The school has a small wildlife garden on the edge of our school site. The staff and students have worked hard to clear and begin to restore the site, but there is more that we would like to do. We would like to restore the pond, install a small-scale water feature to attract birds, bugs and all sorts of other wildlife to keep the garden thriving. The garden needs new fencing to replace the current wildlife garden boundary, as well as fencing around the pond to ensure the site is safe and secure for all students. Finally, we would love to add a shade sail so that the newly created seating areas can be used for outdoor learning opportunities, regardless of the weather!

Newminster believes that children’s learning goes beyond the classroom. One way of doing this is through our wildlife garden; an inspiring outdoor learning experience for all the children of Newminster. Our aim is that the garden becomes more than just a learning resource; we would like to integrate it into as many learning opportunities as possible – from natures studies and science activities to providing an inspiring resource to help develop writing skills. All children will access the wildlife garden during their time at Newminster and in doing so will be encouraged to develop their responsibility, independence and resilience.

Through the garden we hope to develop a hub for outdoor learning that can be used in all subjects for every student to experience. Overall, studies of outdoor learning consistently show positive benefits on academic learning. On average, pupils who participate in outdoor learning regularly make approximately four additional months’ progress (as evidenced by the Education Endowment Fund). There is also evidence of an impact on non-cognitive outcomes such as self-confidence, collaboration, practical problem-solving, explicit reflection and discussion of thinking and emotion. With the growing emphasis from the government on educating children on how to look after their own mental wellbeing and also to recognise when their classmates might be struggling, we feel that a fully functioning wildlife area will cover why simple self-care, such as spending time outdoors and with friends, is important.

The more support we have, the better chance we have of being successful with our fundraising and ultimately having a wildlife garden that can be fully restored and used by all of our students. Our outdoor learning projects are very special to us and already the current Year 6 cohort has been instrumental in the creation of seating areas and the general upkeep of the wildlife garden. However, we are now at the point where the garden needs investment to ensure the longevity and safety of the site for the current and future students.

Please do donate, but if you can’t donate right now you can help us in other ways! Share this project with anyone you think would support us. Share the link at the top of the page on Twitter, Facebook, email, your website, blog, mention us in a phone call or even just a chat over the fence! Please support us and help make a difference to our students.

We have set up a crowdfunding page where you can pledge your support:
www.rocket.fund/p/newminsterwildlifegarden/

Please ‘dig deep’ and help our garden grow!