Page 7 - Abberley Adventures - Feb 2022

ABBERLEY ADVENTURES
7
Sport
It has been another exciting half of term on the sports pitches! This time last year we were in lockdown so football and netball are the two sports that we have missed most of. It has therefore been fantastic to see all the children getting stuck into their games sessions and matches and making up for lost time.
The girls have had the extra challenge of having their netball sessions in the Sports Hall whilst we wait for the exciting refurbishment of our netball courts. All the girls from year 3 to 8 have loved being visited by coaches from Malvern College; Miss Gwilliam (Head of Netball) and Miss Harwood have been great fun to work with! They have had some very tough matches but the girls are showing huge improvement already and we are looking forward to seeing them progress even further after Half Term.
The boys have been enjoying their football sessions and it has been brilliant to see them carry their enthusiasm over to their break times too. All of the boys have been involved in a number of fixtures and the U11As and U13As also had the chance to take part in a tournament at Winterfold at the start of term. Next half of term, their focus will switch to hockey; there are lots of fixtures lined up and lots of opportunities to work even more with the fantastic coaches from Malvern College.
The Year 5s and 6s also enjoyed a hotly-contested swimming gala against King’s Hawford! They narrowly lost to Hawford’s A team but it went right down to the wire. After half term there is a gala for all age groups against Lucton which we are really looking forward to.
Outdoor Education
Orienteering has made a popular comeback this half-term! The course has been reset twice already and the Year 6 children have been most impressive showing commitment and resolve when faced with hail and soggy maps. We have stamps and punchcards, which bring gravitas. Participants of Treehouse Club have been making some bright orange and white markers ready for the second half of term. They have also planted some garlic which has already surfaced and is showing good growth.
The idea of a keyhole-shaped vegetable patch has transfixed us ever since nosing through a copy of Gaia’s Garden last spring. We have finally ‘grasped the nettle’ and Saturday mornings have provided a good opportunity to haul piles of organic matter to the garden while the children have been excellent at unloading with spades, shovels and wheelbarrows. With so much still dormant, it has been easy to get at piles of decaying leaves, manure, woodchips and mulches. The circular bed is really taking shape with a path around the edge and access through the middle. Ritualistic composting has continued with regular turning.
Outdoor cooking has witnessed some exciting new techniques and results. Mr Scott has been making some genius calzone pizzas over a grill with Years 5 and 6. Miss Cook and children from Years 7 and 8 have become Kelly-Kettle gurus by refining their approach over several damp January mornings. We have also been experimenting with some new spun-iron cookware from nearby Netherton Foundry. An enormous 24-inch split chapa griddle plate alongside a baking dome create an oven-like effect and will be brilliant for wild garlic bread rolls in March.
Our stores have also been replenished with several sections of 10mm static climbing rope. This has been brilliant for Years 3 and 4 who have been tying marlinspike hitch knots in the woods. They have shown some great teamwork and made some brilliant rope ladders.
Next half term is going to be super-exciting as we anticipate the arrival of 400 tree saplings, which have been donated by the Woodland Trust to help commemorate the Queen’s Green Canopy. They are due here in late February or early March! We have identified two planting sites on campus and will need every pair of little (and big) hands to get the ground prepped and get the trees planted. We hope to write with more details when the consignment is here!