Last autumn, we welcomed Alexis Moline to the team as our new Schools & Community Coordinator. Alexis has been working on elevating our carefully co-designed schools programme to the next level, continuing to pilot and refine self-led and facilitated sessions to provide unique and engaging experiences in our Kitchen Garden for school groups. 

I am so thrilled to be able to welcome our vibrant local communities to our lively Kitchen Garden. With such a rich history, commitment to environmental sustainability, and a highly enthusiastic team, I hope Chiswick House & Gardens is a place where learners and educators feel free to be curious and connect with one another outdoors.

Alexis Moline, Schools & Community Coordinator

Alongside our work with community groups and the Growing Together programme, Chiswick House & Gardens Trust has been steadily developing a new school programme focused on hands-on and outdoor-based engagement in our historic working Kitchen Garden. In 2023, we began piloting both facilitated and self-led offers for local primary schools in partnership with Hackney School of Food and LGOAL. Our facilitated offer is inspired by the ‘farm to fork/seed to spoon’ model, utilising the uniqueness of our functioning Kitchen Garden and the need for better food education for schools. Our goal is to inspire a generation of local young people to connect with nature, support their wellbeing and gain a deeper understanding of how food is grown. 

Coming soon: Facilitated Sessions in the Kitchen Garden

The Kitchen Garden is brimming with opportunities for learning and engagement, providing essential knowledges on nourishment, in both mind and body. Our facilitated sessions have been co-developed with community experts in food education. This Spring, we are excited to offer these unique learning experiences to local schools. Leading students through planting, growing, harvesting and preparing food, we aim to give students the confidence to understand how plants become the food we eat, and how seasonal produce is grown in the Kitchen Garden.  

We are now at a very exciting stage in the development of our new schools programme. With further funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are currently in the process of hiring experienced Facilitators to join the team. Facilitators will be essential in supporting the development and delivery of our schools programme, particularly facilitated sessions in our Kitchen Garden. As we continue to pilot and develop our programme, Facilitators will bring their own unique expertise and skills to the role. 

The Freelance Schools Facilitators job posting is open for applications now until Friday 14th February. To learn more and apply, please find more details here. 

Open for booking: Self–led resources

Resources are available for educators to use as they explore our Kitchen Garden. Topics include art, history, science and geography and follow National Curriculum Key Stage 1 & 2 guidelines. These resources aim to provide a jumping off point for outdoor learning, providing guides, prompts and key background information to support a dynamic and responsive learning environment. Lesson plans have been carefully co-created in partnership with local school groups and community experts, and we encourage feedback on how we can improve our programme at any time. 

With the planned expansion of the new Community & Creative Campus’s Learning Hub and Volunteer facilities, we are so excited by what’s to come. Thanks to the support of National Lottery Heritage Fund, the dedication of our staff and volunteers, and commitment of our community partners, we aim to provide an engaging and crucial space for children & young people to enjoy outdoor learning. We looking forward welcoming you throughout 2025 and beyond! 

To learn more or book a session with us, please contact schools@chgt.org.uk.  

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Our schools programme development project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to enrich our schools programme to better serve our communities. 

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.