We celebrated the grand opening of our school garden as a 3 year project culminated in a special celebratory event on Wednesday 11^th May. The Festival which ensued saw an exciting programme of events involving pupils of all ages. The 3 year Creative Partnerships Project was overseen by Assistant Headteacher Mark Scholtes, who had been the driving force behind the project from its inception. The celebration featured a recital from ‘The Tempest’ by a group of Year 8 pupils as well as several other events. Pupils had the opportunity to use their foreign languages to purchase food at a market stall, as well as demonstrate their knowledge of medicinal herbs, solar power and the food chain.

A group of Year 7 Geography students had designed a Finger Post that highlighted the distance to and direction of, key capital cities and regions with which Stewards has developed strong international links. Garden designers Benton Shepherd, Alex Grove and Serena Hancock felt very proud of their achievement on the day.

The garden is designed not only as an area where students can learn about various ecological issues, but a space that can be used by all curriculum areas; an outside learning environment that all students and subjects can enjoy and learn from.

Mark Scholtes said: “The day was a fantastic success and highlighted the vision and creativity of the students who have been central to every stage of the gardens development. As a school we are looking forward to the many educational and social opportunities that the garden will present in the future.”