PUPILS and staff welcomed more than 50 grandparents to their school as North Tawton Community Primary School held its first-ever Grandparents’ Day.

The grandparents of children at the school were invited to have a tour of the classrooms and see their grandchildren hard at work last Wednesday morning.

They were shown around the school by some of the older pupils.

The idea for the day came from headteacher Nick Alford, who said he wanted to give grandparents a bit of recognition.

‘Grandparents play such a big part in many children’s lives. I see many dropping off in the morning and collecting after school,’ said Nick.

‘I was conscious that they rarely see much beyond the school gate. I thought it would be a nice opportunity to look around the school and see what goes on in the classrooms. We also wanted to thank them for the time many spend with the children helping them read or do their homework’.

With this in mind, grandparents had a couple of short talks by two of the teachers on helping children learning their times-tables and tips on getting the most when hearing them read. The morning ended with a performance by the school choir.

‘Everyone seemed to really enjoy the morning and the feedback as people were leaving was lovely,’ said Nick. ‘They were impressed by the children who acted as guides not least as they were so proud of their school.

‘For some of our visitors it was a walk down memory lane as they had attended the school as children themselves’.