Oasis Academy Woodview in Edgbaston, Birmingham, has created an extraordinary outdoor learning garden featuring a pupil-built Stonehenge, a Viking ship burial, and a Roman road, winning a Gold Award in the West Midlands Grow & Garden Awards.
Transforming Derelict Land into an Inspirational Space
Headteacher Joe Darnley wanted to provide students, many of whom lack garden access at home, with an inspirational green space. Rather than hiring landscapers, he involved pupils in every stage of development. "We could have just had landscapers in but I didn't want it to just be done over a weekend for the children to then use, I wanted them to be involved with the development, laying slabs, planting seeds and watching it come to life," he said.
Students from Year 1 to Year 6 mixed cement, laid stones, created mosaics, planted flowers, and grew vegetables. The project, supported by Roots to Fruit and National Lottery funding, has become an integral part of school life.
Curriculum-Linked Historical Features
The garden includes a Stonehenge blueprint, a Tudor Knot Garden, an Anglo-Saxon/Viking ship burial, and a Roman road. Darnley explained, "The Stonehenge garden is a blueprint of the original Stonehenge. It helps children investigate the importance of monuments and to look at how it was carefully designed with the heel stone so the sun shines in the centre of the monument." The Roman road was built by children who learned about camber for drainage and Roman history. The Viking ship features a buried skeleton in a helmet for excavation activities.
Community and Wellbeing Impact
The garden supports mental health and wellbeing. "For many of our children, they do not have access to outdoor gardens where they live so these sessions and the space we provide, supports the mental health and wellbeing of our children and their families," Darnley added. The space is open to parents and the community, hosting events like a 'Lads n Dads' workshop for Men's Mental Health Month, where male role models built bird feeders and toasted marshmallows.
Weekly sessions with Adam from Roots to Fruit continue year-round. The garden won a Gold Award for its educational value and children's contribution. Darnley noted, "It's also a legacy for the children to leave. They've planted an orchard and there's no fruit yet but in years to come they'll be able to say I planted a tree there."
