Robin Hood School

At Robin Hood Junior School in Sutton, Meristem Design installed a 54m green screen. This extensive installation incorporates various plant species and engaging natural features, creating an immersive green environment within the school’s playground. 

To create a natural, engaging green area that supports biodiversity and provides educational opportunities for students.

The installation of a 54m living green screen that uses a mix of 20 plant species, with added herb plantings and bug hotels to promote environmental learning.

Although the school has a large playground by London standards, there was no field and so limited scope for greenery, and so it was important to bring as much life as possible to the space. 

The school requested a mixed screen so we combined English Ivy, Euonymus fortunei, Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and 2 varieties of Clematis for the screens, and planted a mix of smaller plants at the base, using a total of 20 species in the screen and its base.

We also installed bug hotels along the wall, one for each class, that will ideally attract and be used by a variety of different species. This provides the opportunity for the pupils to learn about ecosystems and the natural environment in a more engaging and hands-on way. 

As well as the hotels, we planted more than 15 varieties of herbs at the base, with a view to helping the children understand more about horticulture and where their food comes from. The screens will, therefore, double up as an educational tool to teach the children more about the natural environment.

The green screen enhances playground aesthetics, supports wildlife, and provides an engaging, hands-on educational tool for students.