The deputy headteacher Jonathan Jones, from St Julian’s Primary in Newport South Wales, submitted a bid to enhance the forest school area by creating a team-building and problem-solving area. Jonathan was seeking funding for equipment including saws, ropes, drills and measuring cylinders to create an area that would be used during the school day but also for a specific after school club. With that in mind the bid also requested funding for staffing to run the afterschool club.
The learners will have hands-on learning opportunities to help them to enhance their critical thinking and problem solving. In the afterschool club there will be opportunities for learners to work alongside their parents and carers and spend more quality time developing those critical family relationships.
The trustees really liked the fact that the bid was targeted at improving an existing facility in school and using it in a different way to engage learners alongside their family members. The trustees were also incredibly impressed by the way the school had involved learners in the design of the project and felt this would help with engagement in the project once launched.