Garden Club London launch horticulture classroom facility

Tony Woods Director of Accredited Contractor, Garden Club London, launches State-of-the-art horticulture classroom facility to promote environmental science and garden teaching for Folkestone students and the wider community.

Staff and students at Folkestone Academy have celebrated the grand opening of their new state-of-the-art Horticulture Classroom by Patron Tony Woods.

This purpose-built facility will revolutionise the teaching of environmental science and horticulture as well as ensure that teaching can take place in all weathers. It is hoped that the classroom will help to form a template for the formal introduction of horticulture across the UK. Horticulture forms part of the Academy's alternative education provision for year 10 and 11 pupils with key stage 3 also having one lesson in horticulture per week.

The Classroom was officially opened by Tony Woods, Director of Garden Club London and Patron of the Horticulture Classroom project. Tony is a respected figure in the gardening world and has achieved great success professionally including numerous Gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and within the horticulture industry. The self-solar-powered classroom forms part of a larger garden with polytunnels, an orchard and a kitchen garden linking to a drought-tolerant landscaping scheme enabled by the donation and re-use of the Hamptons Mediterranean Garden from Chelsea Flower Show 2023.

The Horticulture Classroom stands as the centre point of Turner Schools’ drive to promote environmental awareness among students and the wider Folkestone community. Students will be taught about the vital role plants play in ecosystems, grasp the significance of growing local and seasonal produce in combating climate change, and gain insights into the journey of food from farm to table.

The school has employed an experienced horticulturalist as lead teacher, as well as another teacher to support. There are plans in place to create a training centre for wider Turner Schools staff and the team have been supported by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) School gardening scheme.

Turner Schools are also planning to organise a series of talks and workshops led by industry specialists to promote the benefits of the facility, as well as acting as a hugely valuable community space.

The Horticulture Classroom, raised beds and polytunnel was made possible by the generous £160,000 grant from Sir Roger De Haan, Chair of Friends of Folkestone Academy.

Tony Woods, Director of Garden Club London, said:

“I am honoured to be part of a project that helps to deliver horticulture education and environmental awareness back into schools, having myself benefitted from being able to select horticulture as a subject at GCSE over 20 years ago. The positive impact of being able to enjoy nurturing plants and growing food has proven benefits to the mental and physical health of young people as well as building personal confidence and engagement in the school environment. This project will also help to promote opportunities in horticultural, environmental and landscaping careers to pupils to help provide the workforce required to implement green initiatives and future projects to combat climate change.”

Steve Shaw, Principal at Turner Schools, said:

“We believe in nurturing a profound appreciation for the natural world among our students. The Horticulture Classroom shows our commitment to providing hands-on learning experiences that not only empower our students with skills but also inspire a lifelong love for nature. We want to use this classroom to promote environmental issues and increase our students’ understanding of the challenges ahead, as well as highlighting careers and progression opportunities in the horticultural and environmental science industries.”

Seamus Murphy, Chief Executive at Turner Schools, said:

"We are immensely grateful to Sir Roger De Haan for his unwavering support. His generous donation has allowed us to create a space that will not only enhance the learning experience of our students but also serve as a valuable community asset. We truly believe that this project will prove pivotal in our bid to establish Turner Schools as a local, and in time national, beacon of excellence for environmental science and horticulture teaching.”