School Grounds

Football match report vs Ashover

On Monday 21st October Stretton Handley welcomed league leaders Ashover for their final football match before the winter break.

Stretton were again without co captain and leading scorer MH but that didn’t stop their enthusiasm and effort. With GT in goal Stretton started well and he made 2 excellent saves in the opening 5 minutes. LH, BP and FT were solid in defence and frustrated the Ashover attackers. TB continued her impressive start in the team with an excellent block to prevent another attack. Unfortunately TB had to come off injured which left Stretton with no subs, just the 7 players on the field.

FH and SB kept making runs to try and create space to receive the ball and CG had a fantastic dribble down the wing which resulted in FH making a good cross only for the Ashover keeper to gather the ball. Ashover managed to eventually find the net and in doing so created a few nerves in the Stretton defence. Half time 4-0.

LH went in goal for the second half and he carried on where GT left off by making some tremendous saves. GT had a few excellent dribbles and made some good shots at goal but Ashover are top of the league and undefeated for a reason and didn’t let GT score. BP continued to make some outstanding defensive blocks and tackles to help LH out in goal but again Ashover managed to score.

Stretton started to tire towards the end of the game and with no substitutes available they had to continue to play the best they could. Ashover managed a few late goals and it finished 7-0.

Player of the match BP.

Football match report v Sharley Park

On a very boggy pitch on Thursday 17th October Stretton Handley welcomed Sharley Park.

Stretton Handley’s top scorer MH was unavailable due to illness but this didn’t stop the team from battling and trying their best throughout!

GT started in goal and made some fantastic saves with again good defending from FT, SB, TB and LH. Unfortunately, GT couldn’t stop everything and at half time the score was 6-0.

LH went in goal for the second half and again made some stunning saves and with GT now outfield Stretton grew in confidence and created some good chances. CG, BP and FH started to link together well, allowing GT to dribble freely around players only for the Sharley Park goalkeeper to make some good saves.

Unfortunately. the match finished 12-0 but the scoreline wasn’t true for the amount of effort that the Stretton Handley team put in.

Player of the match GT.

Next match at home vs Ashover on Monday 21st October (last match before winter break).

Football match report v Park House

On a wet cold Thursday afternoon, Stretton travelled to the much bigger Park House primary school. They arrived to see what looked like 11 a side adult nets which caused a little worry and panic amongst some of the team. Unfortunately that sense of fear and anxiety showed on the pitch and within 5 minutes Stretton were 4 nil down.

Stretton didn’t give up however and MH continued to shoot when he could at the huge nets. The Park House goal keeper was very tall and managed to save a lot. SB and LH also continued to tackle and block and these 2 players proved a nuisance for Park House.

At 6-0 SB made a good tackle and played the ball forwards for MH to run onto. MH dribbled past a defender and blasted the ball into the bottom corner! 6-1. Park House managed to score a couple more to make the half time score 8-1.

GT came out of goal in the second half and his fitness around the pitch along with MH making more and more outstanding saves made life much more difficult for Park House. SB continued to impress making tackles and getting the ball out of the Stretton half. BP, CG and FH started to look more energetic and that allowed TB to grow in confidence in defence in her first game for Stretton Handley.

At 10-1 FT  managed to force the attacker wide allowing MH to grab the ball and throw it forwards to SB who quickly turned and passed to GT who ran through and calmly slotted the ball past the keeper to make it 10-2. Stretton continued to battle but unfortunately in the huge nets they couldn’t keep everything out and the match finished 14-2.

Well played by the team in tough conditions with nets far bigger than what Stretton are used to.

Player of the match SB.

Next match at home vs Sharley Park on Thursday 17th October.

‘Wet n’ Wild’

KS2 enjoyed a great afternoon of water fun at the end of term. Take a look at these ‘wet n’ wild’ photos!

Climbing Wall Revamp

Our climbing wall mural has been looking rather tired for a while, so we asked Pete Barber, Graffitti Artist  to visit again to work with the children to design and paint a new mural. This activity was funded through our Awards For All Lottery grant. We’re sure you’ll agree it looks great.

climbing wall mural 2016
girlwithrosesstephenttaylor
Girl with the Roses

You may have seen some of Peter Barber’s work in Chesterfield which includes the “Girl with the Roses” mural on the the bridge supports near the cafe in Queen’s Park. It is based on the story of a little girl who sneakily picked one of her father’s roses and was made to pose for a statue as punishment. The statue can be seen in the glass conservatory which is also in Queen’s Park.

Birdcam live this weekend

Thank you Mr Marriot for carrying out our annual bird box clear out. Our colour birdcam will be streaming live video this weekend.

A Blue tit is currently roosting in the box and may also visit during the day.

Big Schools’ Birdwatch 2015

birdfoodThis term Kingfisher Class spent some of their tuck shop enterprise money on a large sack of good quality bird food. They also purchased a bin complete with scoop to keep the food in good condition.

The purchase has certainly helped swell the number of birds visiting the school grounds and the children were rewarded with a very successful Big Schools’ Birdwatch. For the full results of this year’s survey, visit the school’s Wildlife Blog and find out about the new bird on the block!

Playground development – Tuesday 24th June

We are delighted to inform everyone the our bid for lottery funding through ‘Awards4 All’ has been successful and we have been awarded the maximum £10,000 towards developing our outdoor provision. The company ‘Play Force’ will be installing an outdoor decking / staging area at the side of the upper playground, a covered wooden seating area for quiet reflection and for use as an outdoor classroom on the lower playground and an ‘imagination bridge’ in the EYFS play area. Installation begins on Tuesday 24th June and we ask that everyone is extra careful during the next few days when coming onto the playground and to  keep their younger children well away from any materials and equipment when waiting for pupils at the end of school.

We would also like also remind parents and adults collecting children after school, that no children should be using the school equipment, entering the EYFS area, or using the trim trail on the lower playground etc during or after school even if parents are watching them.  Children only have access to the equipment and outdoor areas under staff supervision during school time, at play-time and lunch-time. This is for insurance and health and safety purposes. Thank you for your understanding.

Time for a Leek!

It was lovely and sunny this afternoon so Peregrine Class went outside for a spot of gardening in our Learning Garden. They all worked very hard and managed to prune the Buddleia and rake up the leaves on the herb garden. They also harvested the leeks which they planted at the end of the Summer Term; Sue, the school cook, will be using them for school dinners. Finally, they planted out some garlic bulbs which will also be used in the school kitchen later in the year.

The Peregrines with the Leek Harvest
The Peregrines with the Leek Harvest