RHS School Gardening Awards Level 4

Level 4 focuses on gardening for wildlife and using gardening to support the curriculum. It is also about inspiring others beyond your school by sharing plants and seeds.

How do we achieve Level 4?

To achieve Level 4, you need to demonstrate the following:

  • Our gardening supports wildlife
  • We use gardening to support the curriculum
  • We share our plants or seeds with others

When you are ready to apply for Level 4, please submit up to 100 words for each of the above criteria explaining how you have met each one. For school submissions, please show how at least 10 pupils have been involved when you submit your evidence. You are welcome to include quotes from children and young people as part of your submission.

Submit evidence

Information and resources to support your submission:

Our gardening supports wildlife We use gardening to support our curriculum We share our plants or seeds with others

How are you encouraging and protecting wildlife?

This might include:

  • Creating habitats for wildlife e.g. log piles or nest boxes
  • Introducing a pond
  • Creating a dead hedge
  • Leaving some areas of grass to grow long
  • Providing food and water for wildlife
  • Planting for pollinators

Gardening enriches the entire curriculum from science, literacy and maths, to geography, art and design and PSHE.

This might include:

  • Finding out about plant life cycles
  • Researching how to grow different plants
  • Calculating seed depth and spacing
  • Designing and producing signs for the growing area
  • Cooking harvested produce
  • Using nature as inspiration for poetry or art

Sharing plants or seeds can be a first step in using gardening to connect with others within and beyond the school.

This might include:

  • Children and young people taking plants or seeds home to grow with their families
  • Establishing a collection point for the local community
  • Organising or attending a plant or seed-sharing event
  • Sharing plants or seeds with a local school or nursery
  • Sharing plants with a local residential home
  • Sharing plants or seeds with a local allotment group

Useful resources:

Useful resources:

Useful resources:

Ready for the next level? 

Level 5

School rewards



Achieve Level 4 and receive:

  • A certificate and a digital logo to promote and celebrate your achievement

To help you move up to Level 5, you'll also receive:

  • £100 National Garden Gift Voucher
  • The ‘RHS Gardening School’ book
  • A selection of Mr Fothergill’s seeds*

Group and individual rewards

Achieve Level 4 and receive:

  • A certificate and a digital logo to promote and celebrate your achievement

To help you move up to Level 5, you'll also receive:

  • A selection of Mr Fothergill's seeds*

* Due to postal restrictions we are only able to send seeds to addresses in England, Scotland and Wales.

Hear from the schools taking part:

"Our vibrant school garden isn't just a pretty sight; it's an interactive classroom. Throughout the year, it becomes a dynamic learning hub, mirroring the changes in seasons.

From seed planting to blooming flowers, it's a living lesson on the plant life cycle. Pupils explore the garden, getting hands-on with the different parts of plants.

Our garden is a green, growing extension of the curriculum, making learning about nature a lively experience."

Sabina Ceglarz-Abdol, Lead SEND Assistant, Carterhatch Junior School, Middlesex