The village of Desford is situated 7 miles west of Leicester.  Our school serves not only Desford but also the surrounding villages of Peckleton, Kirkby Mallory and Botcheston.  There are a number of large employers on the periphery of the village including Caterpillar, Neovia and Crown Crest.  The village is fortunate to have a wide variety of community run facilities and groups including a library, sports centre, scout groups, tennis and football clubs and a secondary school with a swimming pool open to the public.  There is a strong community spirit in the village.  Parents particularly value the links the school has developed with the wider community. Friends of Desford Community Primary School (FODCPS) is also very active in raising funds for the school.  There has been significant recent house building in Desford and further potential developments are in the planning pipeline. Pupil numbers have increased significantly in the last 5 years and the school now has 390 pupils. This rapid expansion has been successfully managed.

Our school ethos is 'BE KIND TO YOURSELF, OTHERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT'.  On the 10th November 2022, a team of children, staff and parent volunteers took the first steps to creating a school allotment, a project that will truly embed our children's understanding of kindness to the environment through a hands on approach to learning.

Over the past month, we have been busy taking donations of soil, manure, cardboard, ashes and all sorts of other mucky stuff.  Stage 1 of the process was to measure out two 5x5 metre plots and cover the grass in these plots with cardboard.  With the help of 14 child volunteers, some parents and staff, we have layered manure, leaves, soil, ashes on top of the cardboard.  Over the coming months, the grass underneath these layers will slowly compost down to make nutrient rich soil perfect for growing food in!  As we move towards spring, our children will be able to plant and nurture the growth of a variety of vegetables whilst learning about the importance of sustainability - vital knowledge for the world they will be growing up in.

We also have some fruit tree saplings that will be planted in close proximity to the allotment.  WIth the orchard, allotment and forest school, children attending Desford Primary School will become truly environmentally aware.

A special thanks to the following people:

ANGIE IN THE SCHOOL KITCHEN - for donating huge piles of manure from her farm

DESFORD RESIDENT JAMES OULTON - for donating several tonne's worth of soil he had left from a home renovation project

EX PUPILS NED AND JACK VERO - For offering their tractor and crane services for delivering the soil from James Oulton's house to school

PARENT ANDREW DALBY - For donating 50 square metres of cardboard from his work, for laying the foundations of the allotment patch

PARENT SAMANTHA MATHER - For donating ashes from her fire

PREMISES OFFICER JON WOOD - For picking up approximately 13,000 leaves

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this important project.