Excited children lined up and waved flags outside a Kingston Vale primary school to welcome the Duchess of Cambridge, relishing the chance to show off their own 'Bug-ingham Palace'.

Future Queen Kate visited Robin Hood Primary School in Bowness Close today (November 29) to celebrate its work with the Royal Horticultural Society Campaign for School Gardening.

The Duchess led a bulb-planting session while asking children about their favourite vegetables to grow and eat.

She also picked up a potato peeler and participated in a stick whittling craft activity whilst children told her all about their insect shelter “Bug-ingham Palace” and the critters found there - ladybirds and bumblebees rather than corgis.

She later said: "Lucky insects have such a good place to stay."

Addressing the whole school, the Duchess of Cambridge said: “It’s lovely to meet all of you.

“I’ve got such fond memories of being in the garden and being outside from my childhood and I’m sharing that with my children, George and Charlotte, at the moment.

“What you have created here is really so special. I’m sure you’ll have lots of memories of your time here looking for insects or planting bulbs and I really hope you will remember these special times for the rest of your lives.”

Although 34,000 schools are involved in the RHS’s Campaign for School Gardening, Robin Hood School is one of only 350 that were awarded a level five for their work - and the school's gold plaque proudly hangs at the gate to its allotment.

The school has developed a whole-school outdoor learning curriculum with support from the RHS. Children have access to a range of outdoor classrooms in the woodland setting, including a purpose-built outdoor learning area and sensory garden.

This outdoor learning is said to give children an opportunity to explore, consolidate and develop their knowledge and understanding of the natural environment.

The RHS believe that schools can improve the mental wellbeing of their children by getting them into gardening and outdoors activities.

Ruth Evans, director of education for the RHS, said: “What people probably don’t realise is that about three quarters of schools in the country have nothing like the rural setting here.

“Lots and lots are in built up areas and we think it’s really good to get children and young people to understand about plants and to get their hands dirty and get gardening.”

Sally Spires, outdoor learning co-ordinator at the school, said Kate talked about how she enjoys gardening with the children.

“And how it can be gardening … fruit, vegetables, but also just including toys and dinosaurs, enjoying being in the outdoors,” Ms Spires said.

She said the duchess’s visit to the school was “fantastic”, adding: “It’s shone a light on our school. It’s shone a light on outdoor learning and how that can facilitate children learning in a wide variety of ways. The children’s experience of that will stay with them forever.”