Young People and Schools

We believe that every young person should have the opportunity and skills to grow their own food.  

Organiclea has a range of offers for young people through schools, community centres, and other settings, including accredited training programmes, school visits, and holiday clubs. See here for our Forest Time offering.

If you are a community group or individual looking to engage young people in your project visit our Community Food Growing page here to find out how we can support you.

 

Waltham Forest Climate Charter

‘There is increasing evidence that outdoor environmental education improves educational attainment as well as social and emotional well-being. Sustainability and climate education provides a rich

 opportunity for students of all ages to learn with their head, hands and heart’

All of our schools and young people’s work aligns with Waltham Forest’s Schools and Colleges Climate Charter. Our work has a particular emphasis on water, food, circular economy, climate justice, nature and resilience.

Organiclea can support you to achieve the aims of the charter and take positive climate actions. Get in touch with schools@organiclea.org.uk to find out more.

 

Waltham Forest Food Growers Network for schools

The Waltham Forest Food Growers Network is a community of food growing projects and schools providing peer-to-peer support, learning and connection.  We offer training, workshops and support for new and existing projects and funding opportunities. To get in touch with the branch of the network dedicated to schools, contact schools@organiclea.org.uk.  

 

School visits

Our school visits provide students with the opportunity to explore our 12-acre growing site on the edge of Epping Forest and take part in engaging activities to help reinforce their existing knowledge and expand their learning.  

We offer 4 seasonal school visit packages (spring, summer, autumn and winter), all of which include a tour, group activity, and harvesting, cooking, and eating task. The length and exact content of the tour and activities will be decided in collaboration with school staff in advance.  

Our school visits connect with a range of curriculum topics. We work with teachers to tailor visits to meet curriculum and student needs.  

Primary  

• Science:
  • Plants – students will explore food crops and wild plants at our Hawkwood site 
  • Seasonal changes – we show how food growing tasks and seasonal crops change throughout the year 
  • Living things and their habitats, and animals including humans – Hawkwood is brimming with life – from the frogs and tadpoles in our ponds, pollinators in our wildflower meadow, birds in the ancient oaks, to the hedgehogs that hide in the day and come out at night. Our visits share with students how we work to encourage biodiversity through food growing.   

• Geography 
  • Students will experience, including activities to explore food miles,  

• History 
  • We explore how farming practices from the past are still used today around the world and contribute to sustainable food growing, such as  

• Cooking and healthy eating 
  • Students work together to harvest, prepare, and eat delicious, healthy organic fruit and vegetables 

Secondary 

• Geography
  • our visits enable students to see and understand how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, environments and the climate; and how human activity relies on the effective functioning of natural systems 

• Our school visits cover GCSE and A Level course content, particularly Geography, Biology, Science, Business Studies, History, and Politics.  

 

2024 Prices: 

	Half Day visits		Full day visits
	Up to 15 students	Up to 30 students	Up to 15 students	Up to 30 students
Non fee-paying schools	£200	£330	£300	£500
Fee-paying private schools	£250	£420	£375	£625

 

We are able to offer discounts for multiple class visits. 

If the cost is a barrier please do get in touch anyway and we will see if there are any discounts we can offer.  

Our main building, classrooms, toilets, kitchen, and roughly half of the growing areas are wheelchair accessible. We will plan visits to suit your group’s access needs.  

If you would like to enquire about a school visit please email schools@organiclea.org.uk 

 

SEND, BESD, and Alternative Provision

OrganicLea can support young people to develop functional skills and self-awareness outside of mainstream classrooms. 

We support food growing projects that work with young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) difficulties by using the garden as a tool to engage students and staff around food growing, land connection, health and well-being, community, leadership, and social enterprise. Our experience shows that working with SEND and SEMH young people improves their confidence, behaviour, and practical life skills.  

Organiclea supports young people with SEND and SEMH difficulties in the following ways: 

• Year-long programmes at our Hawkwood site for young people to learn about food growing and gain the benefit from time outdoors. These programmes allow young people to gain AQA Unit Awards in food growing, horticulture, enterprise, carpentry and cooking.
  
• There is also an emphasis on gaining life skills:
  

• • Learn independently through first hand experiences and problem solve with creative thinking
    

• • See relevance to real life, learning in context and engaging all senses

• • Develop physical and mental wellbeing

• • Engage with members of the community and develop teamworking and group skills 

• • Develop social skills and communication 

• • Develop an understanding of risk in unfamiliar environments  
    

• Growing food in your school – Organiclea can support your school to use your garden as an effective teaching and learning tool throughout the school year. Our aim is to include students, staff, parents, and wider  community in the garden. Organiclea can provide Level 2 trained food growers with experience working with SEND young people and those with SEMH difficulties.  

• Alternative Provision – Our AP program is based at our main-growing site, Hawkwood Community Plant Nursery in Chingford. Our experience as educators has shown us that outdoor learning and physical work engages those most challenged by mainstream education. Students can receive a Level One qualification in Practical Gardening Skills. 

Get in touch with schools@organiclea.org.uk to find out more.