NEWS School winners of Earthwatch poetry competition announced


packets of wildflower seeds and mini-nature kits; a copy of ‘Diary of a Naturalist’ by Dara McAnulty, a 16-year-old naturalist, field guidebooks from Princeton University Press’s ‘WildGuide’ series, encouraging families to explore and engage with nature again when the lockdown is over, plus signed copies of Nick Baker’s ‘Baker’s Bug Book’ or Michaela Strachan’s ‘Really Wild Adventures’. Michaela Strachan, who presented the Really Wild Show, was the head


judge for the poetry competition, leading a panel of judges which included Nick Baker, Michaela’s co-presenter on the Really Wild Show; Mya-Rose Craig, the world’s top teen birder; and Bella Lack, a 17-year-old conservationist and blogger with 150K followers on Twitter. Recent research commissioned from YouGov by Earthwatch has proved


Winners of the national poetry competition launched by environmental charity Earthwatch have been announced, with three schools, Edith Moorhouse in Carterton Oxfordshire, Arisaig in Invernesshire and Middleton School in Milton Keynes scooping prizes. The poetry competition was launched as part of a range of events


organised by Earthwatch to help families cope with lockdown and remain connected to nature, including a popular online programme of indoor/outdoor learning activities called Wild Days. The competition ran from 27th April to 17th May with four categories for


children in different age group and one category for schools. The winning schools each receive a box of practical and poetic gifts including


that watching nature can help to calm nerves as 67% of people from a sample of 2,000 people in the UK said watching nature leaves them with a sense of calm, something which is especially important during the covid-19 crisis. The poetry competition, which invited children to write a poem inspired by


nature, had hundreds of entries and does seem to have struck a chord. Head judge, Michaela Strachan, said: “Lockdown has been challenging for many kids, but it's brought out the creative side as well, and this poetry competition has given a way to express that creativity and connection with the natural world.”


uhttps://earthwatch.org.uk/


Paying tribute to the staff who have kept Royal Greenwich schools open during the pandemic


King’s Hall brothers complete marathon for the NHS


Fresh on the heels (or wheels!) of their fellow fundraisers – a group of King’s Hall pupils who recently cycled 70km for Christian Aid – brothers James and Benjamin (Year 4 and Year 1) set themselves a challenge to complete their own mini marathon in support of NHS Charities Together. “It all happened by accident,” said their mum, Emily. “My


husband challenged the boys to see how far they could run doing laps of the field, just something to do on a Sunday morning. We set up a water station with music and supporters (their little sister and the dog) and they started doing laps.” She added: “It was only after they realised quite how far they had run – James did 53 laps and Benjamin 28 – that James asked if it was a good enough effort to try and raise some money. We then set up a fundraising page with a target of £100 and the boys chose the charity; they have followed Captain Tom’s efforts with interest and wanted to support the same cause.” Their efforts certainly paid off as the duo managed to


achieve a combined total of 32km and have so far raised over £1000.


uhttp://www.kingshalltaunton.co.uk/ June 2020 www.education-today.co.uk 5


On 4 June, Cllr Danny Thorpe, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, and Cllr Matthew Morrow, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, visited Willow Dene, Royal Greenwich’s special school, to meet and thank some of the staff who have been going the extra mile to make sure young people with special needs, and their families, continue to receive the enhanced the support they need during this pandemic. Cllr Matthew Morrow, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at the Royal


Borough of Greenwich, said: “Keeping schools open during this crisis has provided a vital lifeline to around 1,000 children and young people across the borough and I want to thank all the amazing people who have made this possible. Cleaners, caterers, facilities managers, carers, teaching assistants, teachers and headteachers have worked together in difficult circumstances to provide this valuable service to children in our borough.” Willow Dene has welcomed around 60 pupils with complex needs during the


COVID-19 pandemic, meaning they and their families have continued to benefit from the expert care and education provided by the school. This is expected to increase now the phased return to school is happening. The school also opened its playground at weekends as part of the short breaks offer, which has enabled 68 individual family play sessions to be delivered to around 40 families. Rachel Harrison, Headteacher of Willow Dene School, said: “We are extremely proud of our school, our whole staff team, our children and what we have been able to achieve for our community in such extraordinary circumstances.” Some pupils have had to shield at home for medical reasons, so the school has


been calling them regularly and making sure they receive any equipment, learning resources, food and support that they need during this tough time. This was done with support from Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT).


uhttps://www.futureasset.org.uk/


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