GLP-W Network Case Study - Tondu Primary School
Developing an African Keyhole Garden
The Tondu Primary School GLP-W network consists of 11 primary, secondary and special schools from the Bridgend CBC area.
What did we want to achieve?
During a network meeting at Heronsbridge School, we were inspired by their keyhole garden and links with schools in Africa. Keyhole gardens originated inLesothoand are now used in many parts of Africa to growleafy vegetablessuch as lettuce, kale, spinach, androot cropssuch as onions and carrots. The design, which looks like a keyhole from above, has a central space where compostable waste is placed and 'grey' water is poured. As a network, we decided to create our own keyhole gardens to help our pupils learn about sustainability, in particular composting, recycling, food production and life in African countries.
How did we set about it?
Network meetings were an ideal opportunity to discuss our plans and enabled us to meet teachers from Heronsbridge’s link schools in Botswana and Tanzania who run similar projects as part of their curriculum. They described how practical agriculture skills are taught in their countries, and how a wide range of crops are grown in keyhole gardens to help subsidise school meals. We were excited to ask them questions about the crops they grow, gain tips from them about companion planting and to be given authentic recipes for a delicious pumpkin dish.
At Tondu Primary we created our keyhole garden using wood from our forest area, willow from the willow den and peat-free compost. A Year 12 Welsh Baccalaureate student from one of our network schools, Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen supported the Eco-club to prepare garden, and he also led activities with pupils about water recycling. After this successful pilot, Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen hopes to extend this approach with other network primary schools which will help their students achieve the requirements of the WBQ community challenge.
Foundation Phase pupils researched and planted vegetables which grow in some parts of Africa such as gourds and pumpkins, alongside our own favourites. Nursery children visited the village shop to buy seeds which they planted in the garden with their parents during family Outdoor Learning and Play sessions. In Forest School sessions we considered how children in Uganda cook vegetables at school and discussed the impact of cooking on an open fire on the environment and the consequences of deforestation. Pupils in key stage 2 classes also helped to grow vegetables throughout the Spring and Summer terms as part of their topic work.
Network meetings were an excellent opportunity to give advice and share progress. For example,
· Tondu Primary provided willow for the Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen Eco Committee to create their keyhole garden in which pupils grow vegetables. Two WBQ students have also used their land management skills to plant fruit trees.
· Nottage Primary School Eco-Club created their keyhole garden by recycling resources from their forest school area and Year 6 pupils attended after-school sessions to help set-up a keyhole garden at Porthcawl Comprehensive School.
· Herbs, plants and vegetable seeds were shared with network schools as they started their gardens.
· Stories and resources to engage pupils with the project in the classroom were also identified, discussed and shared.
How well did we achieve our aims?
To celebrate the success of our keyhole garden, and the healthiness of our organic vegetables, we washed, cooked and ate them fresh from the garden. We made our own charcoal, talked about preserving energy resources, and then cooked vegetable soup on an open fire. Children who initially didn’t want to eat the vegetables all tucked in and enjoyed the unique flavours.
Our pupils decided to sell the remaining vegetables to fund a garden in Uganda. The Eco-Club harvested our crops, with support from Reception and Year 1 pupils. Year 6 pupils then planned a Tondu Kitchen Garden Market and sold vegetables to parents. Eco-club representatives presented their progress to governors at termly meetings and the success of our keyhole garden was shared with parents through the school newsletter.
What was the impact of this work?
Our network’s keyhole gardens have helped our pupils to think critically about organic farming, sustainability, water conservation, food miles and poverty. The project has raised their awareness of a fair harvest and helped them consider questions such as
· ‘Why are there hungry people in the world?’
· ‘What can we do to make sure there is more food to go around?’
How does this link to the Global Learning Programme Wales?
This work linked to the themes of sustainability, poverty and interdependence, and helped our pupils to explore how places are interconnected.
What we plan to do next?
We aim to gather together the learning activities we have used successfully into a whole school resource so that pupils in schools across our network can explore global issues when growing vegetables in their school gardens.
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