Grantham School named Esland in Bloom School Winner 2026
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Across Esland this summer, schools have been transforming outdoor spaces into places where children and young people can learn, explore and take pride in their environment through Esland in Bloom 2026.
More than a seasonal competition, Esland in Bloom celebrates creativity, teamwork and wellbeing, bringing children, young people and colleagues together to create outdoor spaces everyone can enjoy.
Following this year’s judging visits, we’re delighted to announce Grantham School as the Esland in Bloom School Winner 2026.
The judges praised the school for building on the success of previous years while continuing to introduce fresh ideas that encouraged meaningful involvement from both children and colleagues throughout the project.
Celebrating individual achievements
Alongside the overall school award, this year’s competition also recognised two outstanding individual achievements.
Young person involvement award
Congratulations to 'D' from Esland Online School, whose enthusiasm, determination and willingness to embrace something new made a lasting impression on the judges.
Despite finding new challenges difficult at times, D fully embraced the project, creating a bug hotel from scratch and designing a dream garden that reflected both creativity and resilience.
Best Esland in Bloom photograph by a young person
Congratulations to 'BW' from Grantham School, whose winning photograph beautifully captured the pride and creativity behind this year’s project.
The judges were particularly impressed by the composition, colour and use of light, creating an image that perfectly reflected the spirit of Esland in Bloom.
Recognising curiosity
A special congratulations also goes to Esland Online School, recipients of this year’s Curious Award.
The award recognises the imaginative way students and colleagues embraced a competition centred around outdoor spaces within a virtual learning environment. Their creativity and innovative approach demonstrated that curiosity can flourish in every learning environment.
Thankyou
A huge thank you to every school, colleague and young person who took part, and to the members of the Esland Leadership Team who each gave their time to visit a school and judge this year’s entries.
Every project, whether recognised with an award or not, showcased the creativity, teamwork and pride that make Esland in Bloom such a valued part of the Esland calendar. Together, you’ve created outdoor spaces that will continue to be enjoyed long after the competition has ended.