and along with Healthy schools and Healthy eating are interested in pursuing this alternative way of involving pupils.
I have the energy and enthusiasm but not quite sure where to start?
Any ideas?
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Hi Ann, both of my parents work in a special needs school and my dad runs an allotment for them. Being an allotment gardener for many years, it was easier for him to get things going, but is still hard work!
Maybe you should approach the local council to see if they will let you have one rent-free, seeing as it's for the school? Also, if you do get one, make sure you get talking to the other people on the allotments, who will (hopefuly) be helpful and friendly. Personally, I think it's great to see kids getting involved!
Not much advice there, sorry - but maybe someone else here has done something similar...
Good luck, let us know how it goes!
jams
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A problem that can arise from getting this type of scheme setup with schools is that the summer holidays coincides with the main harvesting period. May be difficult to miantain the committment and continuity.
I have read of others who have done this and they may well be on here as well.
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Thanks Jammy and Jimmy! I will heed your advice. Beans and peas might be a good start.
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Had Jamie Oliver popped out of the school kitchen into the schools Kitchen Garden, that may have driven a few schools to set aside some space.
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It seems to be a growing (excuse the pun) interest with primary schools but is slower and probably more difficult to organise with secondary schoos. They are so busy jumping through hoops of attainment, anyway that is another story.
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schoos ::) Schools I should have paid more attention in english!
Maybe pots of herbs and indoor tomatoes in the tech lab wouyld be a good start?
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Better put the wine away :-\
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It's an excellent idea. I have nothing to do with schools or teaching but I have an observation: on our site there seems to be hostility towards children among some of the old timers (says he who's 58 ;D). Might be worth checking out first if you're thinking of applying for a council site as a school project. I get kids coming on to my plot, which I don't honestly discourage, and you can see these old timers just waiting for any of them to put a foot wrong. Even the parish council who runs ours, had security taps fitted to the whole site with the sole aim of stopping youngsters coming for a drink from the sports field next door. This after a single occasion when 'somebody' left a tap running.
I hope you are successful and you don't get bogged down with mountains of red tape.
Geoff.
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This is something I have been thinking of trying to do myself, so I will be watching this thread in interest.
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There are secondary schools out there with allotment-type plots, but I've never had the chance to really see how it works. Maybe one day.
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Hi Ann, Hi all,
In another life I am a tutor in a small special needs school, we have about 60 students aged from 4-19. My students are 16+
I also write the school web site, http://www.harfordmanor.norfolk.sch.uk/default.htm
I just put a proposal to our head about fencing off an area of our school field so that everyone who wants to can get involved in square-foot (or small space) gardening. I made a plan of action, identified key staff, costings, resources, benefits, areas of difficulty, references to other material, risk assessment :-X etc
It may become part of our after-school club program but I don`t want to be limited by that. I`m hoping that people will take responsibility for a small space to meet their own needs for leisure or curriculum purposes.
It now has to go to governors and be incorporated into the school plan. We won`t be planting this year, maybe next.
Col
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Ah yes, risk assessments :P I have a strange roll in my school. Specialist nurse with a BEST team. Heavily involved with Healthy Schools and Staff Wellbeing + doing ITT (FE) for my sins, Hoping to be employed by the school this year, on a full time basis, as health and well being manager. - watch this space. Your information could be very uesful to me. Any further advice wold be very wellcome. Hope it all goes well for you.
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Hello, is that anne louise ou there? love from big sis, a.k.a. cookiexx
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Hi cookie, yup its me. Lovely to hear from you. Speak again soon xx
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Hi Ann,
I`m hoping to involve staff as well as students on an equal footing, so I`m keen to promote well-being as an advantage also. We have several keen gardeners within the staff so I think that once we get it going it will develop its own momentum.
I also think it will tie into lots of areas of the curriculum as well as being a rewarding leisure activity for some students. We already have an established nature area and sensory courtyard. We have gained prizes in Norwich in Bloom and for our sweet peas grown at on weekly FE visits to our local Agricultural College. We also have ECO and Gardening clubs that run at lunchtimes but last year they had to grow vegetables in a few raised brick planters at the front of school because theres no other space available.
I think that small space gardening is the way to go as we can do it on site in a long strip of land. Our students can succeed with short bursts of activity within lessons, and as reward or leisure time. It also gives them ownership of their area and they can make real choices as to what to grow and what to do with the crop.
I have identified a site by the fence we share with a much bigger school which will need additional high fencing and a gate but once we get agreements to fund that we can start to make this happen. There will be pictures on the school web site when it does.
Col
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Hi Col
Did you meet with any resistance at the out set? Or negetivity from staff. I have thought of maybe initially throwing the idea into a staff briefing one morning and taking it from there. At least that way I can guage how much help and interest is likely to be forthcoming.
Ann-Louise
aka ann hunter
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Trends and fashions. Some of the teachers where I work have been here for a life time remeber school allotments being very popular in the 70's. I guess it would depend on wether your caretaker/janitor is green or not. a lot of work for some one.
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Hi Ann,
I initially wrote up this idea because our lunchtime gardening club was being stopped and that coincided with a piece in The Times Ed. Sup. about a competition for school gardens. Several staff wanted one particular student to be able to do some gardening so the small space garden idea is what we arrived at.
We were offered a space in the nature area that we felt wasn`t suitable and the idea floundered at that point. (last autumn)
At my PDI I refloated the idea to the Head who it transpired had never heard about it so I submitted the outline plan to him. It is now getting a fair hearing and I expect it to appear in the School Development Plan soon.
So the answer to the question is some staff are keen gardeners and happy to extend these options for the students. I spoke to a few privately and they are identified as key staff for the project. If the project starts it will be supported by a core group with an open invitation for anyone who wants to, to get involved. I think early success will bring in others but mindful of peoples work load I`m not asking for a massive regular committment by anyone. More of a collective effort with short bursts of activity by many individuals. The hardest part will be lifting the turf from the field and keeping the pigeons out.
Theres a lot of stuff on the internet to support gardens in schools and I`m sure you will find information to support your plans. Plus it ties in with Education for Sustainability, Eco-status, City-in-Bloom, or many curriculum areas.
Col
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when i was in primary school we had an allotment (school garden) which was next to th local cemetary. the kids would go out and plant beans and watch and report on them - i think as part of biology lessons. i cant remember what else we did out there. i think the involvement was obnly for the one year or season though....as the following year the year below us would do that as their curriculum excercise
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Well I hope all those driving these sorts of initiatives keep us here updated on them.
It can only benefit a younger generation who are constantly refered to as having an impatient and throw-away culture and attitude to life.
Even better, teachers (I believe) have a fairly stressful job so what better than the best stress relief we have right where you work - the garden.
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There is a kids' allotment project in York- not based at a school but might give you some ideas. have a look http://www.york.gov.uk/cgi-bin/wn_document.pl?type=6763 (http://www.york.gov.uk/cgi-bin/wn_document.pl?type=6763)
I've met Angela Johnson, whose phone no.is given, & she's really committed and helpful.
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Thanks Caroilne I'll go surfing when I have woken up properly.
Ann-Louise
aka ann hunter
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We have 3 school allotments on our site and there's another at a neighbouring site, all with different levels of use.
1 . The garden cost around £14,000 of grants and different classes visit once a week with a paid horticulturist organising lessons. The grunt work is carried out by the ex-headmistress ( who organised the grants etc ) and her husband.
2 . Used less often by the school. The real strength is the headmaster who gardens it as his own and then uses it for classes as and when.
3 Surestart - Due to open this Friday. 6 local infants schools will be using the plot for lessons. No keen gardener has yet been identified to maintain the plot. A paid horticulturist will be employed for lessons.
On a neighbouring site, the local secondary school were given a plot by the council with a polytunnel etc. From what I can gather, it seems to be used to take groups of troublemakers away from the school for an hour or two rather than for more constructive purposes.
The common theme with these gardens seems to be that the success ( or lack of it ) depends totally on whether an organiser can be found who will treat the plot as a hobby rather than an extra duty. There's no doubt in my mind that there is enough interest from all school ages but someone knowledgeable and enthusuiastic needs to head the project. Grants also seem quite easy to come by for such projects.
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Anything like that is going to take firm and knowledgeable leadership or it's going to degenerate into chaos. I can well understand a school using it to get rid of troublemakers; between lack of funding and the very restrictive curriculum, schools are often left with low-ability kids who are totally peed off with the system by the time they get to Year 10 or 11. They rebel, and become a teachers' nightmare. Anything which gives them something reasonably constructive to do and gets them off the teacher's back for a bit becomes more than welcome. I should know; I spend a lot of time dealing with classes like this, often after they've driven the regular teacher into a breakdown.
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I couldnt agree more. Like alot of schools we have an Inclusion and pupil support unit with a team of learning mentors. Like you, having spent time in this arena and supporting 'kids with issues' I think anything which is constructive and gives an alternative for these pupils should be explored. And it can be linked to the curriculum to suite those with lower abilities and made interesting
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Ann,I used to run a garden with some mentally retarded clients on a voluntary basis. You will find that a small group is best as you will have to keep a close eye on them.Or you wil find the wrong thing pulled or steped on.Not through any malice but just from lack of any knowledge.
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Well!
Today I have taken the bull by the horns and spoken with one of the deputy heads about this project. Going to start small with a plant, veg, seedling swop in the staff room. At least I will find out who grows stuff! And take it from there. Here goes. :-\ :'( :-[ :'( :-[ ;D
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Go for it!!!! ;) ;)
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Well done Ann, Best of luck, keep us posted :D
Col
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I have identified an area on site - yippee !!!
However it is fairly windy and will need some kind of natural wind break. I thought maybee raspberry canes. Any other ideas?
AH
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willow fence?
branching out into basket weaving in no time ;)
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Actually that is a good idea, and strangely enough it popped into my head as well having noticed how much of a root system is now on some willow branches I had in a vase in the house (first sign of spring and all that)
Also there is a lovely man who has an allotment next to mine who is a wizz at this sort of thing - and I sort of put it to him that he could maybe show some other people??how to weave a fence!
Maybe he can do baskets as well! :D
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Hi Ann,
We have a couple of living willow structures - an arch and a teepee on our junior department play area.
I`ll put pictures on the web site in a couple of weeks.
Col
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You might find this link useful too ann: http://www.allotmentforestry.com/fact/willo.htm
:)
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Thanks supersprout.
Its a brilliant site - doesnt bombard you with science and easy to folllow. Some good ideas I cant wait to get started :)
There is what looks like an attempt to do something with willow at school but it has been neglected and has collapsed all over the place. :( That maybe a good place to practice as anything I do is bound to be an improvement. ;)
Col - we look forward to seeing the pics :)
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Well hey ho!
The plant swapping is going well! AND last sunday I was down the lotty and new family on the plot? Mum just happens to work at the same school -well I never. New recruits possibly. :-\
Watch this space.
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Now got an area to 'cultivate' with a small group of pupils.
Lots of ideas!
And, now I have somewhere to plant all those spare seedlings. :) Plus a budget!!!!!!
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Hope you get lots of pictures too ann! Is the school likely to do a blog or website based on the lottie? If not, put 'em here, would love to see the tots at work ;D
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Our school has a strong allotment corner in the staff room AKA the old gits! The school has an allotment for the seriously disaffected, it helps me deal with them as we have some common ground... I supply things and advice as needed by the actual Allotment man..
;D
On the windbreak side Jerusalem Artichokes do a great job, you don't have to dig them up if you don't want to!
???
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Think I have identified the 'old gits' corner.
Too sad to admit they like digging etc, but have now comandeered help for the after school suport.(ie maintaining - weeding, during hols)
Also got the on site maintenance team (care taker) on board, plus some senior members of staff!? :o a bit of persuasion and swopping seedlings in exchange for plant pots !
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Just had another thought - arent jeruselum artichokes of the sunflower family? Another learning point for the kidly winks!!!! I love them - the artichokes that is -but they have a serious affect on my gut, so maybe best left in the ground? ???