A range of organisations in the United Kingdom offer free resources, grants, and educational materials to support gardening and outdoor learning in schools. These programmes are designed to help teachers integrate practical horticulture into the curriculum, promote environmental awareness, and encourage children to connect with nature. The offerings vary from free seeds and growing kits to downloadable teaching materials and financial grants for outdoor projects. This article outlines the key opportunities available to UK schools, based on information from official educational and horticultural bodies.
Free Growing Kits and Seed Programmes
Several organisations provide free kits and seeds to schools to facilitate hands-on gardening projects. These are often linked to specific educational initiatives and are available upon registration.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) runs a campaign for all schools to have a garden. Upon free registration, the RHS provides each participating school with a free start-up kit, free seeds every year, newsletters, and rewards for progress. This programme is designed to support schools in establishing and maintaining gardens.
Grow Your Own Potatoes is a project that teaches primary school children about potatoes. Schools can register to receive a free potato growing kit, which includes supporting lesson plans and worksheets. The project focuses on the educational aspects of growing a staple food crop.
The Big Sunflower Project helps raise awareness of rare neuromuscular conditions known as centronuclear and myotubular myopathy. The project is now in its eighth year. Information on how to take part and receive free sunflower seeds, as well as guidance on growing sunflowers, is available on the project's website.
Tree Appeal offers a free tree or cell-grown sapling of the choice of the participating school. This initiative supports schools in adding trees to their grounds, contributing to local biodiversity and providing learning opportunities about tree growth and ecosystems.
Educational Resources and Lesson Plans
A variety of free educational resources are available to help teachers plan and deliver gardening and nature-based lessons. These include downloadable packs, activity sheets, and online content.
Grow to School supports schools in taking pupils outside for learning and exploration. The organisation shares a selection of useful lesson plans, gardening and nature-based activities, plus videos and guidance to support teachers in taking their classes outside.
The Great Plant Hunt develops children's understanding of the natural world and is presented as an ideal free resource to help teach the primary science curriculum. All teaching materials and resources are available to download, allowing schools to run The Great Plant Hunt completely free of charge.
Garden Organic offers advice on growing your own fruit and vegetables, making compost, and monthly garden activities. The organisation provides factsheets, activity sheets for schools, growing cards, and resources for teachers. The growing cards include information on vegetables, fruit, herbs, and edible flowers, detailing when to plant, harvest, and prune, and the equipment needed.
Busy Things has created a free gardening pack for schools. This pack includes a low-cost experiment for pupils to grow a plant from seed in a window, and another experiment to help students see how water travels from a plant's root to its leaves. The pack is designed for easy implementation in school settings.
The Woodland Trust - Nature Detectives offers resources for linking trees to the curriculum, as well as free activity packs for teachers and resources for schools. These materials help integrate tree-related learning into various subjects.
Gardening with Children provides stimulating ideas for the classroom and a collection of helpful factsheets. The website contains a range of quality-assured educational content from hundreds of contributors.
Garden Organic's online resources for schools are packed with expert and engaging gardening information specially created for schools. This includes teaching materials, growing cards, handy guides to gardening, educational games, and activities. These resources were developed as part of the Soil Association Food for Life Programme and include a food growing manual with practical advice.
Countryside Classroom aims to inspire and enable teachers to use food, farming, and the natural environment both in and out of the classroom. The website contains a range of educational content from various contributors.
Grants and Funding for Outdoor Projects
Financial support is available from certain organisations to help schools develop their outdoor spaces and learning environments.
Learning Through Landscapes helps children connect with nature, become more active, learn outdoors, develop social skills, and have fun. The organisation operates in Scotland as 'Grounds for Learning' and in Wales as 'LTL Cymru'. It is currently offering Local Schools Nature Grants with £500 worth of outdoor resources. These grants are intended to support schools in enhancing their outdoor areas for educational purposes.
Specialist Advice and Programme Support
Organisations also provide in-depth advice and support for schools interested in specific aspects of gardening and environmental management.
The British Ecological Society provides resources, in-depth information, and advice, focusing on learning outside the classroom. It offers information for schools interested in the construction and management of ponds and hedges, supporting more complex ecological projects.
Garden Organic offers education programmes to help teachers and school professionals develop gardening projects. These projects teach children where their food comes from, develop their scientific and environmental awareness, and encourage them to eat more fruit and vegetables. The organisation provides information on how schools can work with them on these projects.
Conclusion
UK schools have access to a diverse array of free gardening resources, from practical growing kits and seeds to comprehensive lesson plans and educational grants. Organisations such as the Royal Horticultural Society, Grow Your Own Potatoes, and The Big Sunflower Project offer tangible materials for hands-on learning, while bodies like the Woodland Trust and Garden Organic provide extensive downloadable resources for curriculum integration. For schools seeking financial support, Learning Through Landscapes offers grants to improve outdoor spaces. These programmes collectively support the integration of horticulture and environmental education into school life, fostering practical skills and ecological awareness among pupils.