Help us rewild our urban primary school

Aim

We want to develop the school grounds as a resource for the community, to create spaces for growing food and trees, and natural play spaces.

Our plan, which has been developed through a consultation with the children, families, staff and local community is to rewild the playground. A plan to create a thriving space for growing food, a natural play area, a bird sanctuary and a mini orchard has been drawn up. The ultimate goal of this project is to establish a Community Garden and Nature Area, which will be open on evenings and weekends for local families and residents to access, alongside being used by the school children.

Through this space we hope they will be able to grow their own local organic food, build community connections and improve their mental health. We see this as an inspirational community resource run by and for our school's local community. We hope this will create a model for how schools can help urban families to live sustainably in the city.

The costs of carrying out the heavy work and replanting the grounds are estimated at £18,000. We have already raised £8,000 via the local council, so we need to crowdfund a final £10,000.

We have plenty of labour in the form of local volunteers from the families and local residents, local contractors, the wider community, and from Salesforce UK. Given school budget cuts, we are seeking the funding we need to make our vision a reality. Can you help?

Why this matters

Young people have the most to lose from global warming. So whilst focusing as a society on what we need to do to get to Net Zero, we should be thinking about young people, their perspective on the issue, what they feel should be done, what they themselves can do. What schools do is particularly important. Schools can turn young people into ambassadors for change – in their families, in their communities and in the wider world. 

About our location

School 360 is a newly-opened primary school which is part of the innovative Big Education Trust. The name “360” speaks to the school’s desire to adopt a wider perspective on the world around it and a holistic approach to educating its pupils. Our new building is eco-friendly, using the latest technology in heating, ventilation and insulation. However, the grounds of the school have been designed using a large amount of concrete, and very little green play space for the children. The school is situated in a newly developed area which also has very little green space and most families in the development live in flats with no outside space. We know that despite the school being next to a large wild area (Lea Valley), many families do not visit this and therefore have little day to day contact with nature. We are also very close to two large main roads and are therefore concerned about the impact of air pollution on our community.

This project successfully funded on 27th July 2023