Manchester schoolchildren grow their own

green-fingered pupil

Staff and pupils from Saint Paul’s Catholic High School in Wythenshawe, Manchester, have been enjoying growing their own food on the school’s allotment. The pupils have grown many vegetables from seed, they have then had the pleasure of eating these
vegetables.

Through first-hand experience, pupils have been experiencing the outdoors and have been involved in a range of activities including the planning and design of the allotment, the germination of plants, planting regimes and crop rotation, plant maintenance ( weeding, watering, feeding) and plant harvesting.

Also, the staff have been focusing on promoting physical activity through digging and gardening.

"We want to get children interested in what they eat, while getting them out in the fresh air. What better way is there than showing them how to grow their own food?" said Mr Joe Richardson from Saint Paul’s. “Pupils had been studying the germination and growth of agricultural plants and the effects of nutrients and light on plant health. The concept of photosynthesis has been explored and also plant adaptations to particular habitat.”

“A sense of ownership has been created and, because of the hands-on learning, students have gained an excellent recall of their learning due to their participation,” said Mr Wiktor Daron, Head Teacher at Saint Paul’s. “The project aims to give children a more practical approach to their food, a better understanding of where good produce comes from and a key focus is on raising awareness of healthy eating.”

“We also found that bringing school children onto a public allotment site has also stimulated public interaction and helped to break down barriers of age and discrimination, “ explained Mr Daron.