The Sky's the Limit!

Fifty volunteers from broadcaster BSkyB swapped their offices for our school for a day during the summer holidays to help pupils and parents with the project to make-over the school grounds.

Accountants and other finance staff from the west-London based firm came in on August 18th. Ground-force style, they worked in teams to help on the long-term project parents are running to improve the grounds with the help of children and the school's new gardening club.

On a baking hot day, the volunteers cleared rough ground to help parents to begin creating what will be a 'Fairy Tale Garden' by the Montpelier Park entance. They put in two child-size benches, stepping stones and painted a Snakes and Ladders mural on the sloped paving stones outside what was 2C.

      

They also cleared the banks in the junior playground of weeds and brambles and tidied up the area before putting down bark chips, which should reduce the mud in the area.

They also cleared the mud bank above teachers' car park and put down grass turf. The finance staff also helped level and prepare a triangle of the junior banks where we started planting last term, meaning that children will be able to plant more shrubs there this autumn term.

As well as their hard work, the BSkyB also invested £2,500 in funding the day's project. Team leaders from the firm had spent several hours at the school previously talking to Mr Rai and parent Angela Martin from the PTA's school grounds team, finding out what the school's aims were. They then went away to add some ideas of their own.

They had been put in touch with the school by a community group called London Cares, which the PTA had sent details of our grounds project to.

The school grounds project as a whole took off last term, with a group of parents working with Mr Rai, to come up with ways of improving the grounds and involving the children. Pupils have begun growing fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubs in several sites in the school in a lunch-time gardening club run by the parents.

Pupils also filled in questionnaires about what they would like to see in the grounds and drew pictures to illustrate their ideas, which are on show in the school foyer.

Angela Martin said the BSkyB day was a great success. "It went really well and the volunteers worked so hard. We greatly appreciate what they have done and I am sure the children will have a lovely surprise when they get back to school.

"Some pupils were with the volunteers and were very excited about what was going on. Generally, pupils at the school are really enjoying helping to make over the grounds by growing things in the gardening club. They are learning about the environment and also helping to improve it."

Parents at the school, through the PTA, have also raised money for the project, which in the long-term they hope will result in a sensory garden trail around the grounds with stepping stones and an outdoor classroom or amphitheatre. The PTA has funded the setting up of the lunch-time gardening club, providing tools and gloves for the children, compost plus the plants and flowers which are now brightening up the school.

To make sure more children get a chance to do some gardening, the club could do with some more volunteers. You don't have to be an expert. Most of us are enthusiastic amateurs. Last term, the club ran on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime. Parents rotate through the school years to try to give everyone a chance to have a go. Please leave a message with a contact number for Angela Martin, PTA, in the school office if you are able to spare a few hours a term. You will enjoy it!

For further info email: angelamartin@beeb.net  - or speak to your class rep -

try the montpelierpta forum as well to start a discussion.

See also the PTA contact page