Food Growing at Portmoak Primary School

Portmoak Primary School has been working with Kinnesswood in Bloom on a food growing project at the school. Together, they secured money from the Community Environment Challenge Fund that enabled the project to be developed. They used this towards equipment such as wheelbarrows, spades and trowels, as well as a polycrub for the school grounds.

This collaboration has been beneficial for both parties in pursuing awards due to the shared aims of the project. In 2023, Kinesswood in Bloom won a Discretionary Award from Beautiful Scotland for children and young people's participation, while Portmoak Primary School has used this project towards receiving an Eco-School Green Flag Award. Keep Scotland Beautiful oversees both initiatives, which foster community collaboration and environmental sustainability.

Pupils get to experience a range of outdoor learning activities thanks to the project. These vary with the seasons but have included germinating, planting, caring, harvesting, and cooking. The project has provided opportunities for Learning for Sustainability through these curriculum-linked practical activities, which have helped deliver outcomes in health and wellbeing, math, literacy, vocabulary and writing.

The school has said they could not do this without the collaborative efforts of pupils, teachers, parents and the local community. They offer this advice for anyone undertaking a similar project:

1. Aim high and put in funding bids
2. Use the help of parents and the community as well
3. Ask for donations from parents
4. Reuse items from other projects
5. Good communication between the school and community volunteers
6. Involve all school children
7. Keep a diary and date the planted seeds
8. Make a rota before you start in March so you are all ready to go after the Easter holidays

Do you have a project you would like to share? Contact [email protected] to tell us about it.