Gardening Club & Eco-School Committee at Northfields

Gardening Club is one of the longest-running and most loved parts of life at Northfields. Each year, a group of fourteen enthusiastic nature loving Year 2 pupils join the club on a first-come, first-served basis, stepping into a hands-on outdoor learning experience that blends teamwork, environmental stewardship and real pride in our school grounds. The club also forms the heart of our Eco-Schools work, and our pupils sit on the school’s Eco-Committee. Their efforts have helped Northfields achieve and maintain the internationally recognised Eco-Schools Green Flag award.

The club is led with dedication and deep experience by Lorraine Yates, who has championed outdoor learning at Northfields for more than twenty years. She is supported by her mum, Rita Boughton, and Teaching Assistant Carolyn Holmes, whose practical know-how and infectious enthusiasm help keep the club thriving. Together, they guide pupils through a rich mix of activities, from planting bulbs and tending beds to building habitats, exploring wildlife and developing seasonal knowledge in meaningful, memorable ways.

Most sessions take place in our school growing area, though the children also help care for sections of the wider school grounds. This includes looking after Miss Alexander’s memorial garden, which they tend with particular care and respect. They also look after the school pond, wildlife area and sensory garden. Their work reaches beyond gardening too; the club also supports our food and uniform banks, ensuring they are well stocked for any families who may need them. It’s a quiet but important act of community responsibility that our pupils take seriously.

Gardening Club pupils take part in the RHS campaign for school gardening each year. They have created gardens and scarecrows at RHS Wisley and RHS Hampton Court flower shows. The recent Hampton Court “Bug Barrel” competitions each year have enabled pupils to design and build imaginative wildlife gardens that celebrate creativity as much as ecology and sustainability. They have also worked in partnership with local firm Altro, staging their RHS Hampton Court Ladybird Leisure bug barrel garden at their head office, strengthening community links and giving pupils a sense of genuine contribution beyond the school gates.

The club offers rich cross-curricular learning – from science and design to art, wellbeing and leadership – and gives pupils a meaningful role in caring for their environment. It’s practical, purposeful, and full of discovery. Most importantly, it gives pupils the chance to see the difference they can make, one seed, one bug house, and one tended garden at a time.