Heslerton's grand designs (From Gazette & Herald)

Heslerton's grand designs

DEVELOPMENTS inside West Heslerton Church of England Primary School are soon to be followed by developments outside.

Since headteacher Rachel Wells arrived just over two years ago, she has seen the completion of a new library and the installation of a brand new ICT suite, which was officially opened in March.

Now, plans are in place for a two-stage upgrade to the school's playground area, which will see the concrete playground for the under-fives extended and an exciting new adventure trail set up for the older children.

Work on the extension is set to start next month and should be ready for September. Once complete, the younger children will have more space to play with their toys at break-time and will be able to spend more of lesson-time outdoors.

It is hoped the adventure trail, which will include disabled access, will be complete by this time next year but this is dependent on fundraising. The playground extension is being paid for out of the school's devolved capital funds, while money for the adventure trail is mainly coming from the parent-teacher association, which is also hoping to gain a lottery grant to put towards the scheme.

Children can look forward to fun-packed playtimes on the trail, which will feature log bridges, log swings, stepping stones and balance beams. Made out of wood, the facility will blend in well with the environment. Though it is be located on the playing fields, the frames will be built on specially designed tiles to enable the grass underneath to continue growing.

The new facilities will add to what is already an ideal environment for playtime, where spacious playing fields provide ample space for children to enjoy the fresh air. Football, cricket, rounders, hockey, benchball, athletics and netball all take place on the fields. The grounds also offer good opportunities to explore other aspects of the curriculum. Wildlife and pond areas provide children with a chance to see nature up close, whether it be the flowering of spring bulbs or birds nesting in the trees. Class three pupils have also been using the wildlife area to build a shelter for their adopted pet toy, named "Wackeroo".

The other classes also have their own mascot. Class one's mascot is simply known as "Teddy", while class two has the globetrotting Trevor the Travelling Sheep. Trevor has accompanied staff and pupils on their holidays. His adventures have taken him from the waterslides of the Oasis holiday village in Cumbria all the way to Lapland to visit Father Christmas. Spain and Malaysia are among the other countries Trevor has visited. His exploits have been captured on camera and are featured in a special scrapbook dedicated to his travels. Every place Trevor visits is also marked on a map. As Mrs Wells acknowledges, it is a fun way for the children to learn about geography.

The head said the school is always keen to find creative and innovative ways to help develop pupils' learning. Exam results are important, but just as important is the need to develop the whole child, Mrs Wells pointed out. The learning experience is kept broad, with plenty of scope given to subjects such as art (three of the teaching staff are art graduates) and ICT, as well as maths and English. A wide range of lunch-time and after-school clubs are active. These include library, chess, board games, running, recorder, guitar, football and the church-run Good News clubs.

The school also aims to develop the social skills and behaviour of pupils. One way of doing this is through "buddies" and "problem-solvers". If a pupil is in need of a friend, he or she can seek out a fellow pupil wearing a buddy badge, whose job it is to befriend that youngster.

In a similar vein, some of the older children can be found wearing problem-solver badges. Having been trained by staff, they are on hand to resolve any minor situations which may arise on the playground.

Mrs Wells said: "It was the children's idea. They wanted to get involved. It's been a positive experience and has led to different year groups mixing together.

"It has meant children can rely on others to help them and has taught the older children to think through problems and see solutions. Of course, some problems need to be referred to staff. We are in no way washing our hands of issues."

Parents play an integral role at West Heslerton school. The parent-teacher association, HASH (Home and School at Heslerton), contributes in the region of £3,000 per year. Mrs Wells acknowledged this as being a huge amount for a school of only 81 pupils. As well as providing funds - the projector in the new ICT suite was bought by HASH - parents also help out during school time, whether it be listening to children reading, helping with baking or accompanying them on trips.

In return, the school provides guidance through careers advisor Libby Pearson for those parents interested in taking further education courses.

The school's involvement with the wider world has seen it raise money for St Catherine's Hospice (selling Christmas mascots), McMillan Nurses (holding a coffee afternoon), UNICEF (proceeds from the school play), the Blue Peter Waterworks Appeal (holding a bring and buy sale) and Children In Need.

Last Christmas, the school donated presents through Operation Christmas Child, sending 66 parcels to Eastern Europe. It has also had eight trees planted in its name in North Yorkshire after collecting tokens for Yorkshire Tea maker Taylors of Harrogate, resulting in the school being featured in the company's spring brochure.

The fact that a third of pupils come from outside its catchment area is testament that the school is held in high regard.

Mrs Wells describes her experience since joining the school as "very positive".

She said: "I'd like to say a big thank you to the governors, the fundraisers and the staff for all their hard work."

Updated: 13:25 Wednesday, May 21, 2003