At Abbots Green we believe that anything is possible and we are building the Imaginary World to help teach the children that there is no limit to their imaginations and learning opportunities.
We are lucky to have inspirational teachers, governors and parents and are now seeking some imaginative sponsors who are able to help us raise funds.
There are lots of sponsorship opportunities, from trees to plaques to huts. If your business can help raise funds for us, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Email Emma or Karen for details.
The inspiration behind the inspiration
Walking past Abbots Green Community Primary School, it would be impossible to ignore the little huts that have been sprouting up over the last few months, or indeed the giant stretched out along the playground.
They might look like simple additions to the play area but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. The giant and the huts form part of an Imaginary World, which has become one of the jewels of life at Abbots Green school.
When Alex Bedford was appointed as Head Teacher, four years ago, the school was not much more than foundations and breeze blocks. With the support and inspiration of his then deputy Amy Arnold and their leadership team, he has built a vision for learning that both stimulates the children and has received recognition from educators world-wide.
When asked about the school’s inspiration and aspirations, Mr Bedford told us: “Bewilderwood’s tree-house world in Norfolk has had a significant impact on us. Natural outside learning has always been a passion of ours to help children learn life skills and I agree with Karl Hansen of The Living Rainforest, that if you live with nature, you’ll never feel poor.”
There is no better way to highlight this than the creation of the Imaginary World, which started with the building of the giant and which was designed by the children of Abbots Green. Working with artist David Swinton, they built a clay model, made changes and adapted the design before it was completed in Summer 2006 and officially named “Big Joe”.
“It would have been much easier to create a playground based on monkey bars and climbing frames. It’s much harder to work with the children and design a creative world. However, we always had a vision for a place where children can be inspired, rather than climbing on monkey bars. You need places that use and stretch the imagination, to inspire learning and create awe and wonder.”
The children love to clamber over the giant and he is often the focus of stories. The school has already won an award for his creative impact towards improving writing skills. Abbots Green learners have since designed a series of huts, which form the background to Big Joe and which are used for outdoor learning opportunities that are multi-disciplined.
“Play needs to be natural”, Mr Bedford adds, “We have achieved this with the feeling of simplicity and peace with bamboo and natural woods. The Imaginary world offers dual-use, offering Imaginary play and a motivational learning environment.”
It is hard to believe so much has been achieved in just over three years. But amongst all these exciting developments what have been the real highlights for Alex Bedford?
“It’s the everyday experience when I’m with the teachers, support staff and children.” He reveals. “I love seeing the children learn. They are excited and passionate learners and are so into what they are doing. That is a real highlight to life at Abbots Green. There is also the difference we see when working with the children who have been sidelined, those who have been let down in the past. When we see their turnaround at Abbots Green, I know we’ve made a real difference.”
So what else can we expect from the Imaginary World? Something tells us that the story isn’t going to end there and we’re right. The school is keen to change the landscape every year, enabling new learners to make a contribution to design new facilities and put their own stamp on their school environment.
Alex Bedford is already thinking about a “Mini-Eden” and would also love a mechanical world with gardens of large meccano and pulleys where children can build structures safely with and create amazing places.
He is very grateful to the children and parents who support the inspirational work at the school, in particular the Friends of Abbots Green who help raise the necessary funds to make such a special place possible.
They might look like simple additions to the play area but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. The giant and the huts form part of an Imaginary World, which has become one of the jewels of life at Abbots Green school.
When Alex Bedford was appointed as Head Teacher, four years ago, the school was not much more than foundations and breeze blocks. With the support and inspiration of his then deputy Amy Arnold and their leadership team, he has built a vision for learning that both stimulates the children and has received recognition from educators world-wide.
When asked about the school’s inspiration and aspirations, Mr Bedford told us: “Bewilderwood’s tree-house world in Norfolk has had a significant impact on us. Natural outside learning has always been a passion of ours to help children learn life skills and I agree with Karl Hansen of The Living Rainforest, that if you live with nature, you’ll never feel poor.”
There is no better way to highlight this than the creation of the Imaginary World, which started with the building of the giant and which was designed by the children of Abbots Green. Working with artist David Swinton, they built a clay model, made changes and adapted the design before it was completed in Summer 2006 and officially named “Big Joe”.
“It would have been much easier to create a playground based on monkey bars and climbing frames. It’s much harder to work with the children and design a creative world. However, we always had a vision for a place where children can be inspired, rather than climbing on monkey bars. You need places that use and stretch the imagination, to inspire learning and create awe and wonder.”
The children love to clamber over the giant and he is often the focus of stories. The school has already won an award for his creative impact towards improving writing skills. Abbots Green learners have since designed a series of huts, which form the background to Big Joe and which are used for outdoor learning opportunities that are multi-disciplined.
“Play needs to be natural”, Mr Bedford adds, “We have achieved this with the feeling of simplicity and peace with bamboo and natural woods. The Imaginary world offers dual-use, offering Imaginary play and a motivational learning environment.”
It is hard to believe so much has been achieved in just over three years. But amongst all these exciting developments what have been the real highlights for Alex Bedford?
“It’s the everyday experience when I’m with the teachers, support staff and children.” He reveals. “I love seeing the children learn. They are excited and passionate learners and are so into what they are doing. That is a real highlight to life at Abbots Green. There is also the difference we see when working with the children who have been sidelined, those who have been let down in the past. When we see their turnaround at Abbots Green, I know we’ve made a real difference.”
So what else can we expect from the Imaginary World? Something tells us that the story isn’t going to end there and we’re right. The school is keen to change the landscape every year, enabling new learners to make a contribution to design new facilities and put their own stamp on their school environment.
Alex Bedford is already thinking about a “Mini-Eden” and would also love a mechanical world with gardens of large meccano and pulleys where children can build structures safely with and create amazing places.
He is very grateful to the children and parents who support the inspirational work at the school, in particular the Friends of Abbots Green who help raise the necessary funds to make such a special place possible.
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