Pupils at Greenwood School, a pupil referral unit in Dibden in the New Forest, have transformed part of their school grounds through a hands-on gardening scheme led by award-winning garden designer Leigh Johnstone, known as The Beardy Gardener.
The project, delivered over three weeks, gave the students an opportunity to design, build, and plant a lasting feature for their school, encouraging teamwork, creativity, and practical learning.
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Leigh Johnstone, known as The Beardy Gardener. (Image: The Beardy Gardener)
Mr Johnstone said: “For young people in alternative provision, learning has to feel real.
“This kind of hands-on outdoor project gives them a different way to succeed, through doing, making and seeing progress in front of them.
“It was about building something they could point at and say, ‘We made that.”
Greenwood School staff said that practical, outdoor projects like this are particularly valuable for students who find mainstream or formal education challenging.
Kate Richardson, careers assistant at Greenwood School, said: “It was a brilliant project, the pupils loved it.
“They were so enthusiastic and enjoyed the process of building and hammering together the bench.
“It was great to see them out in the fresh air and working together as a team.”
The garden project also helped pupils develop essential outdoor skills, including safe tool use, measuring, planning, finishing, and planting.
These skills were reinforced through real-time progress and a finished product they could use and enjoy.
The new green space is intended to be used daily by both staff and pupils.
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