Christmas story heralds a new chapter at Lime Tree Primary School

Children at Lime Tree Primary School in Reigate have brought the first chapter of the school’s history to a close in memorable fashion with their Christmas performances – their last events at the Alexander Road site before the school completes its transition to its new permanent home on Battlebridge Lane in the new year.

Lime Tree opened in September 2013 - this autumn a nursery class was added, and plans are already well afoot for the establishment of a secondary school. The nursery and reception classes are already in place at the permanent site, but until now Years One and Two have been at the temporary location. That made their Christmas performance at Alexander Road all the more significant.

“They’re all very excited about the move, but it was important that rather than just looking at that, we also made a big deal of Christmas,” said Year One leader Kylie Mitchell. “The show was a traditional nativity, and the children put in lots of hard work learning lines and rehearsing so they could put on as good a display as possible for all the friends and family who came to see them.

“They had so much fun putting on the show – we’ve heard them walking round the school practicing their lines, and seen them doing dance moves in the playground!,” Miss Mitchell added.  “You could see that it really mattered to them to put on a good show, and from the comments and feedback I’ve had so far, the audience clearly loved it too."

Lime Tree is a member of the GLF Schools group, a Surrey-based multi-academy trust which now runs over a dozen schools across the south east, based on a model of strong collaborative management.

Whilst Years One and Two prepare for the big move, over at Battlebridge Lane, the nursery is already established and it too entered into the Christmas spirit, with its debut seasonal show.

“With the nursery being new, everything we have done this term has been an adventure for the children, and at this age there is no adventure more exciting than Christmas,” said nursery teacher Alice Trimmer.

“Altogether 40 children, from ages two to four took part, putting on a show for all their friends and family, singing Christmas songs and showcasing what they’ve learned this term, and afterwards parents got to look at their learning journey books and we served them mince pies and Christmas biscuits that the children had made. It was wonderful. This was the perfect way to bring an end to our first term, and also to play a part in the development of Lime Tree School as a whole.”