Donations create forest area

A Sleaford primary school has been a hive of summer break activity with a number of changes expected to greet pupils in the autumn term - thanks to a number of kind donations from local businesses.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Sep 2019, 17:57 BST
The story circle of log seats. A throne will be added too. EMN-190827-140557001The story circle of log seats. A throne will be added too. EMN-190827-140557001
The story circle of log seats. A throne will be added too. EMN-190827-140557001

Headteacher of William Alvey School, Stephen Tapley explained: “The Head of our Foundation stage was keen to develop our grounds and create a wilder, forest area. The response to help has been overwhelming.

“Our PTA donated £2,000 for a story throne and dragon chimenea.

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“The Woodland Trust has donated trees. Peter Balderson of Wilsford Wood Yard has donated some tree ‘cookies’ (slices of tree trunk) as seats and tables for a story circle. Dean Baker of Hanbeck Quarry has offered to donate some local stone to help landscape the area.”

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The old air raid shelter in William Alvey School's playground. EMN-190827-140547001The old air raid shelter in William Alvey School's playground. EMN-190827-140547001
The old air raid shelter in William Alvey School's playground. EMN-190827-140547001

Parents volunteered to build a bug house and John Hammond, a gardener and handyman, carried out work free of charge.

The story throne replaces an existing bench while a pile of tyres will make way for the two metre high dragon chimenea. Mr Balderson, from the woodyard also got them to put down some corrugated roofing to encourage voles and grass snakes.

Meanwhile, Mr Tapley said they have had an old toilet area remodelled into a pastoral suite.

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He said: “We are a primary school but we have a Pastoral Manager, two special educational needs coordinators and two specialist special educational needs assistants.”

The school is also planning a research project to create a roll of honour of former pupils who died in the Second World War, similar to its First World War memorial project. They have also officially labelled a former air raid shelter which still stands in the playground that was built in 1940.

The school also had a visit from Professor Bob Snowden earlier in the summer. He attended Willian Alvey in the 1940s and witnessed a tragic accident involving one of his classmates.

Bob went on to be a very successful academic at Exeter University, but found it very difficult to come to terms with the accident he saw as a 10 year old.

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Mr Tapley said: “He made a very generous donation to the school to buy a memorial bench for Tom and Maddie’s Garden and start a memorial book for all those teachers and children who passed away whilst attending the school, 24 in total since 1850.

“We looked at the old log books, our school history Powerpoint (on the website), visited Tom and Maddie’s Garden where Bob set a very special stone in memory of his friend.”

The school has started an alumni page as a result.