Janvrin, Les Landes and Samarès primary schools are the winners of this year’s Waitrose’s “Grow and Sell” scheme.
The three schools were judged by the supermarket as topping the criteria for pupil engagement, variety of produce grown and the best use of resources and space available.
This year 11 of the island’s primary schools entered the increasingly popular scheme which Waitrose has been running for five years. The scheme aims to encourage 7-11 year olds across the UK and Channel Islands to grow their own food to support and promote healthy cooking and eating.
Waitrose branch manager for St Saviour, Marion Gorrod said: “We like to see the children use their imagination, particularly if their growing space is limited. For those with restricted outdoor areas, planters were used and others worked with window boxes and even wellington boots. This year we saw a great deal of versatility and imagination.”
Over the course of a few weeks all the schools were visited and assessed by a Waitrose representative. A huge variety of produce was grown and sold with any money made going back into school funds.
Rachel Selby, a teacher at Samarès Primary School was delighted to have been one of the winning schools.
“The Eco Team and other children from Nursery to year 6 have worked hard this term attempting to grow the seeds, repotting and then thinning them out. We have had many setbacks especially with the glorious weather, with some plants coping better than others,” she said.
“This in itself is a very important learning curve for the children as we then learn about ideal growing conditions and how we can do it better next time. The children involved in the various stages of plant growth showed great engagement in caring for the plants, got their hands dirty and were fascinated by the caterpillars and bees also enjoying the plants.
“The children have been able to harvest some of the crops to prepare and cook dishes with class teachers as well as during our Caring Cook sessions. All these practical experiences have given the children a good understanding of how plants go from seed to the table. With all this new found knowledge the children were able to confidently talk to the Waitrose judges about their experiences.
“We are very proud of the children and look forward to continuing our horticultural journey.”
A group of 12 pupils from each of the winning schools visited Woodside Farms on Tuesday 10July where they saw how locally grown food is produced on a large scale, from plant to plate, with a health school lunch supplied by the supermarket.
Waitrose has worked with Woodside Farms for several years. The relationship began initially as a supplier of Jersey Royal potatoes and now includes flowers grown for the retailer since 2012.
Mrs Gorrod said: “Primary schools have really embraced our “Grow and Sell” scheme again this year. Not only is it exciting to witness plant growth and development, it’s also a brilliant way to promote the importance of healthy eating and to help children learn about where fresh food comes from.
“We hope even more Jersey schools to get involved next year.”
