Gardening

Course hours

One session per week all year (excluding holidays). 

Programme overview

This is a practical course which will take place mostly outside in different weathers. Learners will plant various plants and vegetables throughout the year. There will be physical work involved such as digging, lifting and carrying as learners will have to dig up the ground and prepare the soil for planting. The course will involve a lot of teamwork with peers on various gardening tasks and also planning what you want the garden to look like. You will need be adaptable as you may need to work on different gardening tasks each week. Learners will need to be responsible and follow health and safety procedures to use different pieces of equipment. 

Throughout the course you will learn about different types of indoor and outdoor plants.  You will learn about how plants grow, what climates they need, indoor and outdoor.  Learners will take responsibility of keeping plants alive by watering and feeding them.  You will also be responsible for pruning and trimming them. 

Programme content

You will plant various vegetables throughout the year. There will be some physical work involved such as digging, lifting and carrying involved. Develop your environmental awareness, confidence and social skills as they take on various gardening tasks and challenges with their peers - you will also research plants and vegetables they would like to grow. Gardening is suitable for all abilities. 

Learners will cover various kind of gardening activities throughout the year such as: 

• putting up a greenhouse 
• creating garden pallet beds 
• planting vegetables for different seasons 
• pruning and trimming hedges 
• sowing plants for different seasons 
• sowing indoor herbs 
• Learning about types of plants and vegetables 

Who this course is for

SEND learners aged 16 plus can join, the level of this course is Pre entry, E1 and E2. New learners are welcome.  

Returning learners are welcome - upon returning, learners (depending on their knowledge demonstrated) could be challenged at a higher level. Once a 6-week recap of the gardening fundamentals is completed, they can be challenged at a higher level. 

Materials and equipment

We encourage learners to bring in their own stationary to complete worksheets. 

We encourage learners to dress appropriately and come ready for gardening as we will be outside a lot, especially during the warmer months.

Assessment

You will be assessed through:

• course work 
• demonstration of knowledge 
• achievement of personal targets 
• achievement of course targets 
• portfolio of work 
• Observation 

Accreditation 

This course is not accredited.