Developments

National Garden Scheme
In 2002 we were accepted into The National Garden Scheme and have opened annually since then with over 500 visitors and raised about £1700 for charity each year.

Hampton Court Flower Show 2002
We were also one of 21 core schools nationally who participated in the Growing Schools' Garden in The Hampton Court Flower Show 2002. For this we made a sensory pergola, most of the garden's decorative fencing, some ephemeral sculpture and metal labels with plant names. This was a very exciting venture.

Pilot School
With the support and encouragement of Learning Through Landscapes we have been chosen by the Department of Education and Science to be a pilot school. This is a national initiative designed to show other schools how to develop their grounds and set up an Outdoor Curriculum.

Change of role
Palatine school has changed its existing role from an all-age special school for children with moderate learning difficulties to that of a primary school for all special needs. The staff and pupils from the secondary part of the school have transferred to Oak Grove College which opened on October 31^st 2005 as a generic special school for 256 secondary pupils aged 11-19. It is one of the largest schools of its type in Britain and has pupils with a wide range of needs from moderate learning difficulties, speech and language disorders and autism to children with profound physical and mental disabilities. The challenge for Oak Grove is to develop a bare landscape into one as beautiful and stimulating as that at Palatine School. After only nine months on the new site Oak Grove won a silver gilt medal in The school's South East in Bloom competition and won 'Best school garden for 'Worthing in Bloom' so it looks as though the traditions are being carried on!