Eco Sensory Garden at Dringhouses Primary School

Aim

To build an eco-friendly, sensory garden to support climate change education, provide a community space and encourage positive mental health

It’s our pleasure to introduce this amazing school.  We’re a warm and welcoming community, where our staff, families and children feel valued and where learning is inclusive.  We want our children to become great people – to succeed academically, socially, and to find things they love to do.  We have a dedicated team of adults who really do want the best for the children.  

Our outdoor space, however, is somewhat limited for our 310 pupils and we have very few green spaces.  We currently have access to a field for PE lessons in the summer, but this is outside the school grounds (across a main road) so children are not able to access this green space independently.  Whenever possible, we make the most of the local area for science / geography field trips but again, the children are not able to access these spaces on a regular basis.

We would love to provide a bio diverse, environmentally friendly area that the children can access on a more regular basis to provide:

• Daily interest and discussion for children with their families at drop off and collection times
• A place for daily check-ins for our budding scientists to help teach them about the importance of caring for our environment.  The space would be used in our curriculum plans to help bring the teaching of Maths, Science and Geography to life. 
• A calm space for those children who need time and space to reflect.  Having an outside area allowing children to connect with nature and explore different types of plants can have a calming effect.  Spending time outdoors allows children to explore their natural environment and the world around them and is proven to have a positive impact on mental health.
• A space for groups to meet and work while enjoying the outdoors.

To make the outdoor space inviting, sensory, practical and eco-friendly we would love to spend any funds raised on the following: 

• Planting - we would like to buy a range of plants with sensory attributes e.g. soft, tactile leaves, strong scents, bright colours, and where possible, edible.  This would add a sensory dimension to the garden and make it visually attractive as you arrive at the school as well as promoting biodiversity.
• Herbs for cooking - we'd love to plant herbs for the kitchen staff to access and cook with.  Carolina (our school cook) is keen to be able to use these fresh ingredients, save on costs and eat more local food. 
• Planters - we hope to buy at least three moveable planters on wheels so we can make the space adaptable for children / community groups to use.
• Weather station - we would like to buy a weather station with an outdoor thermometer, rain catcher and interactive features which the children could use for science, geography and maths and link to curriculum work on climate change, statistics and the local area.
• Water butt - to enable us to collect rainwater to water our new garden and plants while also reducing waste water.
• Outdoor seating - including benches, rugs and cushions so the children can be outside as much as possible.
• Solar powered water fountain - to be situated around the seating to add natural sounds and aid relaxation. 
• Sensory pathway - to install a circular sensory path around the bike shed, made of different recycled materials. This path would also home a 'story path' where we can place large stones with characters on from well known books and encourage the children to paint their own stones to add to the trail.

This project successfully funded on 14th August 2023