2024 Sustainability Star Sixth Form Hub, North Ridge High School, Manchester

North Ridge Sixth Form Hub in Blakeley, Manchester, is a unique place doing great things around sustainability with post-16-year-olds with special educational needs. They are an inspiration. We chatted to the students to find out what they thought…

ELLIE

How do you feel about winning the award?

Yeah, it’s great! The café is my favourite place to work. I’ve been here three years, although I also do the staff lunches. It’s good to be sustainable for the planet. I’m so proud to work here.

MERCEDES

What are you up to?

I’m cutting the banana peel to make food for the plants, because it’s good for the plants because they have so much protein in them, which technically fruits are like healthier for the plants to grow and get better and stronger over time. I like working in the allotment, because we like to keep things here sustainable for the environment.

Why is it important to be sustainable?

Because us humans have damaged the Earth because of all the pollution and chemicals we’re using. Technically, we’re trying to keep the future people safe by being sustainable. It’s better for you, better for your health, better for your body to grow organically. 

Does it make you feel good, coming up here and gardening?

It really does. 100%. I like growing anything, of course. We like growing onions, potatoes, strawberries – we have some out there, but they’re not ready yet. We’re trying to grow cauliflower too.

Do you like vegetables? Especially ones you’ve grown?

Not really but I have to eat to make sure it’s healthy. I know they might not taste as good but it helps your body

LEWIS

I like gardening, where you do weeding. Sophie shows us what to do and why we’re doing it. I do feel proud of what we grow here, without plastic or chemicals, which the chef likes to use, so that’s good. It’s very important to be sustainable.

MARTIN

I love working at the allotment because I like working in a group. I like watering too, to help the plants grow even more. I really like growing vegetables, but I only like growing onions.

KIERAN

I like growing onions, but I don’t like cooking them. Because they make your eyes water. Once we’ve grown anything, we go to Chef John and share it with him. He uses everything for the pies. And Sophie always has a plan! Sophie’s a legend.

RADIA

I like working in the sunshine, and I like watering the plants. I like how the water comes out, it’s a sensory thing. I like growing strawberries. I did Plot To Plate with Chef John. And in the cafe. We grow rhubarb, beans, cabbage, onions, potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkins and strawberries – quite a lot really. I like salad with tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce. You should get a greenhouse that lets sunlight in. But not too much. Get water, but not too much. It needs to be just right.

We chatted to Business Director Sarah Read…

What does it mean to the school to win this award?

The main thing is, it’s the recognition for young people. That’s always been the priority for us. The acknowledgement of their hard work, dedication and achievements working in all of the businesses, but in particular Plot To Plate (where the kids make lunch with the food grown in the allotment) and the allotment. It’s amazing. The north of Manchester is an area of very high deprivation, so these kids are so grateful for these opportunities.

Were the kids excited?

They have been so excited by winning this award. But they’re just as excited about the work they’re doing. When you go into the dining room at lunchtime and you talk to them about whoever’s made the food that day, they’re so enthusiastic, because they’ve been a part of that process. They like talking about those things that they can do, rather than what they can’t because of their additional needs. From being able to garden at the allotment, cook in the kitchen and make coffee in the cafe, it creates ripple effects. From small acorns, mighty oaks grow – one small thing can transform somebody’s life.

What advice would you give other schools wanting to do something similar?

Don’t be afraid, start somewhere, that’s all anyone can do. Whether that’s putting your food waste in a compost heap, or you have a battery recycling centre in school, just start small because it slowly builds from that. There’s this misconception that you can only grow if you’ve got a garden, but you can garden in a window box. And there’s not a school up and down the country that hasn’t grown a cress head at some point. All you have to do is just start somewhere. 

What made you passionate about sustainability at the school?

The children are the next generation, aren’t they, so as clichéd as it sounds, they are the future. So without them buying into that and actually being an important part of the sustainability journey, there isn’t going to be a world for their children and their children’s children to live in. We absolutely need them to be championing this, so they then carry on at home, recycling plastic, cooking with leftovers, growing their own food, or switching off lights to conserve energy. Now they have these amazing skills, they’re able to be self-sustainable.

How important is it to have this kind of school? 

Learning skills they can take into the workplace should definitely be part of learning for SEN kids in secondary education. Soon they’ll go out into the world, and we need to equip them for that, to make life the best it can be for them. And just make sure that people in the wider world appreciate the gifts and talents that they’ve got. As you can see, our students are absolutely delivering in all our businesses, they just happen to be young people with additional needs. Two of our ex-students are working in pubs in Manchester after getting the skills here. They’re now in full-time paid employment, which is what we want for our young people.

Do the kids love what they do here?

When we started this journey, we very much wanted to keep our carbon footprint down, we wanted to make sure we had LED lighting, that we’re sourcing local food, using recycled products – in fact, lots of the furniture you see in the cafe is reclaimed. So we try to enhance that all the time. Whatever we’re teaching the students about, sustainability permeates through all of the businesses, so they’re not just learning it in one area, it’s replicated all the way through.

What one thing could the government do?

The primary thing in any school is funding. But also, having a network of people where you can share learnings, where people could visit to see what we’ve done, talk through it and experience some of it, I think that would take away some of that fear factor, so they can go away and think it is achievable. If there were networks where information for connecting to local communities was accessible for schools, and they were reaching out, then I think there’d be much more opportunities for people. 

SOPHIE, TEACHER & LEAD SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS ENTERPRISES

It must be so rewarding working with the children…

Our students are incredibly humble, kind and the sweetest characters you’ll ever meet. And they’re really enthusiastic about working on the allotment or in the kitchen, because these are areas of school they can excel in. They may struggle in Maths, English and Science, but this is something practical that they enjoy. When I first dug up potatoes with these young people and I saw that they were blown away, that was one of the huge hooks for me. And now to be able to deliver that produce into a catering kitchen, where they can see it being cooked, it encourages them to eat well and to eat more. They’re really having more diverse diets because of the allotment, and it’s great for their well being and retention of information in general. They love it!

Tell us about your teaching methods…

It’s about allowing things to fail, because that’s the best way to learn. I didn’t have an allotment until five years ago, and I’ve had to learn and grow with my garden. It’s the same for our students. I’m not trying to guide them through growing, I’m trying to give them the skills to be able to go away and do it themselves. That’s how we’re going to inspire the next generation. I think that’s the ethos in our school – we’re not frightened to fail at all. You can follow a curriculum, but it’s the experience that you truly remember. 

CHEF JOHN, CATERING MANAGER

I’m so proud of what the kids do in the kitchen. We make our own sourdoughs, all the pies, fillings, we make everything from scratch. It’s a pleasure to come to work with these kids. It’s outstanding what they can do. Most of my menus will be written around what’s seasonal and on offer in supermarkets at the time, so you’re saving on energy, saving time, and showing the students how to be thrifty.

We’re teaching them life skills. One of the most sustainable things you can do is learn to cook for yourself. If you’re cooking for yourself, you’re not going to the takeaway, so saving money and reducing waste. If you can cook bread and soup, you’ll live forever.

Celeb judge Lee Connelly says: As a passionate advocate for sustainable gardening practices, I was truly impressed by North Ridge High School Sixth Form’s dedication to teaching students about environmental stewardship through hands-on experiences like cultivating their own produce, catering a meat-free menu for their peers, and creating great food for the cafe. Their commitment to sustainability and fostering practical skills among students is commendable.