Pupils at Redbridge Primary School, Southampton, with the support of the Junior Neighbourhood Wardens have come in on their summer holidays to transform their school entrance with a community garden.
In June, staff from the council-run Junior Neighbourhood Warden Scheme visited the year sixes at Redbridge Primary School to deliver the Citizenship Programme. The programme is designed to help the children explore what makes a good citizen with a focus on first aid, online safety, healthy living, dementia awareness, crime & anti-social behaviour, staying safe & anti-bullying and choices & consequences. Delivered with support from Redbridge Secondary School Drama Group, Solent NHS, British Red Cross, Alzheimer’s Society and NSPCC. The programme concluded with all participants being presented with a certificate by the Sheriff of Southampton Councillor Peter Baillie.
As part of the programme, pupils were given the opportunity to suggest and design improvements to the grounds to encourage an environment of wellbeing. One of the winning suggestions was to build a community garden to brighten up the entrance to the school gates and to make it look more welcoming.
The Junior Neighbourhood Wardens team worked together with pupils to make this suggestion a reality by helping to installing large planters and a new sign at the front gates of the school, to be used as a community garden. The flower beds will be maintained by the Redbridge Primary School Gardening Club.
Councillor Satvir Kaur, Cabinet Member for Homes and Culture, said: “The Citizenship Programme is designed to help school children better understand the effects of antisocial behaviour on local communities, and learn the importance of speaking out if something is worrying them. The community garden at the entrance to the school is a great idea that helps the children instil pride in their school and their local area.”
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