Garden Organic is delighted its long campaign for every schoolchild to have a chance to grow their own food looks set to succeed – with “horticulture” due to become part of the National Curriculum.

Garden Organic is thrilled that horticulture has been introduced as a key activity for design and technology in the draft version of the National Curriculum*.

The final version of the National Curriculum is due to be published in August 2013 and taught in schools from September 2014.

Myles Bremner, Chief Executive of Garden Organic, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see horticulture playing a key part in the design and technology curriculum.

“This will give pupils an opportunity to grow their own fruit and vegetables, which is a vital part of their wider food education and brings so many other benefits in terms of health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours.”

Garden Organic – the UK’s leading organic growing charity – was chosen to lead the government-backed Food Growing in Schools Taskforce involving 25 key organisations in 2011.

This taskforce published a report in March 2012, which brought together evidence for the first time of the benefits of giving children a chance to grow their own food.

The report offers compelling evidence showing how food growing in schools can help pupils to achieve, build life and employability skills, and improve their health and wellbeing.

Myles Bremner added: “While it is wonderful to see that the importance of food growing in schools finally being recognised, more work still needs to be done in Key Stage 4 and beyond to ensure that young people are being encouraged to see horticulture as a viable career.”

Garden Organic has been actively supporting schools to grow their own food since it launched its Garden Organic for Schools project in 2000.

And the charity has been working as part of the successful Food for Life Partnership since 2007 to help more than 4,400 schools to get growing.

This partnership brings together the Soil Association, Garden Organic, Focus on Food and the Health Education Trust to transform food culture in schools and communities across England.

To find out more about Garden Organic’s work with schools visit www.gardenorganic.org.uk/schools.

*Horticulture is the science, technology, and business involved in intensive plant cultivation for human use.

Source: Garden Organic