Teach Primary Issue 18.2

34 | www.teachwire.net environment where pupils feel safe and happy. If anything, now more than ever, we want to ensure schools are safe havens for our pupils to enjoy. Creating school grounds that foster our pupils’ keen imaginations, help them engage with learning, and improve their sense of wellbeing, is so important. That is why, at Lessness Heath Primary School, and The Primary First Trust more widely, we have looked to community organisations to help us develop our outdoor spaces and transform them into natural havens that will do exactly that. Our top priority has been to cultivate new spaces that boost pupils’ mood, enhance their lived experiences and diversify their learning opportunities. The value of community Schools are a vital part of a community, and a community is a vital part of A s school leaders know too well, budgets are being stretched thin as the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact the sector. The aftermath of the pandemic is also still having an effect on pupils’ emotional and social development and learning. Against this challenging backdrop, we must strive to ensure we provide an enriching learning a school. There is a symbiotic relationship between the two that benefits from being nurtured by both parties. Fostering positive relationships outside of the school gates goes beyond cutting costs. These relationships can bring value through the sharing of knowledge, new experiences and different perspectives, which is vital to developing pupils’ understanding of the world around them and equally enriches the lives of those in our community. Our community project started as a connection between one of our governors and a local gardener, Neil Moakes, who became our garden project lead to bring to life a redesigned green space. New relationships grew from this one as Neil got to work, contacting various community gardening groups including the Bexley Allotment community, the Men in Sheds, and the West Kent Masonic Community. Building our new garden These community volunteers worked together, donating their time and expertise over the summer holidays to develop our science garden. This included a revamp of our green space with new flower beds and plants, a re-built space for our pupils to sit together in the garden, and a ‘bug hotel’, which attracts wildlife to the garden and facilitates various habitats developing . Beyond building our new garden, these groups are now looking to begin imparting their gardening wisdom to our pupils through assemblies where they can discuss their experiences, demonstrate gardening techniques, and foster a love of the natural world. ON DECK All hands Community involvement is vital for green development in schools, says Anne-Marie Bolton