The garden, at Whitehills Primary School, features seasonal flower beds, benches and a giant chess board and is the result of the hard work of pupils, parents and staff, who have worked lunch hours and weekends to transform a piece of waste ground which formerly housed a mobile classroom.

The area, which was made possible by £4,000 of funding from Natwest, was officially opened by Sally Keeble, MP for Northampton North, in a ceremony yesterday.

Headteacher Marianne Oakes said: "The garden is just delightful. It's great to have an area where children who don't want to run around all the time can get away from the hustle and bustle and sit with a friend or with a book, without worrying whether they're going to get hit with a football or get knocked over by someone running past.

"It's totally peaceful and reflective and is a very pleasant area to sit in. The children have enjoyed getting involved in creating it during lunch hours and weekends and will continue to help out with the weeding and other maintenance."