New chapter for village school, as builder supports outdoor reading area (From The Northern Echo)

Lisa Merritt, a Taylor Wimpey sales executive, presents £500 to Silver Tree Primary School, with deputy head teacher Tammy Allen, chair of governors Jimmy Jamieson, vice chair Pauline Gates, parent governor Fay Richardson and pupils

A SCHOOL is to get a new outdoor reading area thanks to a housebuilder.

Silver Tree Primary School, in Ushaw Moor, near Durham will use a £500 donation from Taylor Wimpey to pay for seats and landscaping for the Silver Trees quiet reading space.

Head teacher John Trueman said: “We currently don’t have an area outside for our pupils to relax or read books and we hope our Silver Trees project will offer a different setting during lunch and play times at the school.

“Taylor Wimpey’s donation has helped massively with the project and all of the students and staff at Silver Tree are extremely grateful for the support.”

The area will feature sculptures previously installed in the centre of the village.

Taylor Wimpey has been building a 167-home new estate, Middlewood Moor, in Ushaw Moor, north of Ladysmith Terrace. It has also supported Durham Federation FC.

Karl Morton, sales and marketing director at Taylor Wimpey North East, said: “Our Middlewood Moor development is located in the heart of Ushaw Moor, so we’re aware of the vital role the school plays in the local community.

“We’re absolutely delighted to help Silver Tree install this creative space for their pupils and hope everybody enjoys using it.”

A SCHOOL is to get a new outdoor reading area thanks to a housebuilder.

Source: New chapter for village school, as builder supports outdoor reading area (From The Northern Echo)

Pupils Make Their Own Banner for Gala : Silver Tree Primary School – Ushaw Moor

The artwork combines modern images from Silver Tree Primary School in Ushaw Moor, County Durham, with pictures of the village’s past as a mining community – a miners’ lamp, a pick axe and a coal wagon.

Since 1871 scores of banners new and old – each one representing a colliery community – have been paraded through the streets of Durham as part of the city’s gala celebrations. This year’s event – on Saturday – will be no different.

In recent years, the number of banners has increased as schools and community groups have embarked on restoring them or making new ones.

Ushaw Moor’s pit closed in 1960 but there is still a fascination with the area’s mining past – a clue to why the gala remains one of the largest union organised gatherings in the country.

“We have been learning a lot about mining – it’s really interesting,” Millie told me, adding that she never misses the gala.

via Durham Miners’ Gala: Continuing success of the city’s celebration – BBC News.

Ushaw Moor pupils tackle school parking problem

CHILDREN in the North-East have issued their own tickets to prevent parents parking their cars outside their school.

Pupils from Silver Tree Primary school in Ushaw Moor, near Durham, have been working with police on the project to tackle the problem.

People are leaving their vehicles, blocking the road and making it unsafe for youngsters trying to cross.

PC Jeff Barksby said: “I arranged for the Year Four children to design their own ‘parking ticket’ in order to help with educating drivers, rather than prosecution.

“The idea is that myself and a small number of the school children will then issue the tickets as appropriate to motorists outside of the school to try and ensure a safer environment for children attending and leaving the school.”

Rhiannon Henry, eight, from Ushaw Moor, who designed the winning entry, was presented with £25 toy voucher at a special assembly at the school on Wednesday.

via Ushaw Moor pupils tackle school parking problem From The Northern Echo.