Summerville School’s woods set the scene for story-telling circle
Woods at Summerville Primary School in Salford (Greater Manchester) have provided some stimulating sights and ‘imaginings’ for young children during story-telling sessions held there. The tales take place in a special story-telling circle, created in the woodland by students at Salford University as part of a volunteer scheme.
Fiona Stanley, a Parent Governor at the school says: ‘We’re really fortunate to have some beautiful mature woods on our site, which provide a lovely backdrop for our story-telling circle and other curriculum based activities. It really is a wonderful resource for getting our children’s imaginations going, much more so than a classroom. One young pupil for instance, ‘imagined’ she saw a fairy sitting on a log telling her stories during an after-school club.’
The woods, planted by schoolchildren nearly twenty years ago as a windbreak, and a way to reduce traffic noise and pollution from the main roads nearby, have since found other unforeseen uses for the inner city school.
The school recently requested the Woodland Trust’s Tree For All ‘Hedge Pack’ to create a native hedge around the outside edge of the woods. Fiona adds: ‘Fencing off the woods would cost over £10k, so starting our own hedge will be an inexpensive and environmentally sustainable way of securing them. Planting is due to take place in the next few weeks.’
The Woodland Trust provides Tree For All hedge and copse packs free to UK schools. They contain 30 plants and curriculum-linked education resources.
Together with help from the Salford University students, the school is also enhancing its grounds in other ways. As well as a wildlife garden, where the children have really enjoyed planting wildflower seeds and watching the bulbs come up, they have also developed what they believe to be the best school pond in Salford.
Summerville School has an impressive environmental record. It was the first Eco-School in the city to be awarded a prestigious Green Flag award. Eco-Schools is a project which aims to make schools a more stimulating place to learn, by enhancing their buildings and grounds, while reducing the school’s environmental impact on the community.
