School Belonging through the Kitchen Garden Program

• The Kitchen Garden Program is a living, growing classroom for connection, confidence, and community. 

• Students feel accepted and included, and have the support to be happier, more confident and show a greater interest in school activities.  

• The Kitchen Garden program has been independently evaluated for inclusion on six wellbeing panels and internationally recognised as one of the world’s most impactful and scalable innovations in education.  

A student’s readiness to learn is deeply influenced by their psychological and emotional environment. A critical supportive factor underpinning this readiness is a sense of school belonging — the feeling of being accepted, respected, valued and included within the school community. 

"A number of our most engaged students are often those least engaged in academic classroom activities. It’s so important that they have an avenue to feel what it is to be successful, knowledgeable and respected. Kitchen and garden classes give many of our children this opportunity." - Karama Primary School (Outer regional NT) 

Why school belonging matters 

1. Improves mental health 

• Students who feel they belong are less likely to experience anxiety, depression, or feelings of isolation. 

• School belonging creates a safe and supportive environment where students feel valued and understood. 

2. Boosts academic performance 

• When students feel connected to their school, they’re more motivated to learn and more likely to engage in class. 

• Belonging can increase attendance, focus, and effort. 

3. Encourages positive behaviour 

• A sense of belonging reduces behavioural challenges such as bullying, disruptive conduct, or disengagement. 

• Students are more likely to follow rules and show respect when they feel respected in return. 

4. Supports identity and self-esteem 

• Feeling accepted helps students develop a positive self-image and a stronger sense of who they are. 

5. Promotes inclusion and equity 

• Schools that foster belonging are more inclusive environments where people of all abilities, backgrounds, or identities, are welcomed, valued, and supported to learn and succeed together. 

• This is especially important for students from marginalised backgrounds. 

Independent evaluations show that the Kitchen Garden Program is a powerful and practical approach for strengthening school belonging, proven to create inclusive, cooperative environments where students work side-by-side, share responsibility, and contribute to something meaningful.  

Hands-on learning in kitchen and garden classes offers low-pressure, real-world learning experiences that engage diverse learners and provide space for social connection and emotional regulation.  

For students who may not always thrive in traditional academic settings, kitchen and garden classes offer a place to feel competent, needed, and safe. They also promote relationships between students, staff, and the wider community, further strengthening the web of belonging. 

Practical steps for schools 

• Embed spaces like kitchen gardens into wellbeing programs to support social and emotional literacy. 

• Use culturally responsive content including lesson plans with plants and foods students recognise and explorations of family stories to signal inclusion. 

• Give students agency and responsibility by involving them in decision-making and engaging them in activities that challenge them just enough to foster confidence and ownership. 

• Ensure the kitchen and garden spaces are accessible and welcoming, giving students who may not feel as comfortable in the traditional classroom a chance to shine. 

Students in the garden at Springvale Rise Primary School

Case Study: Springvale Rise Primary School, VIC 

Along with bountiful harvests, the Kitchen Garden Program at Springvale Rise Primary School is growing belonging, safety, connection, and wellbeing.  

Principal Debbie Cottier describes the kitchen garden as “a way to embrace our community – addressing inclusion, and really trying to create a safe place for families who are newly arrived to Australia” where students, parents, and staff come together not only to garden, but also to share cultural recipes, learn language, and build relationships. 

Belonging through diversity and shared meals 

The program at Springvale Rise celebrates cultural diversity in a tangible way. Kitchen Garden Specialist Mary Giannakopoulos explains that recipes used in classes are drawn from students’ cultural backgrounds. When students cook or grow foods that remind them of home, “their eyes light up … it’s almost adding a sense of validity that what they do at home is accepted and it’s good, among themselves and their peers.”  

A quiet refuge to regain balance 

The Kitchen Garden Program is integrated into the school’s social and emotional literacy program, which helps students recognise when they feel distressed (e.g. “in the red zone”) and move back toward calm (“blue or green zone”). The garden offers a calm space where students can reset. Mary notes how “children who might not be having a great day can come and sit in the garden, have a chat, potter around… It helps them turn the switch and changes their view for the day.”  

Building confidence through responsibility 

Another benefit comes from giving students trust and responsibility. Mary highlights how students are trusted with proper kitchen and garden tools and how mastering tasks helps foster self-confidence. This hands-on responsibility signals respect and raises students’ sense of achievement.  

Evidence for school belonging 

• A strong sense of belonging has been shown to enhance academic outcomes and achievement, improve attendance, and support resilience ^1,2,4,8. 

• Belonging also supports emotional wellbeing, which is closely tied to cognitive performance and self-regulation in the classroom ⁵.  

• Feeling safe to take risks, ask questions, and express oneself creates a foundation for engagement and participation in learning ⁶. When students perceive their environment as safe and supportive, they are more likely to be motivated and to persist through challenges ⁷.  

• The Kitchen Garden Program has a positive impact on student engagement, social connections, and confidence within and beyond the school gates ³.   

Schools that foster trust and connectedness prepare the fertile ground necessary for the seeds of school engagement and learning to flourish. Learn more about integrating our program into your school’s wellbeing policy by contacting our expert Support Team on 13000 SAKGF (13000 72543). 

Springvale Rise Primary School students

“This innovative program has integrated gardening and cooking into our school Engagement and Wellbeing space, fostering a deeper understanding of food, nutrition, wellbeing, and the philosophy of pleasurable food among our students...The program fostered a sense of community and collaboration among students, teachers, and volunteers. Students worked in teams, enhancing their communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills while fostering a deeper connection with the food they consumed.” - Laura George, Engagement Wellbeing Teacher at Dungog High School (NSW) 

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program has been independently evaluated for wellbeing benefits 

• The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program has been evaluated for inclusion on the ACER Wellbeing Program Guide
   
• The Kitchen Garden Program is recognised by ARACY for wellbeing in education through demonstrated impact in all six domains of the Nest, Australia’s wellbeing framework for children and young people. 
   
• The Program has been independently reviewed for inclusion on the Be You Programs Directory - a searchable database of mental health and wellbeing programs for learning communities. 
   
• The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is available as a quality-assured program in the NSW Department of Education’s Student Wellbeing external programs catalogue in the theme of Sense of Belonging. 
   
• The Program is an endorsed program on the South Australian Department for Education External Wellbeing Programs Directory.
   
• The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is included on the South Australian Preschool Boost Menu of Services. 
   
• The Kitchen Garden Program has been recognised as one of the most impactful and scalable innovations in education and is featured as part of HundrED’s 2025 Global Collection. 

References & Further Reading 

1. Allen, K., Kern, M. L., Vella-Brodrick, D., Hattie, J., & Waters, L. (2018). 
   What schools need to know about fostering school belonging: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 30(1), 1–34. 

2. Allen, K., Vella-Brodrick, D. A., & Waters, L. (2016). 
   School belonging and the role of social and emotional competencies in supporting learning. Australian Journal of Education, 60(3), 357–370. 

3. Block, Karen & Gibbs, Lisa & Staiger, Petra & Gold, Lisa & Johnson, Britt & Macfarlane, Susie & Long, Caroline & Townsend, Mardie. (2011). Growing Community: The Impact of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program on the Social and Learning Environment in Primary Schools. Health Education & Behavior.  

4. Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2022). 
   The importance of school belonging. Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. 

5. Huang, L. (2023). 
   School belonging: A systematic review of its predictors and outcomes. Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. 

6. Jose, P. E., Ryan, N., & Pryor, J. (2012). 
   Does social connectedness promote a greater sense of well-being in adolescence over time? Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22(2), 235–251. 

7. National Children’s Bureau. (2025). Understanding and enhancing school belonging: Launching our literature review. 

8. NSW Department of Education. (2024a, July 2). Making sense of belonging.