Team Wilder wildlife garden 2024 St Michael's Junior Church School

Name: St Michael's Junior Church School
Category: Education
Area: Bath, BA2

St Michael's Junior Church School were a finalist in the wildlife gardening competition 2024!

Tell us what you or your group love about your garden 
Nikki: We love the nature we get because of the plants and wild spaces we have in school. We teach the kids how to plant and look after nature in break and dinner time and also in lessons and Forest School. Nurturing and watching plants grow while taking responsibility for them is a really important skill for the kids and give them a sense of ownership over the plants.

The children have been able to enjoy plants like strawberries which they have planted and looked after. We have a variety of butterflies and talk the children about how to respect the bugs and why they are all important. The Forest School area has a trained Forest School instructor and all classes get to do sessions over the year. We use the shade of the trees for reading and outside lessons in the summer. Some of the garden was supported by a group of volunteers from the community, so it's a way to get the community and parents involved in school. 

What makes your garden wildlife friendly?
Nikki: It's a big space and there are trees, grassy areas, overgrown 'wild spaces' and built homes for wildlife. Because there are wild and cultivated areas we have a range of different habitats. We have bug hotels and bird houses. There are lots of bird feeders and we used to have bat boxes. There is lots of different food for wildlife including wild berries, cherries, blackberries, an apple tree and acorns. We also regularly put out bird feed and nuts.