Aloeric Primary School is planning to refurbish its wild area so that it can be used to its full potential.
To get the ball rolling, Wessex Water’s education advisor, Gillian Smith, paid the school a visit this week with a Wessex Watermark cheque for £500 to help them repair their school pond, one of the first steps in claiming back the school’s wild area for wildlife and pond-dipping.
“Outdoor education can have a significant impact on how children learn,” explained Wendy Grainger, teacher and Eco-Schools’ coordinator. “Children develop a whole range of skills that help them become more successful learners. Being outdoors and having a hands-on approach to the environment around them seems to motivate and cultivate their imagination and creative thinking.
“Our present pond is too dangerous to access and we will use our Watermark Award to make it safe and accessible and to bring it back into use again. At present, the children have to go to another school for their pond dipping and now we will be able to provide that experience for them here at Aloeric. The children are the driving force behind repairing the pond and took a very active part in applying for this Watermark Award.”
The Watermark Award provides funds for environmental projects within the Wessex Water area. Now in its twenty-second year, it has supported over 900 environmental initiatives. Organised by The Conservation Foundation, all projects are judged by a panel chaired by its president – David Bellamy.
