Bustling Herm school allows for easier nativity casting

THE little one-room Herm School is bustling with activity this term, with two new Reception children joining the older pupils.

There are nine children in school this year, which means sole teacher Mary Carey has her hands full. There has been a lot of young intake the past couple of years, making Key Stage 1 the prominent age group for the first time in a while.

It isn't the case every year, but Mrs Carey currently has the full range of ages from Reception to Year 6 covered.

New starters Albie Waterhouse and Ethan Dyer have spent their entire lives on Herm. Their fathers both work at the Herm gift shops and have lived on the island for several years.

Looking at this picture, at least Mrs Carey will have more children than usual to choose from when casting the annual nativity at the end of term.

As if on cue, the day the school bell rings for the first time, the weather changes.

Herm is arguably at its most beautiful in September. The days are still lovely and bright, the sea is at its warmest from being heated by the sun all summer, and the sea breezes that blow in are fresh and cooling.

We get an amazing range of natural colours through the day, from the blue-grey mists at dawn, the golden bracken starting to burnish the common, the fat blackberries clinging to the bramble bushes, and the fiery red sunsets that always mark the last vestiges of summer.

This is always the perfect time to toast the busy season that has passed, and look forward to the cosy fires and festive events of winter.