Bees at Heron Hill

Heron Hill Bee Club won the National
'Bees Needs Champion' award in 2019

Bees

We love bees here at Heron Hill!

We have our own colonies of honeybees but feel it vitally important to share with our school community the importance of all bees. As such we have purposefully created a wonderful environment that consists of nesting sites and vital habitat, as well as year-round forage, for bumblebees and solitary bees (and many other pollinators) that need our help too.

Our honeybees live in the fully-accessible apiary at the bottom of the school field and we have created a unique viewing hide that sits alongside. This is a fantastic space that offers an up-close and personal view of the bees without the need to don a full bee-suit and veil. There are huge viewing windows and sound bars to enable a fully immersive and sensory experience. It too is fully accessible and is suitable for larger groups of children to use and to enjoy a look into the fascinating world of the bee.

Beacon School

We are a Beacon School – the first school (and one of only 2 in the country) to be recognised as such. This prestigious title, awarded by the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) is given to schools which demonstrate sustained best practice in beekeeping and apiculture, acting as Centres of Excellence in the provision of on-site school apiaries and bee clubs.

The Bee Team

The Bee Team manages and cares for our honeybees and outdoor areas, and consists of our pupils working alongside Mrs Cottam (Chair of Governors) and Mrs Harper (Year 4 teacher) at after-school clubs, but also at weekends and during the holidays. These clubs are available to children from Year 4 upwards but throughout the year all our children are able to enjoy a bee experience of one sort or another.

Even when their time at Heron Hill comes to an end, our beekeeping kids are still involved – many return from secondary school to assist in the teaching of others by sharing their knowledge and expertise with younger children in The Bee Team and by participating in community events that we run. These very experienced youngsters will have shown expert knowledge and advanced beekeeping skills. Each has studied to take the Junior Certificate in Beekeeping – a national award certified by the BBKA. To date we have the largest and youngest group of qualified beekeepers in the country!

The Bee Team believes passionately in the education of young people in the ancient craft of both beekeeping and the vital role that all pollinators play– they are after all the beekeepers of the future and the next generation to inherit this world. To this end The Bee Team mentor young people of all ages, through the Young Apprentice Programme for secondary age youngsters, and most recently by supporting a student at Kendal College as they embark on their BTEC study programme in Animal Husbandry.

Junior Certificate in Beekeeping

2020 saw 8 of our Heron Hill pupils receive their Junior Certificate in Beekeeping from the British Beekeeping Association. We have the largest and youngest group of qualified beekeepers in the country!

Over the last few years, we have successfully taught the syllabus for the BBKA Junior Certificate examination using our bespoke programme of study which includes bee anatomy, the colony, swarming, pollination and local forage, threats to and diseases of bees, production of wax and honey extraction.

Additionally, the Junior Certificate requires the children to produce a beekeeping diary, undertake and discuss a bee related project, show their practical skills in the manipulation of a colony of bees and participate in an oral examination.