A Brighton primary school scooped prizes in two separate garden competitions this week.

Moulsecoomb Primary School won third prize in the Brighton and Hove City in Bloom Best Primary School Gardens competition, and the silver gilt in the RHS South and South East in Bloom competition.

Warren Carter, a Moulsecoomb Primary School governor who takes part in the gardening projects said: "It's only right that the school receives the recognition it deserves for all the hard work it puts into its outside space. This is integral to what the school is trying to do, and massively helps the education of all the pupils in the school."

The Moulsecoomb School garden includes replica historical buildings, a pond, fruit and vegetable gardens and a nuttery, all of which are used for the children’s learning. The progress of the garden is recorded by head gardener, Colin Bushby, year 6, in a school gardening blog that allows him to practise his literacy.

Lucy Rayner, Community Officer for the school, said: “The value of pleasant, open green spaces for children to run around and play is generally good for a healthy lifestyle. Outside learning is part of the ethos of the school and is an on-going project.”

Princess Obi-Roberts and Lewis James, both year 5, showed judges around the garden and met with Mayor Brian Fitch to collect the prize for the Brighton and Hove City in Bloom competition.

The school also received a gold award in a national competition of the Royal Forestry Society and has just received a grant to transform a derelict playground into a community garden.

A judge from the Royal Forestry Society commented: “I felt greatly encouraged to have been able to witness a school where, from the head down to the youngest and most difficult of students, the importance of trees and the products we utilise from these most precious of resources had been instilled.”