Galashiels school project encouraging different learning

Just across the road from Scott's Park, St Margaret's RC Primary is encouraging green-fingered pupils to learn about the world of plants in an effort to add extra greenery to the school and help build vital skills.

The brainchild of headteacher Nicola McLeod and parent William Lister, the tree planting project will consist of shrubbery to be planted towards the school's front border to provide additional privacy from the public pavement and fruit trees.

Both Mrs McLeod and Mr Lister hope that the fruit trees especially can help pupils connect their classroom learning about life cycles with what they see as the trees grow.

"I had contacted TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) to order trees to put them in places in Gala and thought the best place to put them to get kids involved was at the school," Mr Lister said. "I came up to the school and it just so happened that Mrs McLeod had also come up with the idea."

Mrs McLeod added: "Over the past couple of years, and pre-COVID, we were wanting to develop our garden area.

"When you look at us as a school we have fantastic grounds.

"We're looking to develop the outdoor area and outdoor learning as all schools are and obviously the huge agenda [item] just now on sustainability.

"I had got an email saying 'we've got some trees can we put them in' and I thought that's a great way to get the children involved, looking at sustainability, looking at wildlife.

"Then Mr Lister came in."

Pupils at St Margaret's RC Primary School help to plant trees (Image: St Margaret's Primary School)

While the school is excited to now have the trees and shrubbery planted, Mrs McLeod shared that staff's previous efforts to add extra enrichment for pupils within the grounds have been met with vandalism – something she hopes is not repeated with the school's newest additions.

Mr Lister, who has three children attending the school, was inspired to explore a tree planting project after seeing the potential in the school grounds.

He said: "Wherever you look they are building house, cutting trees down.

"I'm not an 'eco-warrior' but I still feel you're taking away from the land all the time and the bees are losing out, the birds are losing out, wildlife in general is losing out.

"So, if we can put something in, if we can involve it in the academia of the school and children are learning more – it grows my children and it grows others."

The new gardening space also offers an opportunity to pupils who have different ways of learning and those who thrive in hands-on and practical skills environments.

Mrs McLeod said: "For some children their development and learning, and actually just trying to develop play in some children, through just digging and playing with mud.

"Now, personally I couldn't imagine anything worse [than mud] but we do have lots of children who think differently.

"School is obviously about academia, but for all children that's not necessarily the right way.

"So, we need to look at bespoke timetables so actually children are out getting their hands dirty and working, growing, tending, nurturing, and then bringing them in and doing something with them.

"That's their learning, they are actually engaging in school, giving them a positive experience and a different way [of learning].

"Learning is more than just literacy, numeracy and health and well being – it's seeing learning in a variety of different contexts."

Mrs McLeod also shared that the schools hopes to make good use of the new fruit trees.

She said: "We are looking at not just the sustainability from the wildlife and looking at the regeneration, we're also looking at a regenerative kitchen where maybe fruit can be used in the kitchen."

In order to bring the new planting scheme to life, St Margaret's was helped by Bob Hogarth at MKN Galashiels who provided gardening tools.