GARDENS TO NURTURE YOUNG MINDS

A new outdoor learning and play space, The Nurture Garden, has officially opened at The Crescent Primary School in East Croydon, providing a calming and communal space for children aged 5-10 with sensory needs.

The garden was designed by our team in collaboration with Barratt London and children’s mental health charity Place2Be. Our brief was to create a nurturing space where pupils could enjoy sensory planting, communal seating, opportunities for growing, and areas for quiet play and reflection. The result transforms an underused corner of the school grounds into a sensory-rich space for students to play, learn, and take a moment for themselves from their busy school day.

Key features include sensory planting that encourages touch and smell, timber sleeper seating and planters, tire planters, and stepping stumps set in bark mulch. A trellis archway entrance and willow-weave teepee shelter provides a quiet space for reading, and flush stepping stones create a welcoming, accessible layout, enclosed by a timber post fence.