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Ebbsfleet Garden City schools are to be helped through the Covid crisis with grants of more than a quarter of a million pounds for special projects.
As part of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation’s investment in the community, it has awarded £273,000 to four schools for a variety of projects to give them outdoor classrooms, an outdoor gym, water bottle refilling stations and growing gardens which will eventually become part of the Edible Ebbsfleet Network which is run by the corporation.
The four schools to benefit from the programme are Springhead Park Primary School, Cherry Orchard Primary Academy, Ebbsfleet Academy, and Rosherville Primary Academy.
Cherry Orchard Primary Academy head teacher Julie Forsythe said: “We were thrilled to receive this funding and we are going to use it to provide an outdoor learning classroom as well as an edible garden that can be used by the whole community.”
Wayne Clayton, head teacher at Springhead Park School, said: “The timing of this money came at a very crucial time for us as we have just opened and face the challenges of being Covid secure. We too will provide an outdoor classroom and an edible garden, and the children can’t wait to start.”
Ebbsfleet Academy received funding for outdoor gym equipment and water bottle refilling stations while Rosherville Primary Academy will provide a mobile gardening unit, which can be moved to their new school site at a later date.
Ian Piper, chief executive at Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said: “We are fully aware of the rigorous controls schools are now under after Covid and we wanted to assist them to adapt their learning environment with something that will give them both long-term benefits while also encouraging children to be outside in the fresh air.
“For Cherry Orchard and Springhead Park primary schools, we now intend to work with them to help deliver these classrooms and some much-needed garden space which will eventually form part of the popular Edible Ebbsfleet programme, where people can pick freshly grown fruit and veg for free which encourages people to eat healthier.
“We are investing in the many new communities that are forming across Ebbsfleet Garden City to ensure that the area is provided with good transport infrastructure, parks that will be enjoyed by all, and to ensure that Ebbsfleet Garden City continues to be a healthy place to live.”
