CHADWELL St Mary Primary School swept the board at this year’s Thurrock in Bloom awards.

Every day, children at the school eat vegetables they have grown, from marrows and borlotti beans to squash, pumpkins, tomatoes and potatoes, all cooked in the school kitchen.

Their school’s gardens won three awards, including Best School Allotment Garden, Wildlife Garden and Schools project.

Head Julie Donnelly said she was “very, very proud and very, very pleased” that the children’s efforts had been recognised.

She said: “The children were so proud, you could almost hear them squealing with excitement!”

She added that it was all about children learning where their food came from and said every subject in the school, from maths to PSHE, used the garden in its learning.

The children are coached in the garden by learning support assistant Sue Sullivan.

Jackie Humberstone, of Thurrock in Bloom, said: “As usual, the judges were impressed by the children’s enthusiasm and the range of different and innovative ways in which they were utilising their outdoor spaces.”