Green-fingered Norwich High students have been planting up items from the ‘Plant to Plate’ gardening pack, which was received this Spring.
The ‘Plant to Plate’ token-collection scheme was launched by Archant in January 2020 and saw the Eastern Daily Press (EDP) working with Enjoy Gardening More to help school children across Norfolk to create their own gardens and grow their own vegetables.
The aim of the scheme was to give pupils the chance to engage with their environment, enjoy the outdoors and learn about how the natural world works.
The Norwich High School community collected almost 3000 tokens from local newspapers and therefore won a gardening pack worth £130, which included strawberry runners, pumpkin seeds, compost, herbs and potatoes.
“Norwich High already has a strong tradition of outdoor learning in all its forms.” said Owain Hall, Assistant Head (Enrichment).
“The prominence of the polytunnel in the Prep school is a statement in itself; the girls love getting a hands-on experience of growing food from an early start here and our Woodlanders society and on-going work in the Heritage Orchard keeps the pupils engaged in what nature has to offer. Woodlanders have been busy planting native saplings in place of the more invasive laurel trees in Corner wood and the historic woodland paths are gradually being reclaimed to help develop the area as a quiet spot for reflection.
“We have been delighted to see the new wildlife pond in Dingly Dell develop too, with the growth of insect life and subsequent attraction of birds there. The hatching of frog spawn was a highlight this term”.
The school wildlife pond at Dingly Dell is reaping dividends of wildlife and bio-diversity; a pair of Broad Bodied Chaser dragonflies have recently been spotted, together with over 20 common blue damsel flies. The first lily pads are emerging and there are a variety of water irises coming in to flower, all helping transform this area into a most idyllic part of our school grounds.
Classes have been able to use the space for some revision lessons during our revision week and the Prep School has recently enjoyed the area for some pond dipping.
