The Unsung Heroes

School grounds staff work to improve a school's environment but often go unnoticed. This looks set to change with the creation of a new award. Sam Kilgour of Shiplake College, explains.

Whilst many independent schools happily list their sports facilities and extensive grounds in their prospectus, how many of us think to look beyond the green fields, immaculate lawns and herbaceous borders to consider those responsible for their upkeep and development? The school surroundings are always on show and are a critical part of the school experience for visitors, staff and pupils, but the visual impact is often taken for granted. So much of the hard work the grounds team do is unseen but the results of their work are permanently on display and always noticed.

The immense amount of care and professional skill that goes into grounds care, and particularly into sports turf and surfaces, is often unrecognised which is why the Institute of Groundsmanship introduced an award for Independent School Sports Grounds of the Year into its prestigious annual awards ceremony. The IOG awards were set up to recognise achievement, innovation, fresh thinking and leading practitioners in the world of Groundsmanship. The awards also aim to raise industry standards and encourage greater professionalism and higher awareness of the sector. The entries are then verified by a panel of judges who put together a shortlist of between three and five entries for each category. The winner of the 2009 inaugural award for Independent School Sports Ground of the Year was Richard Evans, Head Groundsman at Shiplake College, near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.

The College had made headlines the previous summer when tennis player Vera Zvonareva, then the World Number Seven, commented that the grass courts at the College were the finest she had played on in Britain, having spent two days training at the College early in the summer. Richard applied for the award partly as a challenge and also because although visitors frequently comment on the quality of the grounds and pitches, he wanted to be judged by professionals in the field in comparison with other schools.

The application process involved a 200-word nomination, in this case from the Headmaster, and an extensive document put together by Richard outlining the resources available to the grounds team, budgetary constraints, details of grounds maintenance and machinery and photographic evidence to support the application. The document also covered environmental considerations, management of Health and Safety, Continuing Professional Development for grounds staff, usage levels of pitches, communication and interaction with the grounds team and improvements made during the nominee's tenure.

The professional recognition of the importance of school sports grounds brings the importance of school grounds as a whole into focus. When driving up to visit a school for the first time, those initial views can make or break the experience. Schools have only one chance to make a first impression and visually at least, that impression will be formed as a visitor drives or walks into the school grounds. Short of being beamed-in Star Trek style, at most educational establishments parents must pass through at least some of the grounds to reach reception, forming opinions as they go. An eye-catching, attractive, well-signposted approach will set a positive expectation for the rest of the visit. The last thing any visitor wants is to be left driving around aimlessly looking for the visitors' parking and finding themselves in the maintenance yard or minibus park. In addition, year-round appeal is critical: it's easy to have grounds that look beautiful in June, but far harder to achieve the same result in January. But when grounds are clearly well cared for, properly maintained and of high quality, the school as a whole will always benefit. As well as providing the physical setting, the grounds form the backdrop to numerous school events, whether social, cultural or sporting, they quite literally set the scene. Pupils rarely appreciate the beauty of their surroundings at the time although when they return as old boys or girls they are frequently heard to exclaim: 'It's beautiful, I never really noticed it before!'

For any independent school which prides itself on its provision for sport and activities, the quality of the pitches and sports facilities will be paramount. Parents will be keen to see evidence of excellent facilities for their sons and daughters to enjoy at school and the grounds and pitches can be a critical part of an independent school's all-round offering. Competitive sports and outdoor activities will be one of the key areas that parents are looking at when considering the more holistic all-round education that a good prep or senior school can offer. Of course, for some schools, sports pitches and grounds may be located off-site or shared with other schools or organisations, but many schools sit in extensive sites which require significant upkeep. The sell-off of maintained schools' sports fields and grounds has been of concern to parents and communities for some time and accompanied by a decline in competitive sport and games in state schools. This, combined with an increasing focus on an exam-driven curriculum leads many parents to look at alternative school provision for their children. At the same time, independent schools find themselves opening up their facilities to the wider community and to partner schools who perhaps no longer have the playing fields they once did.

The Government recommends that all children participate in at least two hours of sport per week but this is difficult to achieve in the maintained sector and the quality of facilities and coaches may not be appropriate for talented or sport-loving children. In most independent schools, two hours would be considered a bare minimum with sports and games taking place several times a week. In addition there is usually the option for pupils to take part in extended competitive sports programmes. For boarders the sport and activity programme will make full use of the schools' facilities in the evenings and weekends, meaning grounds staff must work around the programme of a full-boarding environment. For small or city-based prep and senior schools, managing a small site with limited facilities can be as challenging as managing 100 acres. Smaller sites require multi-purpose pitches and playing areas whilst the diverse nature of a larger site calls for an entirely different approach. At the same time, sports pitches and facilities must fit into the wider grounds plan if they are not to dominate the school's setting. The efficient care and maintenance of grounds requires significant planning, lawn care, pitch care, knowledge and machinery. There will have been a large investment of time, money and expertise, usually behind the scenes. In addition to the cost of staffing the grounds team, the school will have expended significant sums on plants, trees, seeds and flowers and machinery and equipment. The cost will often seem prohibitive but it is an area that cannot be skimped on if good results are required. For many schools, the challenge is made even more difficult when pitches and lawns are pressed into service for additional car parking for major school events.

For sports pitches the technical aspect of groundsmanship is becoming increasingly important. Choice of turf, ongoing care and maintenance, and controlling usage and wear are all factors that will affect the pupils playing on the pitches. The rise of sports turf management has probably escaped all but the grounds staff involved but it is becoming an increasingly complicated field and professional qualifications are considered essential for career progression. In addition to on-the-job training, grounds staff can undertake City and Guilds courses, NVQs and degree courses in the various aspects of grounds and sports turf management. Not all courses require attendance at college: the Institute for Groundsmanship now runs online Moodle courses for its members. For sports turf particularly, although grounds staff may have been maintaining the pitches for years, to maximise the benefit it is acknowledged that a scientific understanding of the soil dynamics and plant biology is fundamental. A knowledge of engineering and mechanics is also essential when operating and maintaining #50,000 worth of watering machinery and other equipment.

School grounds staff are often unsung heroes, working away to maintain and improve the school environment, whilst feeling less visible in the school community than other members of the support staff. Few parents will meet the grounds staff whereas most will at some point have met the receptionist or members of the office staff.

Richard Evans is quick to point out that the grounds care at Shiplake is a team effort, requiring hard work and commitment from all involved. Headmaster Gregg Davies said, 'We were delighted when Richard and his team won the Institute of Groundsmanship Award. Visitors to the College frequently remark that the grounds look magnificent and the award is testament to the extremely high standard that Richard sets.' Mr Evans was presented with his award by former England rugby player Martin Bayfield at the Emirates Stadium, London, home to Arsenal Football Club and the other finalists were Hampton School, Middlesex and St Alban's School, Hertfordshire. The governors of Shiplake College provided funds for a grounds project in recognition of the award and Richard chose to install a pump which brings water up from the Thames to assist with lawn care at the front of the College.

Next time you visit a school, take a moment to look around and admire the work that the grounds staff do to make the surroundings pleasant, practical and easy on the eye. If you see the grounds team, stop and say hello and let them know you appreciate the hard work that they do - they'll probably be surprised but pleased.

Schools wishing to enter the IOG Awards should visit www.iogawards.com/how_to_enter.html for full instructions. Entering the awards provides professional development opportunities for grounds staff and the possibility of recognition for the school involved.

Sam Kilgour is Development Director at Shiplake College and a Trustee of the Royal School Hampstead.
This article first appeared in the Autumn 2010 issue of Attain.