Unique teaching space brings together healthy eating, gardening and sustainability.

Hammersmith Academy formally launched their new Outdoor Kitchen Classroom, a unique transformative space that will allow students to learn about food and sustainability in a hands-on way, surrounded by the very ingredients they are growing.

Food education is essential to all our futures, so by learning the fundamentals of cooking and how food is produced and transported, students will be better prepared to make informed lifelong choices about their own health and that of the planet’s.

This new teaching space adds another strand to the Academy’s extracurricular provision which already includes a gardening and sustainability curriculum. The Academy has a distinguished award record which includes RHS School Gardening Team of the Year, Cultivation Street School Garden of the Year, Global Action Plan’s Sustainable School of the Year and winner of Mayor of London’s Climate Kick-Start Award.

The project was funded by the Mayor’s Fund as a result of the Academy winning the Mayor of London’s Climate Kick Start Award back in November 2021.

The Outdoor Kitchen Classroom was unveiled by Camilla Schneideman, Managing Director of Leith’s Cooking School and Headteacher, Gary Kynaston. The launch event was attended by an array of distinguished guests, including Hammersmith Community Gardens Association who have supported the Academy’s gardening projects, Grace Alliott, Nourish Hub’s Head of Education and Bowmer + Kirkland, who generously provided the services of an expert build team free of charge.

Jacob Keen, Head Chef Sam’s Waterside Brentford, led an artisan pizza making masterclass for students at the launch event.

Headteacher, Mr Kynaston said of the kitchen space, “Since the Academy was first proposed, having a facility to teach cooking skills has been a real aim of ours. We know from studies that young people who are taught cooking skills go on to lead healthier lives. The Outdoor Kitchen Classroom will not only facilitate this skills-based learning but also aligns with our passion for sustainability.

We are hugely grateful to all those who have helped make this ambitious project come to life. It has only been possible through collective generosity and a shared vision to change the lives of young people.”