Wild at School Project

 Our Year 2 and Year 5/6 children worked with Ian Johnson from the regeneration charity called Groundwork Yorkshire.

Groundwork are working in partnership with The Firethorn Trust in the Barnsley area to promote wildlife and nature in school grounds. The Trust have kindly funded a Wild at School Project to help promote nature and the environment in a small number of schools. 

Ian spoken with our Year 2 class about our school pond area. Without care ponds can become an eyesore with overgrown plants, weeds and water that is unhealthy for fish and other wildlife. Cleaning and regular maintenance is required to ensure our pond area provides a rich habitat for a range of wildlife.

The children helped clear brambles, long grass and overgrown plants in the pond. They were fantastic at using the tools safely. 

Ian worked with our Year 5/6 class, they were learning about Willow and how to maintain our Willow structures in the forest.

Our willow had a lot of new shoots, this new growth can be woven in, however some shoots may be too long for this and these need pruning. Pruning should be left until Autumn when the willow is dormant. Any new rods that are cut in autumn can be replanted into the base of the structure just by pushing the cut rod directly into the ground and weaving in, helping to strengthen the dome. 

The children used shears and loppers to prune the willow, they did a great job and worked so hard. 

When they were not busy helping with the willow, they enjoyed exploring other areas of the forest.