Owners
What it's all about
I am currently on my placement at Compass Point South Street School and Childrens Centre.
Compass Point is a newly formed centre that provides educational and care for children 0-11 from 8.am-6pm and is situated in Bedminster.
As a children’s centre and school we support the local community and offer many additional services to parents and families. We have 107 0 to 5 year olds and 5-11 year olds.
Compass Point is in an area of private housing, much of which is rented. The pupils come from a variety of backgrounds but many of the families are at the lower end of the social and economic range. Compass point has the largest free school dinner register in South Bristol. Over 20 per cent of the pupils have special educational needs .
The children centre is open all year round. An Children attend sessions from 09.15 to 12.45 or from 11.30 to 15.00. Places are allocated by a panel made up of workers from education, health and child care departments.. All children share access to a secure enclosed outdoor play area.
The idea is to change the concrete playground into a garden of wonder! A space that can be used for play and learning activities; that will delight and inspire children and adults alike.
The garden will include a sensory garden, vegetable patch, plants that encourage wildlife, dens, dig in sand pit, hills, paths to ride on, toys to play with and objects to climb over, under and through and quiet areas for children and adults to sit and enjoy.
We hope to see parents, adults from the community and staff working alongside children to develop their knowledge and understanding of nature, growing plants, caring for animals, sustainability, keeping healthy, environmental issues.Our outside area will provide excitement, intrigue, challenge, fun, creativity, and freedom.
The garden will be used by the whole school community before, during and as part of after school projects. At Compass Point we have a number of children with special education needs and children who are learning English as an additional language. Our garden project will provide a fantastic resource to support these families. Once developed we plan to use this area and space with the local community, childminders, toddler groups, nurseries and schools. An area for local parents and to open and use at weekends.
This project would provide an exciting place for the children to learn and grow with their peers, parents, and teachers, which otherwise may not be available to them!
What's needed to make it a reality
Finance! As many of the carers of the childern do not have the funds to donate and much of the budget has to be spent on providng high quality teachers. The school is beautiful but in desperate need of useful outside space for enjoyment and education. We have all the help we could possibly wantn from parents and children, as it is an active community school, the funding is the only missing ingredient!
Comments
I really love this idea and it sounds like it will be something which will be used by the whole school community in a variety of ways.
Here are a few others ideas on Junction49 which might be interesting to read and if you want to find out more can always comment on their idea and they might be able to offer you some advice:
http://www.junction49.co.uk/idea/1908/childrens_garden_club/
http://www.junction49.co.uk/idea/2072/edible_playground_liverpool/
As you are a student at UWE you can access up to £750 to turn your idea into reality. Junction49 works in partnership with 12 universities (UWE being one of them) and you have access to a Junction49 Volunteer Support Officer - Helen,(who you have already met through your cheerleading project, will be able to help you access the funding and also provide you with support and advice to turn your show into a success!
Good Luck. We look forward to hearing how this project turns out and would be great to see some photos - maybe some before and after shots :-)
Sarah Report Abuse
I've spoken to Helen who said that your project is now due to take place in September, so I've found some potential funding opportunities which you might be apply to. Here is a list below:
• CSV Action Earth 2009 http://www.actionearth.org.uk/
Grants of up to £50 to assist groups in carrying out environmental projects.
• GreenPrints http://www.sitatrust.org.uk/greenprints/ - this one I think looks most ideal for you, they fund equipment and travel expenses etc.. for volunteers. Funding is available up to £10,000 so plenty of scope to make the project bigger and better if you wish.
Here are some more generic funds you can apply to:
• Vcashpoint http://www.vinspired.com/opportunities/vcashpoint/
Young people between 16-25 years old can apply for up to £2500 to set up a project which will make a difference in their communities.
• YouthBank http://www.youthbank.org.uk/
Only provide to local young people. If you go to the website and find out whether there is a YouthBank near you, you can then get in contact to find out about how you can apply for a grant.
I hope they're useful. If you need any help filling out any of the forms please do just get in contact and we'll be more than happy to help. You do of course also have Helen on hand to help.
If you're unsure whether or not you're eligible or not for any of the funding, just give them a call to discuss your idea and they might be able to give you some handy tips at the same time.
Good Luck,
Sarah
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