Woodland

Our Woodland is a very special place to be. It is used regularly in year groups to support learning across the whole curriculum as well as a place for interventions to take place to support the emotional and well-being of our children.

Our Woodland Facilities and History

Over 25 years ago a woodland was planted in the school grounds as part of The Great Western Community Forest.  That woodland now has some large trees and is well used across the school.  Some of the trees are big enough to climb!  The woodland has an outdoor classroom, a shelter and a fire circle.

The woodland has been extended in recent years to build and maintain the opportunity for Woodland Learning in the future.  In 2015 a new woodland was planted with hedgerows around the field boundaries.  The native trees were given to us by the Woodland Trust.  The 850 trees were planted by the children and Goddard Park families and volunteers from Nationwide.  When the trees are large enough to withstand use the fence between the old wood and new will be removed.  We estimate this will be in 2020.

In the far corner of the field is a newly planted orchard of 20 fruit trees:- apples, pears, plums, cherries, a quince and a medlar.  This will provide fruit for cooking lessons where the children will learn to make crumbles, jams and chutney.

There are 3 living willow dens in the school grounds, providing a shady, hidden place where children can play, rest and read stories.

Beside the astro pitches there is a vegetable growing area with raised beds and a small poly tunnel which was paid for by the Wiltshire Gardens Trust and put up by volunteers from Nationwide.  There is also a large raised vegetable bed near the Y1 classrooms for growing vegetables from seed – learning the process from seed to fork; understanding life cycles and developing the practical skills needed.  

Nursery and Day Care children also grow vegetables in their outside areas and there is a strawberry bed and espalier apples beside the boiler house.  In 2015 the school won the Best School Garden award from the Swindon Allotment and Leisure Gardens Association.

Some food grown at school is used for school dinners, some is used for cookery classes and some never gets any further than being picked and eaten straight away! No strawberry has ever made it more than 2m from the strawberry beds!