We are very fortunate to have a lovely garden area to the front of our school. It was designed by a fomer parent (Mrs Prince), our local Londis shop fundraised to purchase the greenhouse and the School Association (PTA) fundraised to cover the cost of flowerbeds, seeds and equipment. We have a lovely local lady, Mrs Coultas, who is very generous with her time and energy and works alongside Miss Burrows (Teaching Assistant) and the children to keep it productive and tidy. Surplus fruit and vegetables are ‘sold’ and the proceeds used to buy more seeds etc. We often see people walking past and having a peep over the wall to see what is growing or blooming! Volunteers for weeding and watering during the school holidays are always welcome!
Mrs Coultas has written the plan of activities for this season:
| Clean and tidy greenhouse | Mrs Coultas to action |
| Clean and prepare raised beds for planting | Weed, feed and dig the beds |
| Flowers that attract butterflies, bees and insects | Sow seeds into small pots and care for them in the greenhouse until they are ready to plant out. |
| Sunflower Garden | Sow the seeds collected from last years plants. Sew in small pots, some to plant out and some to take home. |
| Ornamental Gourds | Sow the seeds into small pots and care for them in the greenhouse until they are ready to plant out in May [after the frost]. Collect the gourds and display in the school. |
| Peas and [Golf Ball] Carrots | Sow the dried peas into small pots and transplant into the vegetable patch when tall enough. Sew carrot seeds directly into the vegetable patch. |
| Growing Wheat – The Grain Chain | Plant, germinate seeds, grow, cut stalks, thresh, mill and try to make our own flower and bread. |
| Outdoor Tomatoes | Advertise on the Alton Website for someone to donate two plants.
Enlist help for daily watering. |
| Growing Plants from Cuttings | Collect soft cuttings from plants and herbs. Grow cuttings in water until roots appear, plant in pots and take home once established. |
| Community Orchard | Explore the opportunity to become involved in the planting of fruit trees in the planned Community Heritage Orchard |
| Plant Sale | Sell surplus plants and plants grown from cuttings |
| Watering the Raised Bed | Advertise on the School Website for help with summer watering. [small team] |
| Brambles | Replace the brambles with plants that fruit when the children are in school |
SUAT supports and leads in the set-up of new academies joining the partnership. The sevices provided by the central support function cover both educational and non-educational support. In terms of educational support, SUAT is linked to the School of Education of Staffordshire University, which is an outstanding ITT provider.
