We have a rich and exciting outside area which includes sound and sensory areas, mud kitchen, playhouses, maze, vegetable patch, pond and small orchard. This garden has been carefully planned to challenge and extend the children’s physical skills and thinking and to provide a range of learning possibilities. We like to think of the garden as an “outside classroom”.
We have a large amount of equipment for the children to play with and explore including cars, scooters and bikes, climbing equipment, and a canopied section which contains a sand pit, art area, water play and large construction.
Each year we enter Bristol in Bloom Learning Through Gardening competition and have won gold (overall winner), gold, silver gilt and silver over the years. This is what the judges have said about our garden.
“The Commitment of the Head Teacher is reflected in his members of staff; parents are kept up to date as news of garden matters is posted on the school website. The outside area is used to its very best advantage giving all of the pupils the benefit of an inside/outside learning experience. Outside areas include a sensory garden with plenty of different musical sounds, smells, textures and things to touch and feel, as well as a mud kitchen – great fun for all.
We were impressed to see the imaginative planting and good care given to it. Each class has its own raised bed for cultivation, the fruit and vegetables grown are used in the kitchen, and this in turn teaches the children about growth and change. The use of bug boxes, wild flowers in the orchard, a marsh area and butterfly garden all add to a delightful environment for the children… An excellent example of the ethos of ‘Learning Through Gardening’.“
