Wester Hailes Growing Communities are looking to hire a School Farm Leader to work at its School Farm project at Canal View Primary School. The post is 12 hours/week from the 22nd August 2022 to the end of June 2023. There may be an option to continue contract through the Summer holidays to deliver a Summer School Farm project.

PURPOSE OF JOB

To deliver ‘school farm’ sessions for classes of children at Canal View Primary School in Edinburgh.

The sessions support children to grow fruit and vegetables, developing their understanding of where their food comes from, how to have a healthy and balanced diet, and how food production methods affect the health of our planet.

Two School Farm Leaders work as a team to plan and deliver four 3/4 hour sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays each week during the school year (except school holidays). The sessions would cater for P5 and P6 classes numbering up to 30 children, with the two School Farm Leaders assisted by the class teacher. The sessions will be held at the school farm garden which is on the School grounds.

The role provides nine hours a week in addition to class hours for preparation, liaison, management and maintenance activities. School Farm Leaders are expected to develop teaching resources, materials and methodologies which compliment the schools curriculum for excellence, and specific projects within the school.

Growing Youth

Growing Youth is a programme of Edible Estates delivered on behalf of Edinburgh Council’s Additional Support for Learning Service (ASLS). ASLS provides alternatives for high school aged children who are ‘outside of curriculum’. Growing Youth is one such alternative where children are given the opportunity to participate in workshops focussing on construction, landscaping and horticulture. Edible Estates have been delivering this service since the beginning of the school year in 2020. We find that the pupils respond best to joinery/timber framing projects and therefore a lot of the Growing Youth programme has focussed on the construction of sheds at our community gardens.

The Role

We are looking for a workshop leader with skills and experience in the construction of timber structures, though skills and experience of landscaping/horticulture would be an advantage. The right candidate would also have experience in youth work, and/or training and work experience programmes for young people.

The workshop leader would work with Edible Estates’ Projects Manager to plan, prepare and resource three Growing Youth workshops per week in the Wester Hailes area of Edinburgh for the duration of the contract. Each workshop would be of three hours duration (with time set aside for set up close down, and additional tasks), for up to five children of high school age, who would attend on a weekly basis. Some of these children will have had adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) and present with behaviours which will require adequate support and management. The children will also be supported by a ASLS staff member during the workshops.

The Projects Manager will provide construction design information and materials to site. The workshop leader will lead the workshops in a way which balances timely completion of construction tasks, satisfactory quality and a nurturing and supportive environment for the children. He/she will be responsible for health and safety on site, and will support the ASLS staff member to maintain good behaviour on site.

South West Edible Estates

South West Edible Estates is a Scottish Charity established in 2017 to promote urban greenspace projects in SW Edinburgh. We have established a network of community gardens, run School Farms, and a Community Food Hub project For more information see - edibleestates.org.uk