Gardening 'makes children happy and teaches new skills'

Taking part in gardening can make a child feel happy and boost their development, research suggests.

The study of 1,300 teachers and 10 schools was commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

It found children in schools that encouraged gardening became more resilient, confident and lived healthier lives.

The RHS says school gardening should be used as a key teaching tool, rather than as an extra-curricular activity.

Researchers at the National Foundation for Educational Research carried out the study and found teachers who used gardening as part of learning said it helped improve children's readiness to learn.