FLORA and fauna is set to thrive in Horrabridge as pupils get green-fingered in their new gardens at the primary school.

Shoppers at Tesco voted for Horrabridge Primary School’s ambitious garden project to win a massive cash boost from its Bags of Help fund.

With a grant of £12,000 from Tesco, thanks to funds raised by its carrier bag levy, the school was close to its £16,250 target needed to produce a series of gardens for the children in a plot of land above its playground. The school’s PTA stepped in with a further £3,500, the Horrabridge Cavaliers donated £500 and the school gardening club chipped in the final £250 needed.

The parcel of land has since been developed into three zones — a sensory garden with wheelchair access and seating area, a second section with raised beds at staggered heights and a greenhouse and the third section is a forest school and compost area with seating, a fire pit and boxes and hotels for bugs and hibernating wildlife.

Dave Scragg, governor at the school, said: ‘The parcel of land is approximately 30m by 5m so we had a super space to construct in three zones. The first is a sensory garden which we surrounded with plants that are colourful, tactile and smelly, with grasses that will rustle in the breeze. We wanted to attract birds, animals and insects, to have the sound of running water — a place of tranquility. We also wanted to create a place of learning for larger groups but where small groups can draw or simply read a book or where we can have a one-to-one session with any child, including those with special educational needs.

‘The sensory garden leads into a second section which has raised beds at staggering heights and a greenhouse. This will, when added to the three raised beds and a greenhouse in our Key Stage 1 playground, allow us to include all of our children. Every year group will have their own bed to grow flowers or vegetables and they will be able to work at a convenient height. The beds will also allow for wheelchair users to play a full role.

‘The third zone is our forest school and compost area. We have seating and a fire pit, there are bug hotels, bee and butterfly boxes a hedgehog nest and even a frogadillo for our hibernating friends. There are bird boxes in the trees and an active bird feeding table managed by our wonderful eco council. We want to involve all of our children in improving the environment by understanding and controlling food waste so, daily, we collect uncooked fruit and vegetable leftovers for recycling in our compost bins. Beyond the fenced section there is an area that continues along the back of the school that is alive with various wild flowers, bluebells, native valerian and many more.’

To ensure that every child has a fair chance to enjoy their garden, each year group will be given two hours of exclusive use of the garden every week. They will be encouraged to tend their plot, draw, read, investigate the flora, fauna and wildlife that share that plot with them. There will be opportunity to study art and craft skills alongside many of the forest school learning activities that will be available.

Dave added: ‘We still want more. The eastern face of our plot is constructed of an old, dry stone wall and was at one time topped with a Devon hedge — we aim to renew this. We have a super opportunity that few schools can even dream of and we are excited by the years of outside learning that our children can benefit from.’

Headteacher John Clarke said: ‘We are very excited about the range of additional outdoor learning opportunities that the garden area will provide and judging by the children‘s enthusiasm in using the area this last week, so are they!’

The school expressed thanks to all who supported the project, particularly to David Bragg Contractors for the donation of compost.

Anyone who has any ideas or suggestions for the garden, who wants to be involved, or has any skills that would be of use, can contact the school which has said it needs all the help it can get.

To follow the progress of the project follow the school PTA on Facebook or visit www.horrabridge-primary.devon.sch.uk