Grants for Primary Schools

Established over 25 years ago, Avon Gardens Trust is part of a national network of county gardens trusts.

Besides having a particular interest in the conservation and enjoyment of historic gardens and public parks, county gardens trusts are also keen to promote the importance of outdoor learning through the development of gardens in primary schools.

Avon Gardens Trust is keen to encourage primary schools in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire develop their school gardens. Applications are invited from primary schools in these areas for small grants to help them purchase plants or gardening equipment.

The rainbow garden at Paulton Primary School
The rainbow garden at Paulton Primary School

The Trust is especially keen to hear from pupils in primary schools who are members of their School Council or school gardening club. Please tell us about your school, what the garden projects are and what flowers or vegetables are already being grown. We would like to hear what you would like to do next and how a grant could help you achieve that. There are lots of things that can be done but a few of our ideas include the purchase of fruit trees, vegetables or flowering plants or even the buying of garden tools.

Avon Gardens Trust would be delighted to make an award to help a primary school with their gardening projects. The list below gives a few ideas of what could be purchased:

  • Plants for the sensory garden
  • Plants to attract wildlife
  • Fruit trees
  • Seeds and seedlings
  • Rain water collection
  • Hand tools, forks, trowels, potting compost, watering cans
  • Herbs that can be used in cooking
  • Ground preparation -eg raised beds etc.

Unfortunately, we can only accept applications from primary schools in Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

Download an application form for Primary School Grants here (.doc)

Previous Primary School Grants

Grant for Filton Avenue School, Bristol

Filton School Project

The past two years have made us all realise how important outdoor spaces and gardens are to us for our mental wellbeing.  So, when the Small Grants Committee of the Trust received an application from the Special Educational Needs Coordinator at Filton Avenue Primary School asking for financial help so they could create a sensory garden and a herb garden for their sensory and autistic pupils, the Trust wanted to help. There is already a…

St John’s Church of England Primary School

Ideas for a school garden

The school moved to its present site in 1960 and now caters for over 240 pupils. Once known as Keynsham Parochial School, the school was founded in 1857, making it the oldest educational institution in Keynsham. In April, the school applied to the Trust for a grant towards the creation of a Spiritual Garden designed by the pupils around a Friendship Bench. Both the bench and the gardens were in memory of a former pupil…

IntoUniversity

Growing at IntoUniversity

IntoUniversity is based at The Withywood Centre in South Bristol where they work with a range of schools to support students with their education. One of the most effective programs run is the Academic Support afterschool club held on Tuesdays and Wednesday for primary school pupils. Their application was for a tumbling composter which besides helping to tidy up the site would also help enrich the soil. The Trust was delighted to award £100 to…

Primary School Grants in 2018

Learning at IntoUniversity

Primary School Grants in 2018 This year, Avon Gardens Trust has been delighted to award four grants totalling £700 to schools in our area – two in South Gloucestershire, one in Bristol and one in Bath and North East Somerset. Although we usually encourage grant applications from primary schools only, this year we made an exception as we were so impressed by the achievements of a secondary school in our area.

Primary School Grants in 2017

This year, Avon Gardens Trust made a donation to Culverhill School, a special school in Yate that caters for 135 pupils with ages ranging from 7 to 16 years. As the pupils at the school have complex learning difficulties, tasks are broken down into small steps with lots of visual and tactile clues. As part of this learning process, the school wanted to build raised accessible beds so pupils could take part in the growing…

AGT Supports Downend School Garden Project

A vital part of AGT’s vision is to encourage future generations to enjoy and participate in gardening. What better opportunity than to support school gardening projects. “This project has helped me understand plants and the conditions they grow in.” Avon Gardens Trust will be making an award of £250 to Downend School in South Gloucestershire to help pupils purchase materials and plants for a garden they have designed themselves. The school, a co-educational secondary school…

Primary School Grants in 2016

Avon Gardens Trust were delighted to make two awards to primary schools in our area. One was a village school in North Somerset while the second was a city school in Bristol. Both schools are very keen to encourage and involve their pupils in learning about and understanding their outdoor environment. Schools Awarded Grants in 2016 Ashton Gate Primary School, Ashton Gate Rd, Bristol St Andrew’s C of E Primary School, Station Road, Congresbury, North…

Primary School Grants in 2015-2016 Academic Year

For 2015, the Trust has also continued with our policy of awarding small grants to primary schools in our area. This year we donated grants to the following ten primary schools, six in Bath & North East Somerset and four in Bristol. Schools Awarded Grants in the 2015 Academic Year Bathford CofE VC Primary, Dovers Park, Bathford, Bath & NE Somerset Combe Down CofE Primary, Church Road, Bath, Bath & NE Somerset Hillcrest Primary, Totterdown,…

A School Garden in the Making

The garden at St Andrew's School

On a rainy afternoon in late June, Anne Hills and I visited St Andrew’s Primary School in Congresbury to see how the school was planning to spend the £50 grant that had been awarded to them by Avon Gardens Trust. This village school was created in 2009 with the amalgamation of the Glebe Infants School and St Andrew’s Junior School and now numbers over 250 pupils. We were met by Rosie Edwards, a teacher for…

Primary School Grants in 2014-2015 Academic Year

Henbury Court Primary Academy

The grants that we donated to ten primary schools in the Bristol, South Gloucester and North Somerset area in 2014 were much appreciated. Just three examples are: Henbury Court Primary Academy who said the grant enabled them to buy seeds and plants for their colourful enclosed garden which is a haven of peace and tranquillity amid a very large playing field. The children were not there when I visited but the special needs teacher who…

Primary School Grants in 2013-2014 Academic Year

Cynthia with children and their crop of potatoes at Freshford Primary School

As a new member of the committee, I have taken on the responsibility of Education. A retired primary teacher, I taught in various Bristol primaries but mainly Victoria Park, Bedminster; Gay Elms, Withywood and finally All Hallows Preparatory, Cranmore. This year, I have loved visiting three of the primaries that had benefited from our grants, and I feel very enthusiastic about facilitating and supporting gardening in schools. Especially impressive was Paulton Primary School, where a…