Post by Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet

QE is now a RHS School Gardening School – We are thrilled to share that QE has officially achieved the RHS School Gardening Award Level 1! This recognition marks the beginning of our gardening journey, and what a start it has been. Our brand‑new QE Allotment, based in the nearby community public allotments, has already become a vibrant hub of learning, teamwork and environmental action. Over the past few weeks, our students and staff have been busy: Preparing the grounds Planting potatoes Setting strawberries And discovering—much to our delight—that asparagus is already growing there! This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our community. A heartfelt thank you to Shailen Patel (Year 13), whose Jack Petchey Foundation Environmental Award grant helped kick‑start the QE Allotment, and to everyone—inside and outside the school—who has donated time, tools, materials and encouragement. Your generosity is helping us grow far more than plants. With Earth Month in full swing this April, this milestone feels especially meaningful. It’s a reminder of what we can accomplish when we come together to care for our environment and create hands‑on learning opportunities for young people. And we’re only just getting started. We’re buzzing with excitement for the next phase of our spring plans at the QE Allotment—more planting, more learning, and more community collaboration. As Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Our new School plan, Boundless, has as one of its six priorities that we will help our pupils become ‘sustainability-literate’: what better example of that could there be than this gardening project? “It is good to see that our allotment has so quickly become a vibrant hub of learning, teamwork, and environmental action.” Here’s to greener spaces, growing minds, and the journey ahead. #RHSSchoolGardening #QEFlourish #Sustainability #Education #EarthDay2026