Green-fingered students at Gaywood Community Primary School, King's Lynn, were able to get out of the classroom and get their hands dirty as they were joined by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Alison Findlay, RHS regional advisor, said: 'Our aim is to get schools outside to learn about gardening.

'We want to teach children the life skills of gardening, from seeing where their food comes from to healthy eating.

'It's a shame that it's the coldest March for a number of years so I'm not doing any sowing today.'

As part of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, Mrs Findlay will be working with three schools in the King's Lynn area.

Headteacher Paul Shanks said: 'We basically wanted to develop an outside area to promote good eating and show the kids where food comes from. We wanted a big area so we could bring a whole class out. We want to bring learning alive and make it more fun.

'They are learning about sustainability, composting and they are having a whale of a time. They like anything to do with mud and getting dirty.'

The gardening area has raised beds in which pupils will be able to grow vegetables which they will eventually cook in the school kitchen.

'It is lovely and it's nice that each class has their own area to work on,' said teaching assistant Rachel Brundle. 'Every class is going to be given a different thing to grow and they're going to be able to cook the vegetables in the garden.'

Toby Rose, aged nine, said: 'It's a new thing so it's exciting and you can get muddy.'

'That's the main bit,' added Millen Bird, aged eight, 'and it's nice to get out of the classroom.'

Class teacher Anne Wilkinson said: 'I like gardening myself so it's good to enthuse the next generation.

'It's brilliant to see them excited and engaged. The cleaners are going to kill me though.'