St. Luke’s Pond Revamp Funded by F.B. Coales No.4 (Family) Trust Donation

The F.B. Coales No.4 (Family) Trust continues in its mission to support good causes around Southeast London and Kent. Last year, the Trust were delighted to offer their support to St. Luke’s CofE Primary School in West Norwood – a mere two streets away from the Winn & Coales International Ltd. (WCI) head office!

St. Luke’s supports 188 children between the ages of 4 and 11 to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. Exposure to a wide curriculum of subjects combined with access to a range of outdoor spaces and extra-curricular activities, encourages pupils to succeed and achieve their personal best in a warm, caring and inclusive environment.

The F.B. Coales No.4 (Family) Trust were approached by the PFA (Parents and Friends Association) at St. Luke’s in early 2023 to see how they could help to further enrich the learning opportunities provided for the students. After some positive discussions, the Trust were thrilled to donate £10,000 to help revamp the school’s outdoor pond area and for the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) to purchase additional learning aids for the school.

A valuable learning resource, the pond and nature area bring the classroom outside, providing an exciting new environment for students to explore. Sophia Bryan-Whyte, the headteacher of St. Luke’s said, “The children can read about the wildlife, but coming in to see actual plants oxygenating the pond, it makes a difference for the learners.”

Over time, the pond had become overgrown and in need of refurbishment; with the Trust’s donation, St. Luke’s commissioned the expert help of Sprout Up – Schools to breathe new life into this educational outdoor space. Seonaid Royall from the company said, “Sprout Up – Schools was built to be able to help schools like St. Luke’s build their pond area, making a derelict space more beautiful and useful for the children.”

The ‘Water Life Area’ was officially opened in September 2023 after a busy summer of renovation works by Sprout Up – Schools and Thomas Patrick Landscapes, with pupils able to enjoy renewed learning opportunities in the great outdoors for the 2023/24 school year. Amari Bempah, a Year 5 learner at St. Luke’s, thanked WCI and the Trust at the grand opening, saying, “Thank you so much for making the pond better; we appreciate and love it very much.”

The Trust’s donation also helped the SENCo leader at St. Luke’s to purchase additional learning materials and items for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). A range of wobble stools, wobble feet, ear defenders and chew toys were purchased to support pupils who benefit from additional help in the classroom to assist them in their day-to-day learning. The teachers have already seen these items make a positive impact on their students and will no doubt see further benefit to more pupils in the future.

Sarah Hashmi, F.B. Coales Trustee, said, “It was an honour to attend the grand opening of the new pond area and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone at the school for making me feel so welcome and for the lovely warm reception we received.

It was clear to see the children were so excited and engaged with the new pond area and I am sure it will be a valued learning resource for many years to come. The team at Sprout Up – Schools did an amazing job, and it was lovely to meet the team responsible for creating this haven of tranquillity in the middle of West Norwood.

The wobble chair was actually very comfortable too and it is good to hear how these additional resources are benefitting the students that use them.”

For further information about the work of the F.B. Coales No.4 (Family) Trust, read our blog post here.