IT’S almost as if a nursery rhyme has come true at Alderman Bolton Primary School in Warrington as three little ducks have made it their new home.
The school’s nursery staff and children grew attached to six fluffy ducklings when they hatched at the school as part of a springtime learning project.
Instead of disappearing over the hill and far away as in the famous children’s rhyme three of the waterfowl have become a permanent part of school life.
Rather than sending the birds back to the farm once they had hatched the children decided to raise three of them as school pets, with a staff member giving the other three a home on an allotment.
The feathered trio – a Runner drake, a Welsh Harlequin duck and a Khaki Campbell duck – now have a duck house and a fox-proof enclosure, funded by a sponsored ‘Toddle Woddle’ in which the nursery children completed laps of their outdoor area dressed as ducklings, raising more than £800. The ducks also have a large area outside the reception children’s classrooms where they can roam and forage among the grass and flower beds.
Clair Ralphson, Early Years Lead and Acting Assistant Head, said: “The children help with the daily care of the ducks, making sure they have fresh water and helping to clean the duck house.
“The ducks are very much part of our school and local community and give the children so many learning opportunities. They also have regular local visitors who stop by to talk to them.”
Alderman Bolton Primary is one of seven primary schools that make up Warrington Primary Academy Trust (WPAT), a community of more than 2,100 children aged 2 to 11. WPAT was formed in 2016 and quickly developed a national reputation for excellent standards. WPAT provides staff at all of its schools with support, expertise and professional development so that they can provide the very best education standards for their children.
Alderman Bolton Primary School nursery children take part in their sponsored ‘Toddle Woddle’ to raise money for a duck house and enclosure.
