Community Links
Stanley Grange:
Each week, a group of pupils work with Ben from Stanley Grange. They either spend the afternoon working on the school allotment plot or in our Forest School area.
Week Commencing: 17.03.25: This week, work started on painting the bird boxes. Children are choosing their own designs and using whatever colours they like to create their patterns. During the session, Year 1 consolidated their maths learning by finding things in Forest School that were taller and shorter and used what they’d found to construct dens.
Week Commencing: 10.03.25: Using their new skills, Year One are continuing to build new bird boxes for our Forest School area. Next week they will be painted ready for hanging on the boundaries. They also used resources they found to make their own seesaws and look at how they balanced.
Week Commencing: 03.03.25: As well as being tasked to spot as many signs of Spring as they could, our Year 1 pupils started a new project in Forest School. They have started to construct new bird boxes. Once these have been finished and painted, they will be installed in our outside area.
Week Commencing: 24.02.25 - Our Year 1 pupils tidied up our Forest School area on Thursday with Ben, Paul and Adam from Stanley Grange. They talked about why it is important to look after this area and thought about the different habitats that appeal to hedgehogs, birds and other wildlife. Together, they also thought about other ways to enhance this space with plants and bird boxes.
Week Commencing: 10.02.5 - Liam, Ben, Adam & Paul visited school this week. Our Year 1 pupils were enthusiastic tour guides as they showed them our Forest School resources. They explained the rules of using this area, including how we use the fire pit safely. Working as a team, they looked for potential hazards before going on adventures together.
Week Commencing: 03.02.25 - This week, the group made a coco brick into coir soil by adding water. The brick which is made out of coconut hair.
They put some soil into their own plant pot, made a hole with their finger and planted two tomato seeds in each. They also checked on the already growing peppers in their pots—the heat mat and light are helping them to grow.
Week Commencng: 27.01.25 - Year 1 pupils decorated egg boxes to store the potatoes that they chitted. These will now be left in the dark to start growing and children will check on them every week. During their visit to the allotment, pupils also spotted signs of Spring as they saw daffodils starting to emerge, as well as garlic.
Week Commencing: 20.01.25 - The first job for this week’s group was to plant trees. They had to make sure the hole was deep enough to cover all the roots before they stamped on the soil and watered the new trees. They then spent time in the greenhouse where Ben asked them to identify different fruits, seeds and leaves.
Commencing: 13.01.25 - On their first visit, Year 1 pupils walked around the grounds to look at trees. Ben gave them an identification sheet to find out if the trees were evergreen—kept their leaves—or deciduous—drop their leaves. Ben told the group that squirrels buried buts from which the trees grew.
Week Commencing: 06.01.25 - Our Year 4 pupils soaked a coco brick in water to provide new planting soil called coir which is made from coconut hair. They then put the coir into small pots and sowed peppers and onions. The group also checked on school’s planting plots and could only find rosemary, an olive tree and a few old potatoes still in the boxes.
Week Commencing: 25.11.25 - This week at Stanley Grange, our Year 3 pupils were helping to get ready for Christmas by working in groups to design and pain festive pictures on the windows. The colourful creations included baby Jesus, Angel Gabriel, Christmas trees and snowmen.
Week Commencing: 11.11.24 - This week the group planted trees! Rowan enjoyed planting a Rowan! Other species planted included silver birch and wild cherry.
Week Commencing: 04.11.24 - Following on from last week’s visit, the pupils went on a tree spotting walk around the grounds. They had to identify whether the trees produced nuts, seeds or berries.
Week Commencing: 14.10.24 - As well as tidying and watering the beds, pupils helped to apply compost and manure ready to plant new strawberry crops.
Week Commencing: 07.10.24 - This week the group cleared out other plots of dead plants. They harvested any remaining produce, including tomatoes, cabbage and French beans. Their final task was to plant some of the garlic bulbs grown last year for this year’s crop.
Week Commencing: 30.09.24 - Our Year 4 pupils cleared the allotment plot, harvested potatoes—they brought a large bag full back to school. They also prepared the soil for the next crops using manure.
Week commencing: 23.09.24 - The group walked round the grounds of Stanley Grange on a treasure hunt. If they spotted a picture of a hand, they had to stop and listen to Ben. If they found a picture of a tree, they had to use their information sheets to find out which species it was. Pupils also collected nuts and seeds which will be planted in the future.
Week commencing: 16.09.24 - This week pupils helped collect apples before pressing them and enjoying the results with a taste of freshly pressed apple juice! Delicious!