Clearing the way for Newport Forest School
A leading education recruitment team swapped the comfort of their desks for a day to help clear the way for a Newport school’s forest classroom.
Four staff from the award-winning Cardiff business were invited by Kim Fisher, Deputy Headteacher of Crindau Primary School to roll up their sleeves and get to one-to-one with nature to help tidy the overgrown resource.
Kim explained more ‘due to the cold harsh winter and hot summer, our outdoor classroom has become extremely overgrown and too hazardous for pupils to use’
The costs to clear the area professionally were set at a hefty £1,000 so the New Directions team offered to step in and start the land clearance to ensure the pupils at Crindau had a safe environment for future studies.
Nadine Prior, Account Manager for Newport Primary Schools commented ‘we’re here today to lend a hand and clear the space in preparation for the next school year this coming September. Community is one of our core values and working with schools like this to support their enrichment projects helps us to gain a better understanding of how they operate’.
Crindau Primary School is an urban school with no greenery. This outdoor learning space is a quick walk from the school. The space allows pupils access to an invaluable learning tool allowing the students to bring their studies outdoor. Students use the outdoor learning space once every term, fitting it into their studies. Classroom projects are brought to life in nature. Last year the pupils had a successful den building day while learning about homelessness.
The space has a further use in the wider community with local children using the green space on the weekends. Ian and Glynis Jenkins from Crindau Community Church were also there lending a hand explaining ‘this green space is a community space used by all’.
Kim Fisher thanked the green fingered recruiters ‘we’re really grateful to New Directions for coming here to help give our forest school area some much needed TLC. Over the harsh winter months, it has become overgrown and as a result, our pupils have been unable to use it. When they heard it was being cleared, they were so excited!’.
