TO top off what has been a very busy but rewarding few weeks in the life of Potters Gate School, the latest Ofsted report has been published recognising it as a good school with outstanding care for pupils.

The report recognises the hard work undertaken by the staff and children over the past 15 months.

Headteacher Jayne Venables said: “We are proud that our rich and stimulating curriculum and high standards were recognised by Ofsted, as well as special mention being made of the outstanding care and welfare we provide for all who attend. We are very proud of our community school.”

Potters Gate is also excited to be involved with The Wildlife Trust’s initiative ‘Go Wild in June’, where people are encouraged to feel happier, healthier and more connected to nature by doing something wild every day for 30 days this month.

To fully embrace this pupils have moved out of the classroom and into the school gardens, and have been encouraged to wear a flower in their hair or make a bird feeder.

This initiative, led by Catherine Floyd and Kirsty Bhoopal, outdoor learning leads, complements the recent bronze and silver awards presented to the school by the Woodland Trust Green Tree School Award System.

The whole school has contributed to these awards by completing a number of challenges, the planting of 60 trees by Year Six, a special visit to Witley and Milford Common by the Reception classes, and various recycling projects and energy saving initiatives led by the ECO Council.

The implementation of the whole school Travel Tracker, an interactive and fun way to encourage all children to walk all or part of the way to school, has highlighted the energy saving benefits of alternative means of travel.

Learning outside the classroom enriches the school day and encourages children’s understanding of themselves and the wider world. All year groups regularly take curriculum subjects outside the classroom.

The school garden has been developed with awards being received from the RHS campaign for school gardening.

Outdoor adventurous activities have supported team building and learning skills while the benefits of residential and day trips have been endless.