WITH the Queen’s platinum jubilee approaching, one primary school is playing a bigger role than most in helping ensure that the occasion is a 'deep rooted' success.

The Prince of Wales recently launched an initiative encouraging the nation to plant a tree between October 2021 and the end of 2022 to mark the Queen’s 70th year on the throne.

The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is the organisation managing the project, and the Woodland Trust is making three million saplings available to support it.

Handforth Grange Primary School, on Ullswater Road in Handforth, is part of the Frank Field Education Trust – and the trust has been asked by the QGC to develop the materials, lesson plans and activities for schools to use up and down the country to help bring the Tree-bilee plans to life.

Mark Unwin, headteacher, said: “While ‘plant a tree for the jubilee’ is the mantra, the meaning behind the initiative is much more than that.

"One of the aims is to help children and young people understand the vital role that trees play in our environment, and show that collectively we can make a difference to the world around us.

“Our three academies, which includes our school, are working collaboratively to develop the materials that will potentially be used across thousands of schools during the jubilee year.

“I am delighted that our staff are playing such an important role in such a fantastic scheme.”   

The Frank Field Education Trust (FFET) is a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) formed with the explicit intention of delivering world-class education: academic excellence, a rich curriculum and wider opportunities to all children, including the most disadvantaged in our society, to promote social justice.

Frank Field, the founder of the trust, is on the board of the QGC.

Tom Quinn, CEO of the trust, added: “This is an initiative that is about community and collaboration.

“A platinum jubilee has never happened in the history of our country before, and as a trust we are immensely proud of our involvement.

"This is also a real opportunity for our staff to show how creative, talented and dedicated they are – and I have no doubt that the resources they produce will be impressive.”