Cherry Ballart School Partnerships

School partnership programs create opportunities for long term, ongoing learning experiences for schools

Cherry Ballart School Partnerships

The Cherry Ballart School Partnership Program offers a free and unique opportunity for long term, ongoing learning experiences for low Index of Community Social Education Advantage (ICSEA) schools.

The Cherry Ballart School Partnership Program is generously supported by the Brian & Virginia McNamee Foundation. 

Aims and Objectives

The Gardens’ objectives of a Cherry Ballart School Partnership program are to partner with schools:

  • From communities at risk through economic disadvantage, social or environmental disadvantage,
  • To provide students, teachers and the school community, with learning opportunities to which they would not usually have access

A school partnership is an opportunity for the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and a school community to work closely together over a reasonable period of time on a focused outcome-driven project. Partnerships afford the opportunity for the Gardens to share our expertise whilst also providing an opportunity for the students to connect with the natural world, explore the wonders of plants and increase education engagement. Importantly, partnerships are developed in collaboration with school communities and are tailored to each schools’ individual needs.

Program Inclusions

A Cherry Ballart School Partnership includes

  • Delivery of an agreed outcome to improve student learning
  • Up to 8 incursion and/or excursion sessions across one term
  • At least one school planning session with RBGV Educators
  • Bus/travel reimbursement as required
  • Program resources
  • Program related project small grant  

Cherry Ballart

The Cherry Ballart (our native cherry tree) is chosen to represent this program, as when the Cherry Ballart is young it cannot grow on its own - it needs the support of others to grow and flourish. A young Cherry Ballart will hang on until independence, and as adults they let go. The Cherry Ballart symbolises the RBG’s relationship with students and their schools, by the support that the RBG provides.

 

Applying for a School Partnership

Applications for Cherry Ballart School Partnerships open in Term 4 the year prior and are now closed for 2023. Applications are assessed based upon the following criteria:

  • Index of Community Social Education Advantage ranking
  • Previous visits to Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
  • Principal support for the partnership

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