We are working together to support all London schools to use food growing to boost learning; encourage healthy and sustainable choices; and connect communities.
We’re hosting a few events this month and with the growing season off to a sunny start, our engagement officers, are ready to support your school food growing by providing information and resources at teachers forums!
Timings for both events are 4 – 5.30pm. Locations to be announced soon.
Islington and Camden are hosting the first of two twilight forums on 20 June, with a focus on the Early Years setting. Come along to find out how to incorporate growing in a setting that suits your learning environment. Whether it’s starting seeds off indoors and then moving them outside once they’re stronger; or discovering ways of dealing with pests such as slugs, the session will no doubt offer resources to get you started or help you along your already established journey of food growing.
To register your interest in attending, please contact Marjon Willers –
Bexley hosts the second twilight forum on 26 June, with a focus on infusing food growing into the Primary Curriculum from Year 1 up to and including Year 6. This session will empower you to start growing using whatever space you have by giving you the confidence to teach any area of the curriculum through the use of your outdoor space. Initiatives along with resources will be shared including how to grow your own picnic and how to use food growing in an enterprising way.
To register your interest in attending please contact Louise Tse –
We look forward to seeing you at one of the above forums!
For more training and events coming up, please click here.
Fleet Primary School in Camden won our autumn mural competition and we worked with Alessandra Tortone to bring the pupils sketches to life as a backdrop for Fleet’s new growing space this spring!
The two days of painting were quite chilly (we even had to reschedule because of snow) but the pupils had a great time pitching in, mixing paints and bringing colour to their school ground.
Big thanks to Alessandra and to Garden Organic for making this possible.
Take a look at this photo gallery below:
Discover more Food Growing Schools competitions here.
Fancy a brilliant day of workshops on topics around outdoor learning, school gardening and edible education?
Rhyl Primary School in Camden is hosting their fourth annual Outdoor Learning Conference on Wednesday April 26th, 9:30-3pm. Workshops include Forest School, inspiring maths and writing outdoors, garden design, embedding in school curriculum and guest speakers from the trailblazing Natural Connections Project.
Price is only £60, which includes three workshops and lunch / pizza from our wood fired oven. The school band will perform during lunch. Any profits from the event to the Rhyl Kitchen Classroom project.
Capital Growth spaces can claim a 10% early bird discount if they book before March 1st. Please quote your Capital Growth space number.
To reserve your place, please email: or telephone: 020 7485 4899. For more info:
www.outdoorclassrooms.wordpress.com
Feedback from previous years:
“Really inspiring and helpful. Lovely and passionate facilitators and teachers.” Halstow School
Food Growing Schools: London are inviting schools in Camden & Islington interested in food growing projects to a forum at Rhyl Primary School, Rhyl Street, NW5 3HB on Monday 20th June from 3.30 to 5.30pm.
This forum is a chance to gain inspiration and ideas from another food growing school, share ideas and learn something new through a seasonal activity run by Food Growing Schools: London. We would also like these forums to act as a swap shop, so please bring along seeds, plants, tools and educational resources you would either like to share, give away or swap with other schools. There will also be plenty of free seeds and resources available from Food Growing Schools: London.
These forum meetings are open to anyone from Camden & Islington schools involved in or wishing to develop a food growing project, staff, parents, volunteers…
Please contact Paul Sadler at [email protected] to confirm you would like to attend.
The very first Food Growing Schools: London (FGSL) conference took place at Argyle School in Camden this week.
It was one of two schools conferences FGSL are organising this spring to bring schools from across London together with the aim of inspiring and supporting them to become food growing schools.
The FGSL North London Conference explored a variety of interactive and informative advice and hands-on activities led by London’s school food growing experts. After an inspirational welcome from Chris Collins, famous TV gardener and ambassador for lead partner Garden Organic, the schools conference took place with workshops led by a number of the FGSL partner organisations, including Capital Growth and the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, School Food Matters and Trees for Cities.
The event was also supported by Chase Organic Gardening catalogue, who provided seeds for delegates, and Abel & Cole, who donated fruit baskets for the conference.
The day included a keynote speech from Chris Collins and a “Gardener’s Question Time” where the audience had the opportunity to get valuable advice from the highly skilled panel. Top tips included how to engage teenagers and how to grow using horse manure in your soil, adapting small spaces and following the seasons in the year.
Chris Collins said: “I am delighted to be the keynote speaker for the Food Growing Schools: London Conferences. I really value the opportunity to share my food growing experience with teachers and younger generations. As a long standing ambassador for Garden Organic, I am always keen to support this kind of initiative and get more schools growing.”
A limited number of places are still available for the next FGSL Schools Conference which will be on Monday 11 April in Southwark. For each conference FGSL is offering 50 free places to the schools worth £150 per delegate.
Any London school, teachers and volunteers can access free support, tips and materials by signing up to Food Growing Schools: London.
North London Conference – Tuesday 15th March 2016, Argyle Primary, Camden
Tuesday 15th March in Camden (Argyle School) 50 schools will join the Food Growing Schools: London partnership for a day of school gardening workshops, packed full of growing ideas, advice and hands-on activities led by London’s school food growing experts.
London schools are welcome to book a place at the next FGSL Schools Conferences which will be held on Monday 11th April in Southwark (John Ruskin).
Two venues, one conference for a day of school gardening workshops delivering a variety of interactive and informative advice and hands-on activities led by London’s school food growing experts.
Chris Collins, famous TV gardener and passionate Garden Organic ambassador, will be the keynote speaker at the two Schools conferences organised this spring by Food Growing Schools: London, a project which brings together the very best of London’s food growing expertise, information and support, with the ambition to inspire and equip every school in London to grow their own food.
Chris will be also part of the “Gardeners Question Time” activity held during the conferences which will be packed full of growing ideas for all the participants.
Fancy a brilliant day of workshops on topics around outdoor learning, food education and school gardening? Join the 3rd annual Outdoor Learning and ‘Plot to Plate’ Conference – Monday March 7th, 9-3pm.
Special guests this year include The Eden Project from Cornwall, Jamie Oliver’s Kitchen Garden Project, The Royal Horticultural Society and The Garden Classroom. The price is only £50, including lunch and pizza from our wood fired oven. The school band will serenade attendees during the break.
Workshop topics include developing a creative curriculum outdoors, grow-to-sell and numeracy, early years gardening, plot design, cross-curricular links, forest schools in the city, quality cookery in the classroom and wildlife gardening.
Other speakers include Tom Moggach: author of The Urban Kitchen Gardener; Matthew Loveday: wildlife expert; Cassie Liversidge; Jules Rogers; Julie Riehl (Capital Growth) and Sally Stratton.
To reserve your place, please email: or telephone: 020 7485 4899.
Chris Collins, famous TV gardener and passionate Garden Organic ambassador, will be the keynote speaker at the two Schools conferences organised this spring by Food Growing Schools: London, a project which brings together since 2014 the very best of London’s food growing expertise, information and support, with the ambition to inspire and equip every school in London to grow their own food.
Chris Collins, TV gardener, quote: “I am very excited to be the keynote speaker for the Food Growing Schools London Conferences. I value greatly the opportunity of sharing my food growing experience with teachers, and younger generations. As a long standing ambassador for Garden Organic, I am always keen to support this kind of initiatives that gets more schools growing.”
Chris will be also part of the “Gardeners Question Time” activity held during the conferences which will be packed full of growing ideas for all the participants. London schools are welcome to book a place at one of the FGSL Schools Conferences which will be held on Tuesday 15th March in Camden (Argyle School) and Monday 11th April in Southwark (John Ruskin). Two venues, one conference for a day of school gardening workshops delivering a variety of interactive and informative advice and hands-on activities led by London’s school food growing experts.
Jemima Wade, Headteacherof Argyle School, said: “Hosting the FGSL Schools Conference 2016 will be a great pleasure for us, as we foster and support food growing in our school. We are therefore pleased to share our space with other London schools during the March conference day”.
The event aims to bring together schools from across London to be inspired by the breadth of support available to them in order to grow food. It will include a welcome address from Chris Collins and lead partner Garden Organic who will be joined by a number of partners including School Food Matters, Trees for Cities, Capital Growth and the RHS Campaign for School Gardening.
Suzy Gregory, Headteacher of John Ruskin School, said “We are very excited to host the FGSL Schools Conference 2016 at our school. Food growing plays a central part in our school, pupils take part in everyday growing that develops a love of food and an understanding of the journey from seed to plate. We are delighted to have the opportunity to share our progress with other London schools during the upcoming event in April”.
Topics will cover meeting new Ofsted and curriculum guidelines using food growing; planning and constructing a growing space, food growing and enterprise. There will also be the opportunity for tours of the on-site school gardens which host the conference, a Marketplace showcasing London school food growing organisations, and a tasty networking lunch.
Looking now for food growing support materials, tips, resources? All London schools and volunteers can sign up for free on https://foodgrowingschools.org/
Michael Palin Launches first Edible Playground in Camden
Carlton Primary Tackles Food Poverty and Childhood Obesity at School
Edible Playgrounds (EP), a project led by Trees for Cities (TfC), to provide schools in urban areas the opportunity to grow food in their playgrounds, today launches an edible playground in Carlton Primary School in Camden, London.
EP benefits children’s health and education by offering those living in urban areas the opportunity to grow, harvest and eat good food, and integrate outdoor learning into the school curriculum. By transforming school grounds into fully functional food growing spaces, EP provides children the opportunity to be active outside – getting them excited about food growing and understanding where food comes from.
Over the last six months, working in partnership with Carlton Primary, Trees for Cities designed and constructed an edible playground in the Camden school. The edible playground contains a greenhouse, vertical herb garden, wormery and vegetable beds, supporting the school to utilise its outdoor space as a learning resource.
Michael Palin, Patron of Carlton Primary School, helped raise funds for the multi-sensory garden and officially opens the edible playground today. Governors, parents and children will attend the opening and explore the garden for the first time.
Jacqueline Phelan, Head Teacher of Carlton Primary School said: “Edible Playgrounds have transformed the outdoor grounds of our school into an incredible food growing space. Children in inner city areas often have limited opportunities to learn and play in natural environments so we are excited that our edible playground will provide our children and local Camden community the opportunity to grow, cook and eat healthy, good food. We are continually striving to encourage our children to be healthier and we view the edible playground as an opportunity to develop this further as well as bring learning outside the classroom.”
Sharon Johnson, Chief Executive of Trees for Cities said: “With increasing concerns around food poverty and malnutrition, the next generation is in danger of losing touch with nature and not knowing why a healthy diet is important. Edible Playgrounds show children how rewarding it is to spend time outdoors and get them excited about where their food comes from. With 37 per cent of children between ages of 5 – 12 not eating enough every day and 20 per cent obese on leaving primary school, more and more schools are now educating their children on how food is grown and on making healthy eating choices. We are delighted that the school community at Carlton Primary has come together to support the launch of an edible playground.”
Michael Palin said: I’m so pleased that Carlton School has been chosen to take part in the Edible Playgrounds project. It will give the children here, in the middle of a busy city, the chance to learn how food is grown and to help grow it for themselves”.
Trees for Cities has been working in schools to plant fruit and nut trees since 2000. With this track record and experience, TfC’ technical expertise in the delivery of Edible Playgrounds and operations is well established and highly regarded. The first Edible Playground was created in 2003. There are currently over 25 Edible Playgrounds in the UK with a further 50 to be rolled out over the next three years.
The project has also been supported by City Bridge Trust, Mayor of London, Ernest Cook Trust, Volunteer Centre Camden, Ernest Cook Trust.
Ends
Media Contacts:
Samantha Lagan: / 020 7820 4426
18 May 2015
Rocket Science
Turning half a million pupils into space biologists
The RHS Campaign for School Gardening has partnered with the UK Space Agency to embark on an ‘out of this world’ educational project. The project, Rocket Science, will give around half a million UK children the chance to learn how science in space contributes to our knowledge of life on earth, using the invaluable expertise of the European Space Agency (ESA) and RHS Science team.
Two kilograms of rocket seeds will shortly take off from Florida bound for the International Space Station as part of British ESA astronaut Tim Peake’s six-month Principia mission. After several months on board, the seeds will return to land in the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2016. After return to the UK, they will be packaged up with identical seeds that have stayed on earth. Participating schools will each receive two packets of 100 seeds to grow and compare, and a collection of fun and inspiring curriculum linked teaching resources and posters, tailored according to the age of your pupils (Key Stages 1 and 2 or Key Stages 3,4 and 5).
Using these resources, we want pupils of all ages across the UK to embark on a voyage of discovery to see what growing plants in space can teach us about life on Earth and whether we can sustain human life in space through the production of our own food. Schools will be invited to input their results into a national online database so that results can be compared across all schools in the UK. The project is aimed at inspiring pupils to think scientifically and helping them to see the potential of future careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) and Horticulture.
Schools, community groups and educational groups of all ages and abilities will have the chance to apply for a Rocket Science resource pack and take part in our nationwide science experiment from September 2015.Be the first to hear more about the project, including when applications open for resource packs, by registering your interest here:
Schools that register their interest will be the first to know when official applications for the seeds open.
13 May 2015
MEDIA ALERT: PHOTO-CALL ALERT:
Michael Palin to Launch Camden’s first Edible Playground
Carlton Primary Tackles Food Poverty and Childhood Obesity at School
Edible Playgrounds (EP), a project led by Trees for Cities (TfC), to provide schools in urban areas the opportunity to grow food in their playgrounds, is launching an edible playground in Carlton Primary School in Camden, London. Michael Palin, Patron of Carlton Primary School, helped raise funds for the multi-sensory garden and officially opens the edible playground on 19th May. Governors, parents and children will attend the opening and explore the garden for the first time.
Contact
Email [email protected] if you would like to attend the opening and if you are interested in an interview with Sharon Johnson, CEO of Trees for Cities. A photo-call with Michael Palin at the Edible Playground is at 2.00pm, please confirm attendance.
www.edibleplaygrounds.org
7 May 2015
Schools head to market with School Food Matters
With the help of our fantastic partner School Food Matters, London schools have some enterprising projects up their sleeves this summer term. Follow their progress and buy school-grown produce near you on market day. Schools Food Matters reports:
Young Marketeers – at Borough Market
This project allows children from 16 schools to sell food they have grown at school at Borough Market, the proceeds of any sale going to the charity Fareshare. May sees the project get started, with Fareshare running assemblies at the schools to introduce the programme, followed by training at Borough Market itself on 14th May 2015. This training will include a hands on gardening tutorial run by TV gardener Chris Collins and a talk about Market trading by some of the stall holders at Borough Market. Over the course of the project, schools will also visit Fareshare to see where the money they will raise is put to use, as well as a visit to the schools by a gardener to see how their growing is going. The project culminates in two sales days, with half the schools selling their produce on the summer sale on the 2nd July and the other half at the harvest sale in September. Young Marketeers.
Schools to Market – at Whole Foods stores
We are starting our great Schools to Market with Whole Foods programme in May, with 36 schools involved across the country. We are now in the third year of this great project and over the this term schools involved will have an assembly run by Whole Foods at their school, a jam and chutney making masterclass by a chef, a visit to a farm and a marketing workshop with Whole Foods. This will culminate in Schools to Market Day in September, where the children sell jams and chutneys they have grown, made and marketed! The purpose of the programme is to teach children all about the value of food and where it comes from. Schools to Market.
To find out more visit the School Food Matters website here
