The idea
Malpas Alport Primary School has no green field for growing or outdoor learning. But this project turns that into a creative opportunity! We’re building a vertical garden in the playground—six tall 5-tier planters and several large pots—to bring hands-on horticulture to the heart of school life. The planters will be bursting with seasonal crops, herbs and sensory plants. A fenced games area—currently an unsightly wire fence—will be transformed with climbing plants grown in troughs: peas, beans, and flowering vines. Large pots will hold fruit trees, echoing the six pears in our school logo.
Children will grow together with residents from a nearby care home—sowing seeds, telling stories, and learning across generations.
The eco council is backing it with actions from their Climate Audit, including rainwater collection, biodiversity planting, and recycling. They helped design this project.
Together, we’ll prove that even the smallest, most paved-over places can bloom and grow community.
What we'll deliver
- 12 vertical and container-based growing units for the school playground
- seasonal programme of 10 intergenerational planting workshops with the local care home
- A living wall of mint, companion herbs and other vegetables forming the sensory heart of the garden
- 12 Planters for trees and climbers around the fenced area
- 4 benches and storytelling areas to encourage conversation and shared time
- Tools for 40 pupils and adults, soil, compost and seeds for growing year-round crops
- 2 hour training for staff and volunteers on sustainable container gardening
- A celebratory mint harvest and story-telling tea-party shared between children and elders
Why it's a great idea
This project transforms underused school corners into vertical gardens of learning and wellbeing. It brings:
• Lack of green space – With no field, children miss out on hands-on growing experiences. This project brings growing to the children, not the other way around.
• Eco-literacy: children gain lifelong skills in growing food and herbs, even in limited space.
• Children will learn about food, seasons, biodiversity.
• Climate action: the plan responds to the pupil-commissioned audit with container planting, water butts and pollinator-friendly crops.
• Intergenerational connection combats social isolation: care home residents and pupils garden side by side, building bonds and sharing stories.
• Community spirit: a mint harvest tea-party brings families, carers and neighbours together.
• Sensory wellbeing: mint, lavender and other plants create calm spaces for reflection.
The School Eco Council assert: “We want to grow more green things and help the planet, even without a field.”
Steps to get it done
- 1. Site design and layout planning with pupils and care home staff
- 2. Purchase and install vertical planters, containers and seating
- 3. Source compost, tools, mint varieties and seasonal vegetable seeds
- 4. Train school staff and volunteers in container growing techniques
- 5. Launch intergenerational growing programme with regular weekly sessions
- 6. Monitor plant growth, maintain planters, and document stories
- 7. Host a mint tea harvest festival and create a shared recipe book
