Pupils at Barton Park Primary School in Oxford are set to benefit from new outdoor learning spaces, including an orchard and nursery kitchen garden, following a community project led by housebuilder Vistry and its supply chain partners.
The improvements are intended to give children more opportunities to learn outside the classroom, with practical activities centred on growing food, understanding sustainability and developing healthy eating habits.
The project has transformed previously underused areas of the school grounds, with new planters, a four-foot picket fence, water butts and compost bins among the additions. The orchard and nursery kitchen garden are already being used by pupils, who can learn to grow and care for plants as part of their school experience.
Children were actively involved in creating the new spaces through an initiative the school called Operation Groundforce. The programme gave pupils experiencing challenges at school the opportunity to work alongside construction professionals and contribute to improvements they could subsequently enjoy and take pride in.
Bryony McCraw, headteacher at Barton Park Primary School, said the involvement of the children had helped them develop a sense of ownership over the finished spaces.
She said the nursery kitchen garden was being used daily as children learnt to tend their own vegetables, adding that the school hoped the orchard and garden would help establish a broader, school-wide healthy eating curriculum.
The work brought together Vistry, school staff and several supply chain partners, including MV Kelly, Mostrim, Aspire Scaffolding and Renelec. Contributions included scaffold boards for the planters, soil, paint and the installation of new guttering, alongside donated materials, expertise and labour.
Beyond the physical improvements, the partnership has also introduced pupils to potential careers in construction. Children have visited Vistry’s nearby Barton Park development for guided site tours and discussions with members of its team, with further educational activities planned.
Vistry is delivering the second and fourth phases of Barton Park, known as Beckley Place, which forms part of a wider development comprising 885 homes across four phases. The company said it would continue supporting the school with educational engagement and final improvements to the bike rack area.
The completed work is intended to provide a lasting resource for the school, giving pupils opportunities to develop practical skills and explore how food is grown, while helping connect classroom learning with the natural environment.
