Schools are being asked to share their views on “Edible Gardening” as part of a research project in association with the University of Edinburgh and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE). The five minute questionnaire aims to gather feedback from all schools, regardless of whether they have a school garden or not.
Terry Griffiths, who is leading the research, explains “There is strong research evidence of the benefits of school gardening, particularly in learning, behaviour and emotion and in food choices. Organisations such as RHS Scotland, RBGE and the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society are increasingly providing interdisciplinary learning initiatives to develop gardening in schools. These include direct involvement in schools with pupil groups, career-long professional learning for staff, as well as educational materials and free seeds. This survey aims to build a comprehensive picture of the extent of school gardening across Scotland and will help assess the benefits and the difficulties associated with developing gardening in schools.”
Responses will be anonymised for analysis and reporting. A small number of schools may be contacted for further enquiries once the initial survey has been completed.
The survey is online at https://goo.gl/AXypRp . For further information, please contact Mrs Terry Griffiths at T.Griffiths@rbge.ac.uk .
we have a school garden at the primary school and grew 102kg veg last year. The children love it and are beginning to get the message about food, sustainability and are looking after the school grounds more.