Quince (Cydonia) Vranja
Punica granitum
Rosmarinius off. Miss Jessops Upright
Sambucus Nigra
Taking our mission to the Chelsea Flower Show
We want every child to be able to enjoy nature and learn about food. In fact, we’d like every school to have its own garden.
In May, we showcased the School Food Matters Garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to celebrate and promote food education and children’s access to nature. Our garden, designed by the brilliant Harry Holding, won the People’s Choice Award (Sanctuary/All About Plants category) and the RHS Silver-Gilt Medal.
Following the show, the garden was relocated to its new home - Alec Reed Academy in Ealing and The Beacon CE Primary School in Liverpool - where children and the communities will benefit for many years to come.
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The School Food Matters Garden at Chelsea -
The School Food Matters Garden at Chelsea -
Children from Alec Reed Academy on the garden -
SFM Founder/CE Stephanie Slater and designer Harry Holding -
BBC/RHS People's Choice Award -
RHS Silver-Gilt Medal -
Alec Reed Academy choir -
Press Day at Chelsea Flower Show -
The Beacon CE Primary staff and Kim Johnson MP
“Every school should have a garden”
All the children in this film have access to a fabulous school garden, where they can explore, learn and enjoy nature, but they’re the lucky ones.
Stephanie Slater, Founder and Chief Executive of School Food Matters, discusses the importance of food education in this blog.
Our school gardeners are at the centre of our work teaching children all about food, where it comes from and how it grows. In this film, they discuss the many benefits of outdoor learning and children spending time in nature.
Garden relocations
All organisations supported by Project Giving Back at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 were asked to relocate their gardens after the show to ensure a lasting legacy. It comes as no surprise that we wanted ours to end up as an amazing learning resource for school children. So we reached out to over 700 partner schools, offering them the chance to apply for the garden. After careful consideration, we selected two schools we felt would benefit most from the garden and ensure it thrives: Alec Reed Academy in Ealing and The Beacon CE Primary School in Liverpool.
Alec Reed Academy
Alec Reed Academy has participated in our Honeybee programme. The school shares our passion for outdoor learning and introducing children to nature, and benefits from extensive grounds. But prior to the relocation, the outdoor space lacked any plants, habitats or wildlife for the children to explore! Alec Reed’s new garden has been placed near the centre for early years, primary children and pupils with special educational needs (SEN). Children from the age of three, many of whom live in nearby estates and tower blocks, now have access to a beautiful outdoor classroom and somewhere to relax and enjoy nature.
Alec Reed's Pupil Voice Lead Katie White shares the school's vision for the garden in this blog.
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Alec Reed Academy relocated garden -
Alec Reed Academy relocated garden -
Alec Reed Academy relocated garden -
Alec Reed Academy relocation design -
Old site at Alec Reed Academy -
Old site at Alec Reed Academy
The Beacon CE Primary School
We worked with The Beacon last year on our Young Marketeers programme in Liverpool. Despite being short on outdoor space and gardening equipment, the school managed to make the most of the project, by being incredibly resourceful, even using milk bottles as plant pots! Since then, the student-led Eco Committee has tripled in size. The school’s new garden will help increase biodiversity at the school and give more children the chance to grow food and learn all about the wonders of the natural world.
The Beacon’s Deputy Headteacher Emma Rowley shares the school's vision for the garden.
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The Beacon CE Primary School relocated garden -
Garden unveiling at The Beacon -
The Beacon CE Primary School relocated garden -
The Beacon relocation design -
Old site at The Beacon
Our amazing supporters
Huge thanks to Project Giving Back for funding the creation of our Chelsea garden, the River Café for the garden relocation, and Whole Kids Foundation for enabling School Food Matters to be at Chelsea for the entire week to talk about our work and our mission to teach children about food.
The School Food Matters Garden design
The School Food Matters Garden was designed to be an immersive, forageable and naturalistic landscape for children to learn and explore. The garden put together for Chelsea featured 80% edible plants, the majority of which were drought tolerant and resilient for a changing climate, and rammed earth walls with inscribed quotes from the children. Read more about the design in this blog with its designer Harry Holding.
Plant list
Trees and shrubs
Hedging
Corylus avellana
Crataegus monogyna
Malus sylvestris
Grasses
Briza media
Calamagrostis act. Karl Foerster
Deschampsia cespitosa
Sesleria heufleriana
Perennials
Achillea millefolium New Vintage White
Achillea mill. Moonshine
Allium ampleoprasum babingtonii
Allium Clumps
Allium schoenoprasum polar bere
Allium schoenoprasum Asparagus Gijnlim
Asparagus officinalis
Asphodeline lutea
Artemisia absinthium
Crambe maritima
Centaurea montana
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus
Eremurus Cleopatra
Foenicum vulgare
Fragaria vesca
Geranium Johnsons Blue
Hesperis matronalis
Hesperis matronalis Albiflora
Hylotelephium spectabile
Lunaria rediviva
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Rheum x hybridum
Rumex sanguines (Sorrel)
Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’
Salvia officinalis
Silene vulgaris
Thymus vulgaris
Tulbaghia violacea
Annuals
Beta vulgaris (Beetroot)
Eschscholzia californica
Oak Leaf Lettuce
Phaseolus vulgaris (Common bean)
Raphanus sativus (Radish)
Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium)