Partnership Programs

at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne

School Partnership Programs generate opportunities for long term, ongoing learning experiences for schools. Participating students and teachers are able to understand more fully the work of the RBG; by developing ongoing relationships with staff and volunteers, using real tools, experiencing real world environmental challenges and finding real solutions.

Experiences provide effective opportunities for group work, allow time to make seasonal observations, and to observe change over time through becoming aware of the impacts of living and non-living elements.

This approach is significant in planning for a full range of student learning styles and intelligence types (e.g. Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory).   

New school partnerships have been established with Holy Rosary Primary School in Kensington and Carrum Downs Secondary College for Term two. Students visit the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne each week and maintain a garden plot in the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden.

Carrum Downs students are designing a water conservation garden at their school and are investigating information for its creation at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Holy Rosary students have been able to harvest produce, which they take back to school to make soups and other foods in class.

Visit the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden to see the results of the students' hard work.  Watch this space for future opportunities to partner with us to create a sustainable future.

If you are unable to participate in a partnership program you may be interested in attending a Sustainable Gardening education program at a cost of $9.30 per student for a 1hr 45 min program.

For more details refer to Education programs or call (03) 9252 2358 for bookings.

• Subsidised Travel
• Mentor Program
• Gardening Program
• School Feedback
• Applying for a School Partnership

Subsidised Travel

Are you limited by bus transport costs?

The cost of transport can affect schools in deciding to form place-based partnerships that require a series of visits offsite.

You may be eligible for ten return trips to the Royal Botanic Gardens free of charge. We are particularly interested in forming partnerships with schools where students have limited opportunities of this kind, or those who would greatly benefit from a long term learning enrichment program.

Please see criteria under Applying for a School Partnership.

The following program options are available although we are also sensitive to the needs and requirements of individual schools.

Supporting Information

Mentor Program

This program provides the opportunity for secondary school students to engage with young children in a garden context. Acting as learning mentors they connect with younger children and make contributions as community members. This program is available in Terms 2 and 4.

Program Objectives

1. Increase understanding of the environment for secondary students by engaging younger children in environmental education experiences.
2. Provide secondary students with real work experience.
3. Provide a range of programs for young children visiting the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden.
4. Positive cross-age and cross-ability interactions.
5. Increased understanding of the work that takes place in the students' community.
6. Students feel they are making a contribution to their community.
7. Increase student participation in decision-making, regarding programs in the Gardens.

Examples of student activities include:

• Students will work closely with teachers, volunteers and horticultural staff.
• Hands on horticultural tasks in the Children's Garden.  
• Assisting teacher led groups and supporting special needs groups.
• Students can engage with members of the public, through structured activities they devise.

School Feedback

‘The experience at the IPFCG [Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden] is a rich and challenging one that has broadened our students' horizons in many respects. There is no doubt that all have taken a real step forward by developing their personal skills in the contexts provided by your programs. For year 9 students it is essential to have community involvement on a practical level. There is no way that we could find an equivalent experience for our students'.

Heather Leviston, Year 9 Co-ordinator, Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School.

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Gardening Program

The program runs throughout the year on Mondays and Tuesdays. Schools visit once a week or once a fortnight for up to 6 months. Sessions are conducted by Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden volunteers. Schools manage kitchen garden plots in the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden.

Program Objectives

1. Provide students with increased decision-making opportunities.
2. Increase understanding of the connections between plants and food
3. Increase understanding of a sustainable and organic kitchen garden.
4. Promote appreciation and understanding of the work of the Royal Botanic Gardens by forming working relationships with volunteers and staff.
5. Build capacity for students and teachers to develop their own school garden for teaching and learning.

Examples of student activities include:

• Students select what they will grow in the kitchen garden.
• Students will harvest their produce from the kitchen garden to be prepared and shared at school.
• Students prepare the soil, propagate plants, compost, plant, tend and harvest the garden.

School Feedback

 ‘Vermont South Special School [VSS] is a State run school attended by children with mild intellectual disabilities.

Our partnership with the Children's Garden program is a very valuable part of our schools' program providing a rich experience for the students and exchange of ideas and support for the teachers.

Benefits for our students include;

• Learning through hands on experiences
• Building of confidence, provide and self-esteem
• Development of life-long skills both recreational and vocational
• Social skills in dealing with members of the community
• Opportunity to experience a rich garden environment

For teachers the partnership has:

• Provided valuable enrichment and support for VELS Domains.

Given the opportunity to develop our own Kitchen Garden and have become a Wastewise School with everyone involved in composting and recycling.' (Jan Brown, Science Teacher, VSSS) 

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Applying for a School Partnership

There is no charge for participation in school partnership programs.

Visits are made of two hour sessions on a weekly or fortnightly basis during the term in which your partnership program is running. This is a guide and programs can be catered to individual school needs.

To apply to participate in these programs, please submit an application addressing the following criteria. A maximum of three partnership programs are available in 2008.

For enquires please email edserv@rbg.vic.gov.au or phone Chris Joy on 9252 2454.

Requested information for school submission:

1. Goals for the partnership. These may include desired learning outcomes and experiences.
2. What do you think your role would be to ensure the success of this partnership program? This may include a statement about communication methods, reliability, commitment and interest of your staff.
3. How do you plan to travel to the RBG? How often and how regularly can you visit? What dates/terms, starting and finishing times do you prefer?
4. Describe your group in terms of needs, abilities, interests, age range and participant numbers.
5. Demonstrated support of the program from Principal, Teachers, School Officers and Parents.

FOR TERMS 2 AND 4 in 2008
THE CLOSING DATE IS 29 FEBRUARY 2008

Please watch this space for future application dates.

2008 information:

Growing School Community Gardens short course

Teacher Professional Development
South East Water Teacher Professional Development Session
more information 

Careers Day -Cranbourne
This careers program will introduce students to the diversity of career options available within the fields of horticulture and conservation land management using the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne as a case study.
more information

School Partnership Programs -Melbourne
School Partnership Programs generate opportunities for long term, ongoing learning experiences for schools.
more information

Free Bus Offer -Melbourne
One of the barriers to bringing school groups out on excursions is the expense of transport. To assist in overcoming this barrier, The Ian Potter Foundation is providing support that will cover the cost of transport in order for eligible schools to travel to the Gardens to participate in one of the Children’s Garden programs.
Since it opened, the children of Melbourne have received The Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden very enthusiastically and we are all keen for every school child in the state to experience the education programs that we provide.

Please contact the Education Office on 9252 2358 to see if your school qualifies.