Context

St Peter’s is a faith school based in Stockport and has just over 200 children on roll. One of the school’s strengths is its positive relationship with parents, many of whom are involved in its HAS – Home School Association.

Aims & principles

• To raise standards in writing (especially boys)
• To create a specific outdoor space for writing
• To use the environment to inspire good quality writing
• To encourage increased enthusiasm for writing within the whole school community

In Practice

I started the project by presenting Everybody Writes at a staff meeting and leading a discussion about what we would like to do as a school. We decided on a specific outdoor writing area (with extra ideas for extended writing tasks to do with our “edible garden” project).

My colleague and I met to fill in a project proposal form. We decided to improve on and utilise a part of the playground which was unused and not particularly attractive, and transform it into a writing area.

We hoped to:-

• Fasten a writing surface and other writing stimuli onto the brick wall
• Put writing tables and benches in a fenced off area with a ‘storytelling’ chair with seating around it
• Paint an ugly metal container with variety of stimulating scenes and a story mountain similar to that done by Pie Corbett
• Have colourful, interesting and stimulating writing equipment and resources available in that area
• Get the whole school community involved and enthused in the writing required to get the project up and running and maintained.

We shared our idea for the writing area with a KS1 colleague who thought the area we had chosen was probably the best and came up with other ideas to help us.

We also shared our idea with a KS2 colleague who also agreed that the area we had chosen was probably the best. She also said she could work on inviting poets and writers to the school.

We spoke to member of our Home School Association (HAS) about the project with a view to asking them for funding. She liked the idea and agreed to discuss it with the rest of the group and invited us to the next meeting.

At the meeting we showed the HAS group the Everybody Writes website and discussed our proposal plan. They seemed enthusiastic and willing to contribute some monies, but needed to know how much it was all going to cost. Mr. Murphy agreed to have a meeting with people responsible for school grounds to see what was feasible and the cost involved, also with a view to health and safety (Risk assessment – use of materials etc).

We then met with our LA consultants and gave them an overview of what we had done so far and what we hoped to do. They thought the project was very good and loved the idea of painting the container with variety of stimulating scenes and a story mountain similar to that done by Pie Corbett. They were not concerned that the project (due to delay in getting quotes and funding) would take some time, as long as we had made a start on one or two things.
However, after a while, it became obvious that we were not able to move forward with our original proposal as we had not been able to get any real indication of how much it would cost to prepare the ground prior to purchasing equipment and without this preparation the outside garden area would not be viable.

Also, funding had already been requested and agreed for both a Prayer and Edible Garden. As these projects were already underway it seemed unrealistic to begin work on a third outdoor area. So we decided to adapt our proposal and concentrate on using most of our ideas and resources on the Edible Garden.

We also realised that there was huge potential for creative ideas for many different types of writing about the Edible Garden.

The Head, caretaker and some very keen parents began work on making raised beds and planting some vegetables. Each class also grew a variety of vegetables and herbs from seeds in their classrooms and planted them out later. The Garden continued to be maintained by parents who had formed a Gardening Club.

We then had a staff meeting to share and develop all the writing activities we could do linked to the Edible Garden, I drew up a topic web and each class highlighted topics/activities they would do. Most of these activities were closely linked to the topics covered by most classes in the summer term and so did not involve a great deal of extra planning.

Reception focused on Growing/Change. They read ‘the Enormous Turnip’, ‘Granddad’s Tomato’ and ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’.
They also had pupa in class, watched them change into butterflies and released them into the garden.
They made a Garden Centre, wrote signs for the plants, seed packet designs, signs for the garden, shopping lists.

Y1  wrote acrostic poems about fruit and vegetables using the letters of their names and sent them to the ‘Young Writers’ ‘My First Acrostic’ competition and ALL their poems were selected for publication in ‘My First Acrostic – North West of England’!
Also ICT work on plants and their needs.

Y2 linked to Science topics – ‘Plants and Animals in the local environment’ and ‘Variations’.  They did dictionary work about plants and writing about mini-beasts on mini-beast shapes. The class also worked on the life cycle of butterflies - Had pupa in class, watched change into butterflies, released into the garden and kept a diary of the changes.
Year 2 also painted signs for garden on pebbles. In ICT they searched the internet for information on plants and animals and used the C.D. Rom ‘Wildlife Garden’. They wrote words relating to animals and plants (especially the radishes which they grew, picked and ate!) They also drew pictures and wrote words to describe the radish. They interviewed each other about the Edible Garden using ‘Easi Speak’ microphones.

Y3 did writing work based on Science topics.

Y4 made little ‘How to’ books and made a film based on the programme The Apprentice on marketing fruit drinks.

Y5 wrote ‘begging letters’ to various companies, shops and garden centres. Sadly, no-one replied! They also wrote poems about composting and poems about garden insects. During Modern Foreign Languages Week they studied an Italian artist – Arcimboldo - and created faces using different fruit and vegetables.

Y6 made story books about the garden animals for the infant children and then went to the infant class rooms to read them.

Practical developments

Equipment for the outdoor writing area was ordered and arrived at the beginning of June.

A garden sign was put up by the caretaker along with four blackboards.

A letter was sent out in the weekly newsletters to parents for fruit and vegetable jokes and also recipes for fruit and vegetables, which we then made into books and sold for 50p (Joke books) and £1 (Recipes) making a grand total of £116!

A two day workshop by children’s author Alan Durant was organised for the whole school in July. Alan worked with each class on different projects and at the end of each day there was an assembly for parents and the children were able to show them the work they had created. There were also book signings on each day.
       
We commissioned a parent/local craftsman to make a ‘Storytelling Chair’ (part of the cost was covered by the sales of the joke and recipe books so that the contributors could see what had been done with the proceeds). Several Year 4 children helped him to put the finishing touches to it by sanding it and giving it several coats of varnish. The finished chair was then unveiled at an assembly. The chair has not been put in a permanent place in the Edible Garden yet as we have now been informed that our original proposal has got the go ahead (due to funding from the ‘Extended Schools Provision) and work on that is hopefully going to start in the Autumn term! 

Due to extremely inclement and changeable weather and a very full timetable up to and including the last day there were only a few opportunities for classes to take out the writing equipment and use the outdoor classroom, but when they did it was extremely rewarding and the children gained a great deal of enjoyment and achievement from the activities.

Outcomes

The ‘temporary’ outdoor writing area inspired every class to write and work together. The quality, imagination and variety of written work were excellent.

The joke and recipe books gave opportunities for everyone in the school community to write. We were amazed at the response in the school from grandparents through to the dinner ladies! The children’s and parents’ enthusiasm for it was wonderful!

The Year 1 children were thrilled when they found out that all their acrostic poems were going to be published in a book – quite an achievement!

All the children, including reluctant writers, were able to experiment with words beyond the classroom, realised writing can be fun and that it is for everyone.

Every member of staff contributed and was involved in the project. They felt they had done so much and yet it had not been onerous, as most of the activities were closely linked to the topics they’d already planned for in the summer term.

The caretaker was the first to write on the outdoor blackboards!

“We were fascinated and delighted to see that whenever a child sat on the chair they automatically began to tell a ‘story’ - it made it all worthwhile!” Teacher

The excitement of the children when the joke and recipe books went on sale:
“I can see my name in the book!” “Your recipe looks delicious, Mrs. Mullarkey!”

“The gasps from everyone when the ‘storytelling chair’ was unveiled were worth doing the project for alone!” - Teacher

The children loved working in the outdoor classroom. One Reception child said ‘I can’t write’, then used the alphabet beads and realised he had written ‘bug’ – he raced around the table with delight! 

Legacy

A specific outdoor writing area (or, as at the moment, an outdoor writing area in the Edible Garden) with storytelling chair, benches, tables and writing equipment. This will be continually used, resourced and enhanced, e.g. made multi-sensory.

An annual joke/recipe book based on different themes.

Increased involvement of parents and the wider school community.

We hope to have pages on our web-site dedicated to the area with updates, pictures etc.

Resources

Costs for the project were approximately £700 for supply cover for four days to attend meetings and meet up with the Everybody Writes Consultant. We also held two staff meetings and there was one evening of the lead teacher’s time to attend the HSA (Home School Association) meeting.  The school also paid for two writing workshops with the author Alan Durant. There was also planning time and the lead teacher’s time making booklets, gathering information and writing up the case study.

Final thought

Thinking about what we would do differently - we were very naïve in thinking we could have such a large project up and running within two terms. Our project involved major landscaping, getting quotes and funding.

Narrowing our focus to concentrate on the Edible Garden was the best thing we could have done – it worked perfectly! It did also inspire the Headteacher to investigate Extended Schools Provision and next term we are having the original project proposal area transformed into an outdoor writing area!  Of course then writing opportunities will not just be limited to ‘Gardens!!’

If we were to do something similar again we would also involve the whole staff from the outset and ask for more time in order to plan, collate work and put up displays.

Despite some unexpected difficulties and several changes of direction we have created a wonderful Edible Garden and outdoor writing space, which can of course continue to be used even when the original site is made into an outdoor classroom. The children have realised just how much writing can be generated from this topic and see themselves as writers. Their confidence and enjoyment of writing has soared. (Their knowledge of fruit, vegetables, mini-beasts and composting also knows no bounds!).

Most of the preparation was done in staff meetings and through summer term planning. The writing was cross curricular – Literacy, Science, Numeracy, PSHE, Art, Drama, Geography and Music.

The project has enabled different groups of the school community to work together, and, most importantly, it has been fun and extremely rewarding in terms of the process and the outcomes.

From now on each member of staff will be able to plan for the outdoor classroom throughout the school year - not just in the last few weeks of the summer term when there are many other pressures put upon our time.

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