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First
Growing Schools Garden awards
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Working with
the Botanic Gardens Education Network (BGEN), Growing
Schools has developed an award for gardens that provide
advice and training for schools, and demonstrate how
gardens can be used for active learning across the
curriculum. Gardens of all kinds, including school
gardens, are eligible for the new awards and you can
find out more on the BGEN
website. |
For a flavour
of what Growing Schools Gardens can offer, take a look
at the case studies for the first three award winners:
Birmingham
Botanical Gardens
Cambridge
University Botanic Garden and
Durham
University Botanic Garden. |
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Renewable
World launch |
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| Growing
Schools innovative, web-based resource The Renewable
World was formally launched by Diana Johnson MP (DCSF
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools) at
Kew Gardens on 24th February 2010. She described it as
an excellent resource, showing how the decisions we make
every day affect the planet, and encouraging young
people to think about the future. The resource is aimed
at KS3 and uses a range of interactive challenges to
introduce students to the significance of renewable
materials and the part they can play in helping to build
a more sustainable future. To see for yourself go to www.renewableworld.org.uk. |
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Downloads... |
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Foodshare |
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| The Foodshare
Growing to Give project is encouraging every school in
the UK and around the world to create a Foodshare Bed
and grow fresh produce for a local charity. The Growing
to Give project originally started as an idea at Milton
Primary School in Cambridgeshire. The children decided
to create a Foodshare Bed on their school allotment to
grow for the children at the Milton Hospice half a mile
away. The school will be setting up a ‘Donation
Station’ for parents to bring surplus produce from
their garden too. Read
more. |
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| Beagle
Project |
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Join a
Europe-wide scientific research project by
monitoring seasonal changes in your local trees. |
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detailed teacher’s guide, ideas for linked
activities and identification resources are all
available on the website. |
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| The
Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) Manifesto
partnership was launched by the Secretary of State
for Education and Skills on 28th November 2006. The
Manifesto is a ‘movement’ or joint undertaking
that many different stakeholders have helped to
create and to which anyone can sign up. Its aim is
to ensure that all young people have a variety of
high quality learning experiences outside the
classroom environment. |
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| The
Manifesto is a short publication with a vision
statement and high level aims. Government
departments (including DfES, Defra and DCMS), LOtC
providers, local authorities, schools, youth groups
and many other supporters are in the process of
signing up to or ‘endorsing’ these common aims
and making ‘pledges’ of practical action to
support them. There is a Manifesto website with
further details (where the Manifesto document can be
downloaded) with signatories and pledges. |
The Growing Schools
Programme recognises the value of Learning Outside the
Classroom and support the Manifesto’s vision and aims.
We have therefore already endorsed the Manifesto along
with 172 other organisations, including English Heritage,
Field Studies Council, Natural England, RSPB, Outward
Bound Trust, Arts Council, Forestry Commission, Natural
History Museum, Youth Hostel Association, Farming and
Countryside Education, National Trust, Learning through
Landscapes, to name just a few. A full list of signatories
and their pledges of support are on the website.
We have endorsed the
Manifesto because we believe that by working together we
can provide many more opportunities for children and young
people to experience the world beyond the classroom as an
essential part of their learning and development. We
recognise that, quality learning experiences in ‘real’
situations can raise achievement across a range of
subjects and develop better personal and social skills.
When these experiences are well planned, safely managed
and personalised to meet the needs of every child they
can:
- Improve academic
achievement
- Provide a bridge to
higher order learning
- Develop skills and
independence in a widening range of environments
- Make learning more
engaging and relevant to young people
- Develop active citizens
and stewards of the environment
- Nurture creativity
- Provide opportunities
for informal learning through play
- Reduce behaviour
problems and improve attendance
- Stimulate, inspire and
improve motivation
- Develop the ability to
deal with uncertainty
- Provide challenge and
the opportunity to take acceptable levels of risk
- Improve young people’s
attitudes to learning.
We will be working with
schools, local authorities, parents, carers and the many
other organisations committed to providing an exciting
range of teaching and learning opportunities outside the
classroom.
Other key proposed
measures of the Manifesto include:
- The creation of a new,
independent Learning Outside the Classroom
Council to bring together providers from the
public, private and voluntary sectors with
representatives from schools & Local Authorities ,
in order to take ownership of and achieve the aims of
the Manifesto.
- The development of an
Out and About package to support schools and
others with guidance on planning and funding; staff
training and development; and risk management
including a new family of ‘safety badges’.
- Learning Outside the
Classroom will be part of the revised OFSTED
Self Evaluation Form, in order to encourage
schools to evaluate and develop their current
activities.
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Growing Schools is looking
forward to working with schools, local authorities, the
Learning Outside the Classroom Council and all of the many
organisations who have endorsed the Manifesto, to ensure
that all children and young people have a chance to
develop their learning in exciting and fulfilling ways
outside the classroom. |
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Designing
School Grounds – new book published
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| A new publication, written
by Learning through Landscapes for the DfES as part of the
Schools for the Future series, is now available. This
guide, 'Schools for the Future: Designing School Grounds',
encourages schools to consider how best to use their
grounds for the educational, recreational and social needs
of their pupils. It gives practical case studies of where
schools have transformed their environment and brought new
learning and excitement for their children, staff and the
wider community. |
| The guide is designed for
everyone involved in developing school grounds: teachers,
headteachers and governing bodies, local authorities,
architects, dioceses, and sponsors.
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More Info
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Plans for
year of food and farming in schools revealed
| How food
is produced, sourced and impacts on our health and
the environment will form the basis of a Year of
Food and Farming in education, David Miliband,
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs, announced on 29th November. |
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| The Year
of Food and Farming will aim to involve all children
and young people in all schools in England. The Year
is an industry-led initiative first proposed by
Farming & Countryside Education (FACE) and
supported by Defra, the Department for Education and
Skills, and the Department of Health, the Royal
Agricultural Society for England, and many other
organisations in the food and farming industries.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will act as
Patron for the Year. |
| The Year
of Food and Farming, which will run from September
2007 to July 2008, is aimed at helping young people
learn more about how food is grown and produced and
how it reaches the consumer. It is hoped that the
Year will therefore help to reconnect young people
with the food, farming and the countryside and will
result in: |
- An improved
understanding of the food chain and the role played by
farming
- Increased links between
schools, farmers and food producers
- Development of healthier
lifestyles and good nutrition.
- An increased interest in
careers in the food and farming industries
- A greater appreciation
of the importance of the countryside and
environmental issues.
David Miliband made the
announcement with Sir Don Curry (the Chair of the
Government’s Sustainable Farming and Food delivery
group) at a conference: ‘Food and Farming –
Reconnecting a new generation’. At that conference, Sir
Don Curry said: “It is vital that young people have a
better understanding of where their food comes from, how
it is produced, and the importance of eating a healthy
balanced diet. I believe the Year will provide a fantastic
springboard for this and leave a legacy of materials and
links which will continue to be used long after this
initiative is over.”
The Year of Food and
Farming will encourage a wide range of local initiatives.
A dedicated website, hosting education materials and
details of how to get involved in activities in your
region, will be developed ahead of the formal launch in
September 2007. It will try to signpost opportunities and
events, offer supporting resources and links to other
initiatives. Projects in the Year are likely to include:
- Development of
curriculum materials and projects on food and farming
- Visits to food and
farming businesses
- Exchanges of staff -
short-term teacher secondments or job shadowing
- Activities based around
food retailers and restaurant businesses
- Competitions
- Growing activities -
encouraging school kitchen gardens
- Community projects
- Debates on key issues
So there will be many
opportunities to make great links with both the Growing
Schools programme and the Learning Outside the Classroom
Manifesto.
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