HAYWARD’S Primary School’s Ground Force Team, led by Teaching Assistant and keen gardener, Yvonne Crone, has achieved Britain in Bloom’s “It’s Your Neighbourhood” scheme’s highest accolade of Outstanding at its award ceremony on October 14.

The Ground Force team is involved in keeping the school garden, the animal area, Tanglewood Forest School and the school grounds generally looking great, providing a welcoming environment for all its children and their families.

Working with individuals and small groups of children, the team have:

• Maintained an impressive vegetable and flower garden with a wide range of different crops and an area of fruit trees and soft fruit.

• Promoted environmental awareness among the children with bug hotels, wood piles, compost heaps and bird boxes.

• Encouraged children to eat fruit and vegetables from the garden.

• Planted trees in the grounds with grants and also managed a wildife area called Tanglewood with a Roundhouse at its centre and involved children in planting further trees.

The Tanglewood area provides a base for the school’s Forest School which enables all children to spend time working outside the classroom with Yvonne Crone and Ann Hext.

The children really enjoy getting hands on experience with nature and the environment with activities such as creating bug hotels and other animal friendly areas within the school grounds.

In addition to the Forest School, the children also have an opportunity to care for the school animals with assistance from another member of the team, Sarah Everitt.

Members of the Ground Force Team and the Anipals take responsibility for feeding and cleaning out the school pets: two hens, two rabbits and two guinea pigs.

All of the children are able to visit the animals during lunchtimes and spend some time sitting quietly with them.

The team has made gardening and outdoor activities an integrated activity in school, and has provided a space for contemplation and for behaviour management.

The work is also helping to develop life skills for the children at Hayward’s as they consider the needs of other creatures alongside themselves, and the benefits of home-grown produce as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Congratulations to the Hayward’s School Ground Force Team!