My Green School
18
F: It’s starting to like turn purple, like purply red ... when I came back from school it was all gone like tall ... and today in the morning I started seeing some, on that side there was purple and the other side it started to turn reddy purple. The children understand growing plants as something which requires both skill and responsibility. Responsibility is an attribute that is rewarded by the school. For example, children receive prizes for taking plants home from school and continuing to look after them effectively. Parents are also encouraged to recognise children’s commitment to growing plants. For example, the children sell plants they have grown from seed to parents. I think [growing vegetables] is good for them in the sort of social way that they bring [their produce] here or they sell it downstairs to parents (Teacher, Year 5). Reliability was noted as an important attribute for the children to have in order to be selected for jobs related to looking after the allotments. This is reflected in a girl’s comments about why she was selected for the job of ‘doing the compost’. I: So how do you do it? F: First we need to get a fob [from reception] and shredded paper. [We need the fob] because in nursery and reception we need it to open the door, it’s not like automatic, you have to open it with [the fob]. F: And you have to go to nursery, reception, Year 1 and year 2 to get their fruit peel or their unfinished apples F: Basically whatever they leave behind. F: Yeah, in this compost bucket and then we ... need to go outside and F: Chuck it in. F: Yeah F: There’s a little box. F: Spread it out, spread the compost out and then put the shreddings on top. ... I: Why do you think you were chosen [to do that job]? F: [The teacher] said that she was F: Because I’m reliable. The attributes the children associate with looking after the green spaces, such as reliability mentioned above, are reinforced through the allocation of these kinds of jobs. This was also reflected in a previous section which suggested that importance of being responsible is reinforced