Bowbridge Primary School

ESD means Education for Sustainable Development. Find out more below!

What does ESD mean at Bowbridge? Definitions and examples of what we do

Find out what our Year Groups are doing!

Bowbridge Eco Club

Bowbridge E-Team

Gardening News

March 2010: 

The children have been out in the garden now that the weather has improved.  The sprouting broccoli is growing well and the garlic, which we thought we had lost, is beginning to shoot up. 
We have turned over the soil and in the next few weeks we shall be sowing our seeds.

February 2010:  As the days lengthen and there is a little more warmth in the sun, it is time to prepare the ground for the spring sowings.  Dig over the garden and let the frost break down the soil.  Remove as many weeds as possible by the root to make gardening easier later in the year.  Plan what you are going to grow and start to buy the seeds.  If you have a propogator, get some of the seeds started so that when the weather improves, they can be planted out to produce earlier crops.

January 2010: A new year fills us all with plans for the garden. At present the garden is covered with snow but soon the spring bulbs will be appearing giving us a splash of colour in the garden once again. The children will be looking at the changes taking place in the gardenweek by week and planning what they will be doing as soon as the weather permits.

December 2009: The children have been busy tidying up their plots for the winter. Seeds have been ordered ready for spring planting.

November 2009: Very wet weather curtailed our plans for the garden but we still managed to start preparing raised bedsbetween the fruit trees on the side of Bailey Building.

October 2009: The area in front of the Sport and Art building has been cleared and planted with rhubarb and strawberries. On 22 October 350 spring flowering bulbs (daffodils, tulips and grape hyacinths) will be planted around the edge of the area to mark 350 Climate Change Day.

September 2009: The children are now back at school and will soon be working hard in the garden to harvest the fruit and vegetables and prepare the ground for winter.

August 2009: The wet and warm weather has encouraged everything to grow very quickly, especially the weeds. There will be lots of work for the children to do when they come back to school!

July 2009: We have harvested some new potatoes and salad crops. There are apples and plums on the new fruit trees so we should have some fruit to harvest later in the year. The bulbs that the children planted are growing and should be flowering very soon.

June 2009: The vegetables are growing well. We have already picked some radishes and the lettuce will be ready soon.

May 2009: The year group plots have all been planted and the children are looking forward to seeing the plants growing over the next few weeks.
We have planted 21 new fruit trees round the school site and these will provide us with apples, pears, peaches, plums, goosberries, blackcurrants and redcurrants for the school kitchen.
500 summer flowering bulbs have also been planted around the school; look out for a colourful Bowbridge this year!

Gardening tip

Mrch 2010

Plant early potatoes and asparagus and make sure that you protect fruit blossom against late frosts.
Finsih planting bare-root trees and shrubs and new fruit trees and bushes.

February 2010

Make sure garden birds have plenty of food and water.  February is a very hungry month for wildlife.
Now is a good time to check that all your garding tools and in good working order ready for the gardening season.
Plant bare root trees and shrubs.

January 2010

January is a good time to do some serious garden planning. What new projects do you have planned for this year? A water garden maybe or a butterfly garden? or maybe a wildflower meadow or a secret garden? This coming year we plan to re-do one of our fern beds, and also maybe another water feature...we will see.

Take a walk around your garden, what can you see that needs doing? Make a list as you walk around, and when back indoors you can mark what is most important to do and when. Our list is always miles long...gardening is a past-time that is never finished :-)

December 2009:

Now is the time to tidy up the garden ready for the winter. This will help to prevent the spread of diseases and allow the birds to find the grubs which like to hide under the base of trees.

October 2009:

The soil is still fairly warm yet there's plenty of moisture in it. These are ideal conditions for planting deciduous container-grown trees - ornamental kinds like rowans or fruit trees such as apples and pears. Meanwhile, if you decide you have planted a tree or shrub in the wrong place in the past year or two, it is still young enough to stand a good chance of surviving a move this month. First prepare the new planting hole, breaking up the soil in the base with your Garden Claw. Then dig up the shrub with a fork, taking care to damage the main roots as little as possible, and replant. After any tree or shrub planting, apply a couple of handfuls of general fertiliser (Growmore or blood, fish and bonemeal), mixing it lightly into the surface with your Garden Claw.

September 2009:

September is the perfect time for thinking about spring!Why not pot up some Paperwhite narcissus, a few each week from now to December.Jeep them reasonabley dry, on a light windowsill and in 6 to 8 weeks you will have sweet smelling blooms to savour each time you walk into the room.

August 2009:

There's still time to plant a few salad seeds which mature quite quickly, eg radishes, lettuce. Make sure that you pull out all the weeds and put on the compost heap - small weeds are much easier to pull out than letting them grow into big strong weeds!

July 2009:

Now that the weather is warmer you can put conservatory plants outside. Make sure that you water tubs and plants in dry weather. Deadhead bedding plants to encourage continuous flowers.
Pick courgettes before they become marrows!
Clear algae, blanket weeds and debris from ponds and make sure ponds are topped up.

June 2009:

Seeds you can sow this month include artichokes, beetroot, basil, cabbage, carrotts, celeriac, chard, chives, courgettes, french beans, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, radish, runner beans, spring onions. Phew!

May 2009:

Vegetable seedsyou can sow this month include carrots, cucumbers, aubergines, lettuce, onions, peas, peppers, radishes, squashes, tomatoes, beetroot, drawf beans, spring onions and kale.

Earth Day / Birthday 2009

On Friday 24 April, we shall be celebrating Earth Day and the school's 8th birthday. Each pupil will be planting a summer flowering bulb in the school grounds and parents will have an opportunity to join a Science Recycling workshop.

Cookery Club
Pupils from Years 5 and 6 enjoy making pizzas, muffins, soup and fruit kebabs at the Thursday evening Cookery Club. The children attend for four weeks so that they experience different kinds of cooking skills. The club is run by volunteers from the school staff.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS w/b 9th June
All this week children throughout the schoolwere out and about learning about nature and their local environment. Theytook part in a wide range of exciting activities organised by teachers, teaching assistants and also six students from Nottingham Trent University. Theyhad a great time 'outdoors'!! One Y4 child commented, 'I liked Friday when we were showing displays and looking at other people's displays because I was amazed at how much you can learn at Bowbridge!'



Green Researchers

On Wednesday 16 July a Sustainability Afternoon was held to mark the end of the Green Researcher project. Barry Percy-Smith from the University of the West of England, who has been working with 22 children from the school, interviewed parents about their lifestyles. Each class put on an eco activity and parents came along and worked with their children. Fair and Green also attended to show pupils and parents what fairtrade and recycled items are available in the shop in town.There was also a composting demonstration from WRAP.

Food for Life Project
The Food for Life project aims to improve pupils' knowledge about the food they eat, where it comes from, how it grows etc and also to improve the quality of the school meals. Following several visits from members of the Soil Association, the Food Trust and other organisations associated with Food for Life, a School Nutrition Action Group (SNAG) was set up. The group is made up of pupils, staff, parents, governors and representatives from the Children's Centre and the Primary Care Trust and meets every few weeks to discuss what is happening in school with regard to the Food for Life Project, whether any of the activities help to achieve theBronze Award and to decide on future actions.
A Cookery demonstration is planned for 9 July when Jackie Donohoe and Linda Featherstone (school catering staff) willcook two healthydishes which cost no more than £5. Ian Lamb (media manager) will be on hand to interview them as they workand the audience will be able to see everything that is happening with the help of the big screen. Tickets are available from the school office, price £1
Over to you: we want your comments and suggestions!