We have been generously donated five fruit trees from the Tree Council to create a mini orchard within the school, so last Friday eleven Year 8 students took the opportunity to plant them within the school grounds.
It was a sunny, blustery afternoon, and we were ready with our spades and forks. The weather was perfect for planting. The difficult part was getting through the matted grass on the disused area, but once we hit the soil, the going was much easier. Teamwork was the name of the game, and the students split off to work in pairs and threes, each with their own tree to plant. We had two apple trees, a plum, a cherry and a pear tree.
Each team rose to the challenge and managed to dig a decent hole for their tree. They were planted quickly, refilled and given protection from rabbits and strong winds. We completed the planting by giving each tree a layer of mulch to keep in the moisture.
We are hoping to get some plaques made for the trees with their chosen names.
The orchard is going to be a fantastic resource for the school for all curriculum subjects and extra-curricular activities such as Forest School.
