Parents and charity donations revitalise school classroom

The newly renovated and refurbished Meadow Class classroom, for reception pupils at Valley Road School, was officially opened by George Thomas, trustee from the Henley Municipal Charity this week. Along with the school’s PTA, the charity donated money for improvements to make significant enhancements to the children’s learning space.

George was accompanied by 4 children in the class, who watched fascinated as he cut the official ribbon. He was also presented with a thank you card made by the children, as well as treated to a song: There’s a tiny caterpillar on a leaf. Class Teacher, Mrs Catherine Bishop said, “The changes will make such a difference to the children’s learning. The aim is that the children can take even more of a lead in their own learning with all the self access furniture and resources. The redecoration is done to provide a calming environment that the children can enjoy being in, so we just want to say a big thank you.”

The school’s PTA, currently run by co-chairs Victoria Montgomery and Natalie Postlethwaite, fundraised throughout the year and were able to donate an impressive £12,000 to the project. Added to the £5,000 provided by the charity, the amount meant that the area could receive a significant investment into changes, co-head of Early Years and Key Stage 1, Alice Gibson explained. Work was undertaken in stages with a significant chunk being done in February half term, including removing old built in storage to modernise and free up space. Staff also gave up some of their holiday to help with the building of the new furniture, ensuring as much as possible was ready for the children’s return. “The area has been painted in neutral colours to help keep things calm, and we’ve actually put more back in than we took out, but somehow the space feels bigger! The children have a new role play area, with pirate ship and self access furniture – it’s now a much more productive learning space and we couldn’t be happier,” she said.

Headteacher, Mr Tim Coulson said: “We want to thank everyone that donated. We would never have managed this without your generosity. Every generation coming through the school will benefit and that’s a wonderful thing. The Henley Municipal charity is a wonderful charity. They have helped us before and it’s very much appreciated when budgets are so tight.”

George explained: “We are delighted to support projects such as this, and to come in and see the finished product and the children is really heart-warming. We always like to help with projects that can’t be funded by LEA money and with budgets so tight, this is what we are here for.” Wendy Bowsher, the charity’s clerk also added, “We also support individuals up to the age of 25 with the cost of things they need to help them progress, like: books, computers or even tools for apprenticeships. The application form is just 1 page and can be submitted at any time. We try to make decisions as quickly as possible as we know sometimes things can’t wait.”

Back in January, the school received its termly visit from their Early Years Advisor. When she returned at the end of June she was delighted with the changes, saying she could see a real difference in the room, and therefore the learning environment, but most importantly, the children, Alice explained. “Doing this sort of work means that you inevitably look at other areas and see how they can be improved too. I’ve already got an idea for one of our outdoor learning spaces – so we can make it as inclusive as possible for all the children in the school – so hopefully that will be next!”