Plotting the future: Inside Arbourthorne’s award-winning school garden
Step onto the grounds of Arbourthorne Community Primary School, and you will quickly see that learning here extends far beyond the traditional classroom walls. Under the guidance of Environmental and Gardening Lead teacher Angela Hiley, the school’s award-winning growing space has spent the last four years proving how school gardens can be the perfect outdoor classroom while building a healthier local community. Featured as part of ShefFood’s Fast Food series, which highlights quick, impactful local food projects across Sheffield, Arbourthorne Community Primary School shows how integrating food into school life creates a ripple effect that connects education, practical life skills, and long-term resilience for our kids.
The garden brings the national curriculum to life as a living classroom. Science and geography lessons move into the soil, giving pupils hands-on experience with plant biology. They explore reproduction by propagating strawberry runners and rosemary cuttings, and natural cycles by saving marigold seeds in autumn and replanting them in spring. Each class cares for specific crops as pupils progress through year groups. By tracking seasonal weather and growing plants from seed, they gain practical knowledge of nature they’re more likely to remember.
Beyond science, the space helps children develop practical skills often becoming lost arts: gardening, weeding, saving seeds, and growing food. They use fresh harvests in the school’s Flourish community kitchen run by parent volunteers, where children and parents learn to cook healthy meals from scratch. Monthly Family Feasts and a weekly food barrow take pupils from seed to plate, building confidence and skills they can bring home.
Arbourthorne’s growing space also builds ecological and social resilience. The garden supports seasonal eating, cuts food miles, and teaches children to adapt to environmental challenges. For example, after the polytunnel area was getting too wet whenever it rained, the school installed water butts and planted thirsty willow to absorb runoff naturally. That same willow is used as a sustainable resource for our Maker curriculum. The lesson learned is to adapt, and you will thrive.
Socially, the garden serves as a unique hub for the whole neighbourhood, not just its pupils and parents. By giving away plants, hosting horticulture events, and sharing fresh produce, the school fosters collective care. They even have GoodGym volunteers who run from the city centre monthly during the growing season to lend a hand.
All of this helps empower the next generation to nourish their city, and is a great example of how schools can integrate more outdoor learning into their days. You can learn more about the project and our series “Fast Food” by visiting sheffood.org.uk or follow @sheffoodsocial on Facebook & Instagram.
