Pondering the challenges faced by tiny rural schools; how they build children’s understanding through experiences of visiting parks, museums and libraries when there are none for miles around and no budget to take them to the nearest town which has these facilities.

Having worked in remote schools where the bus came once a day, I know the challenge organising a simple visit to the library brought! Some children hadn’t been to shops when they started in YR as there wasn’t one in the village. Simple things many people take for granted.

Many parents shopped during the school day, so they didn’t have to take the whole family. It meant that some children hadn’t been to the nearest town so their experiences were very different to those growing up in towns. A visit to the museum, library or park isn’t always free.

So we have tiny schools, with tiny budgets, who can’t access the things that many of us take for granted, unless they spend money they don’t have. As it’s now part of the statutory educational programme for EY, I’m wondering how we address this issue. Lots to think about.