School secures £10,000 to transform outdoor space

Young gardening enthusiasts at Cambridge Primary School are celebrating securing a £10,000 grant to transform ‘grey to green’ in its outdoor space.

The school was awarded a National Education Nature Park grant from the Department for Education to enhance the biodiversity of its play area.

The school’s garden group has been working hard to prepare the space cutting back trees and shrubs.

The grant, which will be administered through the Royal Horticultural Society, will pay for new equipment and tools, including a woodchipper, to help the clearance while new paths are created and to repair the dilapidated polytunnel.

The school wants to create a bird hide, shallow ponds, raised beds and will grow fruit, vegetables and flowers so pupils can see the full growing cycle.

Some areas will be vertically planted and others kept wild and woodland-like, ready to enjoy the incoming wildlife.

Pastoral Lead at Cambridge Primary School Claire Newby said the new green space will benefit all ages of the school, which runs from two-year olds in the pre-school to 11-year-olds in Year 6.

“We were invited to apply and delighted to receive the full award,” she said. “It will enable more children to experience the outdoors and to create a setting that is more biodiverse and will bring in the wildlife.

“All ages will benefit. The pre-schoolers enjoy picking up leaves and playing in the mud kitchen and finding stones while the older ones can see the wildlife, help with the upkeep and learn to use the tools.”

“Gardening helps with teamwork, cooperation, social skills and we are out three times a week with different children working on projects together. It also promotes physical strength and learning – they children say wow when they see the worms, spiders and bugs.

“You see children who do not always interact in the classroom and out here they are leaders.”

Children from Year 4 and Year 5 at the school, which is part of South Cumbria Multi-Academy Trust, were enjoying their time in gardening group this month.

Oliver said he was enjoying using the tools but was looking forward to the new ones as the current equipment was a bit blunt.

He is particularly looking forward to growing food including potatoes, carrots and pumpkins and will be using skills he perfected at home.

“I have a garden with tomato plants and we are going to grow tomatoes in the polytunnel here at school. I know the best way to grow a tomato is to love them!”

Autumn said: “It is good, I am enjoying spending time with my friends.” she said. “Before I didn’t know what a wheelbarrow is but I know now.”

Kingsley added the gardening was ‘pretty fun but quite challenging’ as he got to grips with using the tools.

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