The Southfield Horticulturalist
This year, as part of our school development plan, we are proud to introduce the 'Southfield Horticulturalist' as one of our key focus areas. This exciting initiative gives children the opportunity to explore Science in the natural world while utilising our newly developed horticultural garden to enhance their knowledge of nature and wildlife.
In the Autumn term, pupils began their horticulturalist journey by exploring the incredible diversity of British wildlife. Each class focused on one of six specific species – barn owls, swans, water voles, hedgehogs, otters or badgers – learning more about their behaviour, diet, habitat, and ways we can help protect them for future generations.
To deepen their understanding, children enjoyed exciting school trips to the British Wildlife Centre and the Barnes Wetland Centre. During these trips, the children had the opportunity to observe the animals up close and take part in interactive workshops, looking at how swans and otters are adapted to live at the wetlands. In addition to this, each year group adopted their animal from the British Wildlife Centre. Our donation will help support the breeding programme of the species, covering the costs of food and care to ensure these wonderful creatures thrive. In return, each class received a thank you letter, newsletter, and a certificate as well as having our school name and year groups displayed on the adoption board at the centre.
As part of this project, we held a school-wide competition where children were encouraged to create fantastic art projects inspired by the animals they had been learning about. The entries were truly impressive and many are now proudly displayed throughout the school.
In the coming months, we have even more exciting trips planned and we are especially excited to make use of our very own horticultural garden, where we will explore the rich ecosystems of pond life, from insects to amphibians, during the Spring term, and then shift our focus to studying a variety of plants and flowers, their life cycles, and their role in supporting local wildlife in the Summer term.
Below are some images and outcomes from our Autumn trips.
Following on from our introduction to the Southfield Horticulturalist in Autumn term, our focus in the Spring shifted to ‘Pond Life’. We looked closely at the pond ecosystem, microhabitats and learnt more about the range of plants and animals that thrive in British ponds.
Each year group took a closer look at a specific plant and animal, understanding more about how their unique physical characteristics help them to survive in their habitat and the vital role that pond plants play in their lives.
Year 1: Dragonflies and Reeds
Year 2: Newts and Waterweeds
Year 3: Frogs and Waterlilies
Year 4: Pond Skaters and Bulrushes
Year 5: Damselflies and Pond Algae
Year 6: Pond Leeches and Water mint
In addition to learning about living things in a pond, we also looked at the equipment that is needed for pond dipping and learned how our investigations can be carried out safely and responsibly. We then had the chance to put our learning into practice, as each year group carried out their very own pond dipping at a local nature reserve, including Holland Park Ecology Centre, London Wetlands and the Horniman Museum. Some of us took our exploration further by looking at the living things we have in our very own pond in the Horticultural Garden, comparing it with the ponds we encountered on our school trips.
In the recent Summer term, we completed the final Southfield Horticulturalist unit, focusing on British Flora. Pupils explored the diversity, structure and ecological importance of native wildflowers in UK habitats, building on their earlier studies of British Wildlife and Pond Life.
Each year group focused on a different habitat and wildflower. Reception and Year 1 studied garden and meadow flowers such as cowslips and poppies. Year 2 learned about the yellow flag iris in wetland environments. Year 3 explored the coastal sea thrift. Year 4 investigated native woodland bluebells. Year 5 focused on Stitchwort which grows in hedgerows and Year 6 looked closely at Bell Heathers which thrive in British moorlands.
Children learned to identify wildflowers by both their common and Latin names and KS1 looked closely at their parts including petals, stems, leaves and roots. Each year group looked at why their focus flowers are considered native to Britain, learning about their history, habitats and roles in local ecosystems.
Pupils observed real plant specimens and discussed where their focus flower is likely to grow and why, including the conditions it needs and how it has adapted to its environment. To finish the unit, all year groups planted wildflower seeds to take home, encouraging them to care for their plants over the summer and extend their learning beyond the classroom.
