I started the day at Christ the King RC Primary School...

I had been invited by the children to attend the grand opening of their Outdoor Classroom by the Rt Hon. John Battle MP. It was an amazing event showcasing some of the best features and some of the successes of this brilliant little primary school.

We were treated to a fantastic Wake Up & Shake Up session by a group of children who had made up their own routine. They had won the Wake Up & Shake Up competition in the West of the city and finally come second in the city wide Wake Up & Shake Up competition. We also had a musical performance by the school recorder group. The school was also presented with its National Healthy Schools Award by my colleague Steve Ruse since they had been unable to attend the Central Awards Ceremony a few weeks back.

The Outdoor Classroom is a wonderful feature designed by the school and delivered by the team at Holly Bush BTCV Centre. It complements and extends the excellent work the school is doing on sustainability... you will remember that the school won the regional Sustainable Schools award and went forward to the Northern Finals of this year's Teaching Awards as one of only four schools from the thousand nominated in the Northern Region. The won a commendation at the Northern Awards at Harrogate last week.

There was a lovely touch at the end of the ceremony when the Outdoor Classroom was dedicated to Martin Kromer, the schools' long serving headteacher who retires this Summer after 23 years at the school.
CHris