'We want to be the heartbeat of Much Wenlock' - inside the primary school with a strong focus on sustainability

Leaders want children to play and learn through 'real world items' and pupils partake in events such as 'bring a bag' where children can take unwanted items from home to school, for them to be sold and moved on.

Eco ambassadors took part in the RSPB's 'Big Garden Birdwatch' and made bird feeders for their wonderful forest school. Pupils enjoy building dens and structures, being around nature, and learning about their environment.

The school has worked with specialists to create a sustainability plan, and leader of the school's council, sustainability and enrichment, Sarah Kennils said the school is applying for accreditation to become a 'nature school'.

Children have recently brought the outside in, and learned about the benefits of having plants inside and how to look after them.

Pupils are noticeably incredibly polite and friendly and show great care for their school environment and facilities.

There is a big focus on respect at Much Wenlock Primary School which is under new leadership from Rachel Howell-James who wants the school to be at the centre of their community. 

At Christmas, the school worked with a local care home where children made Christmas cards for residents who did not have any family.

Meanwhile, in their fabulous library, children enjoy reading one of the hundreds of books.

Early years leader Emma Nicolas has built her classroom block known as the EYFS Hub from scratch.

When she began at the school more than four years ago, she had just a bookcase and a table, but has spent years leading the way in the school's efforts to be as sustainable as possible and has collected and purchased unwanted items from charity shops and car boot sales.

Alongside their sustainability drive, there is a strong focus on writing at the school. The school has tried to create a 'home-from-home' environment and teachers are evidently extremely nurturing.

The primary school is also proud of its heritage, being situated in the Shropshire town that was used as the site of the Wenlock Olympian Games, and this is recognised through a plaque outside the school.

Big plans ahead

New headteacher Mrs Howell-James said she has 'big plans' for the school and looks forward to the future.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be the leader of this community school.

"Our vision is really clear. We want to unlock potential and empower every child to thrive, and that is drive through our values which we call our 'WRENS'.

"So that is 'wonder' which you can see through our EYFS hub. 'Resilience', so we want children to take opportunities and challenges and we see that in abundance because they take part in the local live arts competitions, they were part of the dance festival, we take part in lots of sporting competitions.

"There is 'equity'. We are a firm believer that we want every child to have a sense of belonging and children to have the same opportunities, so we make sure we have a programme of opportunities and experiences for every single child.

"We also have 'nurture'. We have a really special relationship and behaviour curriculum, not a policy, and that is all about nurture and how we treat each other not just within our school but the winder community.

"Our final value is 'sustainability', we care about our environment and that mixes in with our sustainability ambassadors, but goes further than that, we want to make our school and community sustainable.

"We want to be a hub for the community and make sure we are the heartbeat of Much Wenlock."