Grammar students PEP up courtyard with bug hotel

The project is part of an Environmental Personal Enhancement Programme open to Sixth Form students to get involved with once a week.

The hotel is made up of a number of materials including wooden pallets, pinecones, vegetation, bamboo, terra cotta, bark and leaves and will be home to different insects.

‘We researched online first and also different insects to plan how we would make it,’ said student Izzy Gaudion, 17.

Teacher Jacquie Dorey is heading the PEP and said it had been running for a few years and always proved popular.

‘It is problem-solving, teamwork, responsibility, commitment, reliability and all of the skills required for the working world,’ she said.

Mrs Dorey said the projects often combined with other departments including art, geography, biology and history as well as with the senior leadership team.

‘Mr James has been very encouraging.

‘It links with the environmental conference and also works towards carbon-neutral goals.

‘Many of the students involved also take the Environmental Science A-level course,’ said Mrs Dorey.

Other projects the students have been involved in include creating poppies out of plastic bottles for Remembrance Day, now on display in the cafeteria courtyard.

‘There was one poppy for every boy who went to fight from the Boys Intermediate School from either the First or the Second World War,’ said Mrs Dorey.

They also made two ‘snowmen’ out of unwanted tyres around Christmas time and there was a school competition to name them.

‘Mr Carrot’ was on display in the Year 7 courtyard while ‘Tyrerone’ was in the cafeteria courtyard.

The students involved said they have been enjoying a break from the classroom to get outdoors.

Student Bilal Assif, 18, said it was also nice to be able to put the work he had done on his personal statement.

‘It’s been a very fun PEP,’ he said.

Noah Whitmore, 17, has also enjoyed being involved with the work.

‘It’s nice being outdoors, especially on days like this and it’s important to do things for the environment,’ he said.

‘You feel like you’re giving back to the school,’ said Izzy.

‘I started last year and we did a lot of planting, it builds on different skills you wouldn’t normally get to do,’ she said.

Izzy said she also thought the type of work they were doing should be opened up to the wider school.

Mrs Dorey said they were now also hoping to create a natural meadow with wild flowers.

‘There is an area of the playing field that the groundsmen have agreed not to touch.

‘We are hoping to get seed pods to plant in the summer term as part of carbon neutral aims and this is with the biology department,’ she said.

Mrs Dorey said any seeds donated to the cause would be greatly appreciated.

The bug hotel should be up and running in time for this summer.