WHERWELL Primary School hosted an event to celebrate the results of efforts to make their school grounds a better place to learn, play and grow.

By taking part in the innovative Learning Through Landscapes (LTL) Children's Champions project, the recruited 'champions' discovered just what children in their school wanted from their school grounds.

With a little monetary help from Southern Electric and some practical support from LTL, they began ensuring that boring and miserable playtimes were a thing of the past. The fun day at Wherwell allowed schools to share ideas and discuss the successes of their projects and pupils also took part in a series of practical activities to help inspire them even more.

Tasks such as tree dressing, recycled kite flying and making wind spinners not only demonstrated how the project helps take learning outside, it also made important links across the curriculum.

Anita Foster, project manager at LTL, said: "In our study, a massive 73 per cent of schools surveyed believed improving school grounds led to considerable improvements in pupil behaviour - 84 per cent thought social interaction has improved and 64 per cent believed it resulted in raised self-esteem.

"Projects such as Children's Champions not only provide invaluable opportunities for pupils to express their wishes for better school grounds but also support and empower them to make their wishes a reality."