Over the past two months, the education team has been working in partnership with The Grove School, Tottenham, to support a group of sixth form students with severe learning disabilities (SLD), offering meaningful access to nature and food-growing at OmVed Gardens.
The programme began with a gentle sensory exploration of the herb beds, where students engaged with smells, textures, tastes and plant names, before taking cuttings to plant back at school. Students have also helped prepare our new food growing beds for schools, by mulching, planting garlic, and collecting compost from the garden.
Each session balances outdoor time and a practical gardening activity with regular breaks to support emotional regulation, followed by a creative art activity using natural materials.
The class teacher has observed that students are noticeably more relaxed in the garden, showing fewer stress-related behaviours and looking forward to their visits.
The long-term vision is to guide students through the full cycle of food growing across the seasons, from preparing soil and sowing seeds to harvesting, sharing food, saving seeds, and preparing the beds for winter.
We are so happy to provide a space where students can freely explore nature without pressure or expectation, where simply being is enough.
We offer free curriculum-linked sessions to all state schools, tailored to your year group’s needs that support the National Curriculum whilst inspiring curiosity and creativity in an outdoor setting. You can join our upcoming Teachers' Evening to discover more or visit our schools page.
