Local Primary School Children To Present School Veg Boxes At The Great Yorkshire Show

Two primary schools that are part of the same multi-academy trust are off to The Great Yorkshire Show after being selected to take part in the School Vegetable Box Presentation.

Wakefield-based Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate, who came third in last year’s event, and Barnsley-based Outwood Primary Academy Darfield, and have been selected by judges to take part in the final stage that takes place on 10th July at the prestigious event in Harrogate.

Both primary schools are part of Outwood Grange Academies Trust and have their own gardening clubs made up of green-fingered children from Key Stage 2. Each gardening club created its own ‘show’ planter, having spent weeks and months growing the plants themselves, based around the theme ‘Field to Fork’.

To qualify for The Great Yorkshire Show, the schools were visited by members of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society Council who would inspect the school’s ‘show’ planter and meet with the children.

In their discussions with the members of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society Council the children had to explain their planning, growing and planting process, outlining how they’d approached the project.

In return the children had the judging process explained to them, with each school being scored on a variety of different elements from across the process and each planter was photographed to aid the judging. 

After each school had been visited, the judging committee met to go through all the entries with the top 12 being invited to attend The Great Yorkshire Show.

Janet Bennett, Learning Outside the Classroom Lead for all ten Outwood Primary Academies and based at Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate, said: “This is a truly fantastic achievement and everyone at the school is so excited about our planter being presented to the judges at The Great Yorkshire Show.

“The children have shown wonderful dedication to this project. Seeing the creativity and imagination flow from them has been really special in the few months as we’ve worked on our ‘show’ planter. 

“The group has really steered the project from the beginning and the judges were very impressed by the horticultural knowledge the children had when they visited the school.

“We are so proud of their achievement. They were all delighted with last year’s amazing third place finish and to even be chosen to present again at the show is fantastic and the children are already all winners to everyone at the school.”

Both schools are now in the process of preparing their planters to be transported to Harrogate for the show, and the children are hard at work preparing their presentations for the judges. This year the judges will be, Sarah-Jane Mason and Joe Lofthouse, both from RHS Harlow Carr.

Amanda Schofield, a teacher at Outwood Primary Academy Darfield and the school’s Gardening Club lead, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected by the judges to present at The Great Yorkshire Show, and I am so proud of the children for all their hard work.

“The Gardening Club began around Easter and we entered the School Veg Box competition as a way to focus the children’s attention as the school’s grounds undergo minor developments, which includes the addition of an allotment garden.

“The children have taken to the challenge so well and with such enthusiasm, it has been really impressive to watch as their vision has taken shape. They really want to learn about gardening and growing and all the different techniques that can be used, and have met every challenge they’ve faced head on.”

 In addition to the two Outwood Primary Academies selected for the top 12, Outwood Primary Academy Park Hill, Outwood Primary Academy Bell Lane and Outwood Primary Academy Ledger Lane also were visited by the judges after growing planter’s but despite good efforts they were not selected to present at The Great Yorkshire Show.