In 2026, we ran a survey to find out what our community values in the school's eco learning garden and outdoor environment, and hear ideas about what could be improved. 

This will help us P&C plan for 2026 and beyond, so we can support the school with resources and programs valued by the whole school community, including students, teachers, parents and carers.  

What we heard: 

We had 32 responses from parents with children across K-6 classes. 

Parents strongly value Ferncourt’s nature‑rich outdoor environment, especially the vegetable garden, diverse play spaces, and mature trees, which together support children’s wellbeing, exploration, imagination, and hands‑on learning. As one respondent put it, the space “encourages children to connect with nature in a calm and open space” .

Priorities raised by survey respondents include:

• A clear desire to make the school cooler, greener, and more natural with more shade trees, less artificial turf, expanded gardens including natives and edible plants. Concerns about artificial turf were common, with one respondent noting it “puts microplastics into the environment… and it's also much hotter”

• Many want a more organised/structured garden and garden program, with stronger links between the garden and curriculum, improved garden organisation, and educational signage. Several suggested incorporating outdoor learning spaces, with one respondent suggesting specific ideas including "flexible seating, outdoor classrooms, and culturally inclusive gathering spaces.” 

• Parents also want improved play equipment, especially for older students, Comfort issues—particularly noise in covered areas during rain—were also raised.

For the eco‑learning program, families support its current structure and want to expand it with life‑skills learning, cooking, insect study, herbs and natural medicines, Indigenous cultural experiences, small animals (e.g., chickens), and learning beyond the school grounds.

Overall, the community sees the garden as a major asset and wants to build on its strengths through more greenery, better shade, richer learning opportunities, and thoughtful long‑term planning.

The P&C will work with the school towards these goals. The survey results will inform planning for the garden program, as well as applications for grant funding when these opportunities become available. 

More information on the survey results is available in this survey outcomes report.