The recently completed wildlife garden at Dulwich Hamlet Junior School has been very well received by staff and students. A whole range of learning experiences have centred around habitat piles, pondlife containers and planting to encourage biodiversity.

Our brief for the site, located in South London, was to redesign the school frontage as a wildlife garden to host outdoor learning. This was to include opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience of natural processes and encourage enthusiasm for nature. To achieve this, our scheme includes a range of pollinator planting species as well as habitat log piles created from recycled trees felled on site. In addition, pondlife viewing bowls are placed at ground level for students to observe a range of aquatic creatures. The design also contains raised planting beds which have each been adopted by a different year group. This, along with new fruit trees, allows students to recognise nature’s productivity. Each outdoor learning experience can be consolidated in the group seating area, encouraging group discussion and reflection.

At Wynne-Williams Associates, we value the benefits of outdoor learning and welcome opportunities to share our innovative approaches for designing educational spaces.