NORTH YORKSHIRE SCHOOL AWARDED £3000 GRANT TO DEVELOP OUTDOOR MUSICAL CLASSROOM
6th June 2009
There’s music in the air at a North Yorkshire independent prep school now the Early Years Department has been awarded almost £3000 to develop its outdoor provision.
Youngsters at Belmont Grosvenor School and the Magic Tree Day Nursery, are already enjoying the new outdoor musical classroom, which includes a colourful xylophone, blackboards, musical wind chimes, junkyard percussion and drums.
The musical classroom, created in the school’s tree house area, has been developed thanks in part to a £2685 grant from the Early Years and Childcare Service at North Yorkshire County Council.
Dawn Elliot, nursery manager at the Magic Tree Day Nursery, part of Belmont Grosvenor School, said she was delighted the grant application had been successful.
The new classroom has been developed for the school’s Early Years Department – from youngsters at Magic Tree Day Nursery through to Year 1 and beyond.
“The children really enjoy, and benefit, from learning through play outdoors. Our new musical classroom increases the opportunities for both physical and creative development within our extensive grounds here at BGS.
“We want playtimes and outdoor sessions to not be a break from learning – but an opportunity to extend learning within a carefully planned and resourced environment,” she said. The grant is also going to be used to extend the opportunities for outdoor play in two other areas of the school grounds to enable all aspects of development to be met in the great outdoors.
Said Dawn: “We intend the outdoor areas to evolve over time. The grant has enabled us to build the foundations and we want to encourage children and staff from the Early Years Department to develop the areas and make them their own.
“Children are all taking part in the ‘plant a pot’ scheme, planting their own flower or plant to add to the area, and continue to care for in the future.”
Belmont Grosvenor School, along with the Magic Tree Day Nursery, caters for children from the age of three months to 11 years. Based at Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith, the co-educational prep school, is set in more than 20 acres of beautiful countryside. An outdoor classroom, amphitheatre and adventure trail was opened last year by former pupil and Olympic rower Andy Hodge.
Anyone wanting more information about the school, or to arrange a tour, should contact the office on 01423 771029, or visit the website on www.belmontgrosvenor.co.uk.
