Growing the future: connecting children with nature through school gardening

The setting

Brookland Junior School, a long-standing Primary PGCE partnership school, has worked closely with UCL to develop the school’s curriculum to incorporate school-gardening and growing. This work was part of a national research project involving schools and early years settings which sought to understand how they establish and sustain school gardening and growing. 

From the outset of this research, the school had ambitious aims ‘to have everyone involved in gardening across the school rather than just a gardening club’ (deputy headteacher) as was historically the case. 

 The research partnership between the school and the university has acted as a powerful catalyst for change, with gardening moving from an extracurricular activity for the few to a curriculum for all. Through interviews, surveys, and ongoing dialogue with staff and pupils, the school developed a deep and nuanced understanding of the potential of gardening for learning. Early stages of the research surfaced excitement alongside concerns about integrating gardening into the curriculum.  

The groundwork

A baseline staff survey revealed high levels of enthusiasm but limited confidence in gardening expertise. This understanding enabled leaders to work with the teaching team to address professional development needs through collaborative curriculum planning. They trialled practical gardening activities such as compost-making and vegetable bed preparation. 

The approach built confidence across the staff team, reduced perceptions of gardening as something ‘extra’, and began to develop a culture where the potential benefits of gardening for children’s learning are understood, valued and curriculum integration feels achievable. 

Curriculum integration

Teaching of the following newly written science-led curriculum units began in 2026 and will be reviewed by pupils and the teaching team and adapted accordingly ahead of next year: 

• Spring 1: Year 5 - Winter Wonder: Indoor planting, compost making, terrarium creations and planning for a Spring garden
• Spring 2: Year 4 - Spring into Growth: Propagating seeds, exploring soil types to identify the best types of plants to grow in different environments, and making garden beds.
• Summer 1: Year 3 - Our Growing Garden: Pollination areas, biodiversity and wildlife zones, caring for the gardens
• Summer 1: Year 6 - From the Garden to the Table: Harvesting, growing and planting and moving from garden to plate (harvest to the school kitchen), future proofing the garden beds. 

Teachers at Brookland articulate the wide‑ranging benefits of gardening and growing, from science and sustainability learning, to teamwork, wellbeing and sensory engagement, while pupils speak of the joy of being outside, the satisfaction of nurturing a plant and caring for a living thing. Whilst in its early stages, the school are already seeing a positive impact on pupil learning with the children involved in active and purposeful learning and classrooms becoming spaces for indoor growing alongside preparing the outdoor planting areas. 

What pupils said

I’m excited to be growing the plants and seeing how they grow in the beds. We can put the garlic and herbs in the kitchen.

• “We are learning new ways to grow plants and are thinking about ways we can decorate our own houses with plants as well.”
• “We enjoyed being able to touch the soil and pick up the charcoal and gather all the ingredients with our hands (for the terrariums).”
• “I love seeing the plants grow and learning about what soil is best. Our lessons are fully inclusive - we all have a turn and part to do.”
• “We are using the compost made by Year 5 to help our plants grow!”

A long-term transformation

It was through our conversations and through looking at what other schools have done… that made it happen” (deputy headteacher). 

School leaders believe that this transformation ‘would not have happened’ (deputy headteacher) without the research partnership – made possible through long-term relationships established as part of UCL and Brookland’s collaborative work in initial teacher education. The structured conversations, external challenge, and reflective space enabled by the collaboration provided the momentum, clarity and confidence needed for genuine change. 

• “The class have become really excited about gardening and they love watching the seeds starting to grow. They absolutely cannot wait to plant them outdoors and have their own garden spaces to look after.” (Year 4 teacher)
• “We’ve been learning about gardening as we go. It’s been helpful to have our staff meetings focus on the gardening skills we’re teaching so that we feel confident too. It’s also been great fun!” (Year 5 teacher)

Wider impacts

Beyond the school itself, the project contributes important insights into the conditions needed to establish and sustain gardening and approaches to integrating this within the primary and early years curriculum. It demonstrates that meaningful integration requires leadership commitment, whole‑staff collaboration, clear curriculum design, and the courage to review existing practice. 

Findings from this case study and the wider research project are informing a new book to be published by UCL Press in 2027: Growing the Future – connecting children with nature through school gardening and growing.

Jane Tillin
Strategic Partnerships Development Lead for Initial Teacher Education