Hempstalls is a Bees Needs Champion Award 2026 Winner! Bees' Needs Champions Awards are widely considered highly prestigious in the environmental and conservation sectors. Run annually by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) in the UK, these awards are deeply respected because they represent formal, top-level government recognition for outstanding work in protecting pollinators. Mrs Ball and Mrs Armstrong have been to #RHSWisley today to accept our award from the Minister of Nature Mary Creagh CBE MP. Our application: Our Forest School area is largely left to grow naturally, creating a thriving environment for wildlife. Children actively contribute by planting wildflower seeds and bee-friendly trees that will produce blossom and fruit throughout the seasons. We also engage our wider community by requesting donations of wildflower seeds and plants, strengthening local involvement in supporting pollinators. To ensure year-round forage, the school runs initiatives such as a Bluebell Planting Club, and Tree Planting Club helping to establish seasonal continuity in nectar sources. Children also take part in creating seed bombs, which they scatter across the site to further encourage wildflower growth. Pollinator education is embedded throughout the curriculum. In Reception, pupils celebrate World Bee Day, learning about the critical role bees play in ecosystems and food production. We welcome a local beekeeper who introduces them to bee life cycles, pollination, and honey production. Children taste honey, ask questions, and deepen their understanding through direct experience. Practical conservation is a key feature of our work. Pupils build bee hotels alongside the site manager, which are then installed in the Forest School area to provide safe nesting spaces. Children also construct dead hedges, creating additional habitats that support biodiversity. Our pupils are actively involved in observing and identifying pollinators during Forest School sessions, fostering curiosity and environmental stewardship. Over the past year, as plant diversity has increased, the children have noticed and recorded a visible rise in pollinator activityan encouraging sign that their efforts are making a real difference. By combining education, habitat creation, and community engagement, Hempstalls Primary School is nurturing a new generation that understands, values, and actively protects pollinators. We are so proud of our children, well done Hempstalls you are such champions! If children don't grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it, and if they don't understand it, they won't protect it, and if they don't protect it,....... who will?" - Sir David Attenborough.

Year 4 children performed 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in the forest for Whoosh, bringing Chapter 3 to life through the characters of Puck and Bottom. The experience transformed the setting into an enchanted forest and provided our children with great fun, creativity and imaginative learning for our 'Everybody Writes'.

Year 4 had a great sports day. We competed in every race. What a fun day it was.

In Food Technology, children explored the process of baking bread. They first practised kneading with play dough to develop their hand strength and technique. Next, they read the recipe carefully before making their own bread. The finished loaves turned out very well, and the children evaluated their work at the end.

Year 4 recorder festival was a super success. The best piece of music we played was 'Eye of the Tiger'. Our parents joined in clapping when we performed. What a great morning had by all.