Over the Lockdown period, Mrs Surrey and Mrs Montalto came to ask me a question: Could they take over the long neglected gardening beds on the school field near the canopy area? I immediately did a dance for joy, as no one has asked that question for such a long time, not since Mrs Nalla-Francis asked if she could clear the mint that had grown totally out of control (gardening note: only plant mint in pots!) Working with pupils who attended the critical worker provision, and with help from our wonderful site staff, they cleared the weeds, fertilized the soil and got the beds ready for planting. Half a bed of the wild chard and lettuce was left untouched, as was the huge rhubarb plant. Since Mrs Surrey’s return to our Brigstock site when the school reopened, Mrs Monalto has continued to work with groups of Year 6 pupils to get the beds growing again. She is currently at war with the fox, who is busy digging up the bulbs with the same dogged determination with which she and the children are planting them! The battle has only just begun and we have some humane fox deterrent on order, so I look forward to sharing more pictures when we start to grow some crops. If you are a keen gardener and have anything that we can plant and/or any tips, please do contact Mrs Montalto via the school office.
