School embraces sensory garden

TdaNews Direct
Published: 10 October, 2008

Oxford volunteers have recently provided school pupils in the city with a sensory garden aimed at helping the students embrace nature.

St Thomas More Primary School was helped out by workers from British Gas of Oxford Business Park, who weeded the original garden, refurbished chairs and produced instruments out of recycled items, creating a xylophone and plastic drums.

Claire Robinson, the school's Headteacher, said that both pupils and staff loved the new facilities that were kindly put in, noting that the previous garden they had was overgrown and meant that there was no place for children to escape at lunchtime or for teachers to have lessons outdoors.

She told the Oxford Mail: "The project has made a huge difference to our school and provided a unique opportunity for pupils to share the wonders of the outside world in an enjoyable way."

Another school enjoying a garden redesign was that of Sutton-Upon-Derwent Primary School in North Yorkshire, which is now home to a crocodile made out of turf.