Forging and broadening friendships
Spending time in nature, as a child, can lead to more positive attitudes towards themselves, their peers and, of course, the environment.
An allotment site brings people together and connects people, like a social club, from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life. The exact same can be said for a school allotment. Classes are often set according to age and ability, you don’t, for example, get Year 11’s learning in the same class as Year 7’s.
A school allotment is not like this! A school allotment brings children and young people, of all ages and abilities, together allowing natural socialising and blending to take place away from the conventional learning environment. A school allotment creates its own positive and inclusive ethos which also provides an excellent opportunity for older years to work with younger years.
Having a school allotment can really be a temporary or even a permanent ‘safe haven’ for children and young people who are perhaps finding it difficult to fit in or to find friends.
Year 7, 8 and 9 students working together at Reepham High School’s Allotment Project.
A school allotment is not just about digging and weeding but also very much about social interaction and improving people skills such as ‘talkability’.
