School grounds maintenance in Smallfield

Grass, hedges and paths for Smallfield’s schools, worked around lessons, breaks and the school run.

Smallfield has two schools close together in the middle of the village. Burstow Primary, for ages 3 to 11, is on Wheelers Lane, on land that was once part of the village green. Aurora Redehall School, an independent special school, uses the original state school building on Redehall Road. School grounds maintenance in Smallfield has to suit both kinds of setting.

We cut grass and verges, keep boundary hedges back off paths and fences, and save the noisy work for when pupils are indoors or away. Entrance beds and any school garden maintenance, like planters or a small growing area, are weeded and kept tidy too. Bigger jobs, like cutting back an overgrown boundary, go into half-terms and the summer holidays.

School grounds maintenance and the Plough Road junction

The parish neighbourhood plan describes the junction of Plough Road and Redehall Road by the school as a real bottleneck, with up to 2,500 vehicle movements a day. We don’t add to it. Visits are planned away from drop-off and pick-up, the van parks where the school wants it, and we sign in at reception, wear badges and stay in the areas agreed with your site manager. At a special school we’ll also follow any extra guidance on noise, routes and contact with pupils.

School grass on wet clay

School grass in Smallfield sits on the same Weald clay as the rest of the village, in ground the county council describes as a shallow valley. A wet field marks easily, and ruts left by a mower become trip hazards once they dry hard. So we check the ground as well as the calendar, and push a cut back a few days if it’s sodden. In summer we leave the grass a little longer so it doesn’t scorch.

Schools and academies in Smallfield: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

Will you price a school grounds maintenance contract?

Yes. We’ll price against your specification, or help you write one, with a fixed annual price invoiced monthly or quarterly.

Can overgrown boundary hedges be cut in the holidays?

Yes. The October and February half-terms are ideal, because nesting season is over and the site is quiet. We still check every hedge for nests first and take all the cuttings away.

Will it be different people each time?

No. It’s the same team every visit, so your office and premises staff know exactly who’s arriving.

Do you clear leaves from playgrounds and paths?

Yes. Through autumn we clear leaves from paths, playgrounds and the edges of the field, so nobody slips on a wet morning. It’s built into the schedule rather than charged as an extra.