Our vision is for horticulture to inspire our pupils and encourage them to be inquisitive about the world. Working outdoors on the school allotment nurtures their innate curiosity and enables them to develop a range of skills that are useful across their learning both now and in their future lives.

There is a range of evidence that supports the idea that regular contact with nature can benefit a wide range of our learners. Importantly, research highlights that children’s senses are motivated by nature and that the experiences form children’s relationships with natural areas in a way that is often remembered into adult life. Literature in this area has identified the need to keep children connected to nature and natural landscapes. It has also suggested that young people develop better when they have access to outdoor learning, which can affect their cognitive learning, their behaviour and social interactions as well as their wellbeing. Academic progress has been linked to exposure to the outdoors as well as learning about horticulture through horticultural experiences. As well as the use of the environment for learning, there is the impact that the landscape itself can have on pupils. Increasing young people's access to the outdoors can have a positive impact on pupil performance.

Aims:

• become aware of the appropriate clothing required to work outdoors
• be able to safely use and identify the tools required
• be able to grow and look after the seed until it is ready to be planted outdoors
• be able to sow plants outdoors
• be able to clean and tidy the tools and the garden after planting and safely put the tools away