ASHWATER Primary School held its inaugural Grandparents’ Day on Wednesday, March 13.

There was an overwhelming turn out as grandparents made a huge effort to support their grandchildren. Grandparents who live locally attended, along with some who had travelled from other parts of the country especially for the day. Some grandparents had a long association with Ashwater Primary School, having attended the school themselves as children and reminisced about their own school days.

Executive headteacher, Mrs Ruh Alford said: “We arranged the day because we are very aware that grandparents play an important role in grandchildren’s lives.

“It may be that grandparents provide practical help and support in terms of looking after grandchildren or helping with homework or it could be that the grandparent is the person that a grandchild has developed a special relationship with; one that is different to the relationship they have with their own parents.”

The day began with a presentation from the children. The pre-school children shared a memento they had made for their grandparents, a poem with their handprint, something to be treasured by the grandparents for many years to come. This was followed by the infants who gave their grandparents a lesson in maths and phonics. Finally, the junior children told the grandparents all about Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem. Many grandparents commented on how confident, even the youngest children were at presenting to an audience, this is something the children have been developing through their weekly ‘Celebration Assembly’, to which parents are invited to attend.

After a tea break, the children proudly showed their grandparents around the school and shared the work they have been doing in class. There was also an opportunity for family portrait photographs.

The day ended with a delicious roast chicken lunch. One grandparent commented that it was so lovely to have the opportunity to visit Ashwater School and find out about their grandchild’s school life.