June 2008 issue - View Magazines

School celebrates
a force of nature
The work of the Salisbury Cathedral School Eco-Group was
celebrated in a day of poetry, photographs and song.
The Eco-Group is a voluntary team of adults and children,
whose main aim is to help look after and develop a beautiful
and sustainable environment in the school grounds.
The event celebrated the group’s progress in regenerating the
large school pond – the ‘lake’ in Constable’s painting Salisbury
Cathedral from the Bishop’s Grounds – as an educational and
environmental resource, and to raise funds for tools and
aquatic plants for the next phase of the project.
Over the last four years the pond has been dredged, unwanted
trees removed and pruned, native wildflowers and bulbs
planted by the children and helpers in the nature reserve
section of the lake, snails, water lilies and oxygenating plants
introduced into the water and sites built for winter
hibernation. The increase in flora and fauna has been
monitored by the science department.
The next phase is the construction of a 20m-long berm – a
structure consisting of shallow flat ‘steps’ in to which will be
planted labelled examples of the native flora to be found in
the nature reserve, and which will allow up to 30 children to
carry out pond-dipping activities safely.
Other smaller scale projects for 2008-2009 include the
erection of bird and bat boxes, the purchase and use by the
children of an eco-logger and webcam to monitor the lake
environment and nesting birds and the introduction of
butterfly larvae which will feed on the indigenous plants that
have been put in.
Music hall at Ballard
education v
Ballard School’s Performing Arts Centre was transformed into
Ballard Music Hall when children and teachers from years 3, 4
and 5 took to the stage for two evenings of high-spirited action.
The variety of acts was true to the traditions of Victorian music hall
entertainment, and the audience joined in by dressing up in costume.
For the pupils, the real highlight was seeing their teachers on stage.
Mr Taylor gave a lovely reading of Albert and the Lion and Vicky
Gray, Emma Travis and Lynne Dyer were super as Three Little Maids.
Alex Bellars was a real hit as a singing policeman.
Entente cordiale
Pupils from Leehurst Swan school at Salisbury hosted two visits
by French children from Le Mans.
The French children were eager to practise their English. They
had travelled by coach and boat and had enjoyed visiting HMS
Victory at Portsmouth, as well as enjoying visits to Wilton House
and Salisbury.
Pupils from Years 5 and 6 from the French school and Leehurst
Swan completed dual language questionnaires. They asked each
other questions in French and English and quickly made new
friends between the two groups. Several pupils have decided to
become pen friends.
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