City and Guilds Level 1 Horticulture

The horticulture qualification is the City and Guilds 7573-11 Level 1 Award or Certificate in Practical Horticulture Skills, which consists of practical modules in traditional gardening skills such as digging and seed sowing as well as modules in machinery such as lawn mowers.

The curriculum intent:

Within this qualification, we aim to teach gardening and horticultural as a life skill as well as part of the qualification.  The qualification will support pupils in building general confidence, independence and initiative within a practical environment. Pupils will be encouraged to develop resilience, appreciate the different seasons, nature and handling soil and plants with the view that this is beneficial to mental health.  We intend the horticulture course to provide a rich opportunity for outdoor learning which will enable pupils to learn about use of the land, about a variety of plants and shrubs, and about the maintenance of gardens and grounds.

Our curriculum delivery:

This qualification will be delivered over two years and can be extended to four years if pupils wish to carry on with their studies Post 16.  Horticulture lessons are mainly practical and are held within the school grounds and purpose built greenhouse, growing beds and indoor horticulture planting room .  Pupils will be encouraged to practice activities independently and activities will be adjusted to individuals needs to support pupil achievement.  Assessment is by means of simple practical gardening tasks that demonstrate competence – these must be completed independently and to the required standard, although pupils may attempt them as many times as they like.

Benefits to pupils (Impact)

Pupils will gain the confidence to ‘have a go’ and know that the experience of gardening and horticulture can enrich their lives and provide employment opportunities.  Pupils will have gained a level 1 qualification and will have learnt a range of skills and knowledge which will support them to progress to further learning if they wish.