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At Fernhurst Primary School Mrs Anita Haigh was naturally
dismayed to see that she had lost the solitaire diamond out of
her engagement ring one day - but the Reception class came
to her rescue.
Squirrels Class became detectives for the afternoon as their
teacher Miss Eilidh Gordon ingeniously linked the diamond
hunt to several areas of the curriculum. The children
discussed the three dimensional shape of the diamond and
realised it was a cone and not a parallelogram. They talked
about emotions and how Mrs Haigh would be feeling, now
and if she found the diamond. The class made posters for
display around school, describing what had happened and
drawing pictures.
Headteacher Mr Gary Parkes said: 'The children were
determined to find the diamond although the adults knew it
would be a hard task. But one pupil had the bright idea of
using magnifying glasses and so the science cupboard was
raided and the search was on!
'Suddenly there was a commotion in the office as all 24 pupils
burst in with the good news. Amazingly, they had found the
diamond behind the door in the staffroom.'
Fernhurst treasure hunters strike it lucky
Diamond discovered in school by
determined detectives
Mill Chase Academy has gained funding for buildings renewal
from both the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) and
the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF). Both grants are
awarded by the Education Funding Agency at the Department
for Education.
The PSBP commitment is seen as a spur to plans for a
replacement school as part of the overarching Whitehill &
Bordon Regeneration Project.
Meanwhile, the £86,000 CIF grant will enable an immediate
programme of refurbishment including new windows and
toilet facilities, upgraded safety features and general
redecoration. The work will begin during the summer holidays
and be completed by March 2016.
Mr Paul Hemmings, Principal of Mill Chase Academy, said:
'This is excellent news for MCA. While the Priority Schools
Building Programme contributes to our ambitious long-term
plans for the Academy, the Condition Improvement Fund
grant will make an immediate difference for current students.'
Mill Chase Academy builds for the future
Successful bids kick start capital programme
Delighted teacher Mrs Haigh thanks the
Fernhurst Primary School detectives