IT’S a special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren. Grandmas and grandads can give little ones love and attention, but do not have to worry about discipline – unlike parents.

Equally, boys and girls can bring joy to the older generation and then conveniently get picked up and taken home at the end of the day. Teachers from Grimley and Holt CofE Primary School in Grimley near Worcester, also believe the young and the old can learn from each other.

That is why they have chosen to engage with more of their children’s grandparents by inviting them into the school.

They asked for grandparents to join in with eco day and help the children with gardening and preparing a flowerbed.

Headteacher Helen Hoarle said: “The idea came from some comments from parents saying they try and come in, but sometimes they struggle to get here. They said you could get grandparents more involved.

“The grandparents are a big part of their grandchildren’s lives, often looking after them and picking them up from school.”

It is the first time grandparents have been invited to the school to help with gardening.

However, in the past there have been other ways in which grandparents have been integrated into the school. At one event, grandparents came to the school to be taught computer skills, such as sending e-mails and creating powerpoint presentations, by their grandchildren.

Mrs Hoarle said: “That was fun and it was nice for them to spend some quality time together on computers. It helps the grandparents and makes the children feel special and that they’ve got skills they can pass on.

“We’ve also made a CD where grandparents came in to talk about their memories.”

Grandmother Angela Scott was among the grandparents who donned wellies for the eco day.

She was there to support grandson Freddie Moir, aged seven.

She has recently agreed to look after Freddie’s baby sister four days a week until she is one – even though she usually lives in Yorkshire. She said: “I love it.

“You don’t have the responsibility that the parents have, you just enjoy them. You can play with them and then give them back. I think we have a good relationship.

“Grandchildren can sometimes tell you things that they wouldn’t tell their parents because their parents are busy working and running the home.

“We have got a bit more time to listen to them.

“Freddie asked if we would come and help with the garden so we said ‘yes’. I think this is a lovely school and valuing the grandparents is wonderful.

“The more you can get children involved in school the better the education for the children.”

Mrs Scott said Freddie also sometimes looked to her for an older perspective on his schoolwork. She said: “His topic this term is Victorians.

“He was asking me if I had anything on the Victorians at home, any pictures or artefacts from my parents.

“I said to him ‘I’m not that old’, but I’m going to look some things out for him.”

Grandad Geoffrey Winkworth, of Broadwas, near Worcester, was at the school with grandchildren Hannah, aged nine, and Lauren, five, both of Rushwick, near Worcester. He said: “The school invited any grandparents to help with the gardening.

“I think that they think we are at a loss for something to do.

“I think it’s a nice gesture and it’s good to have this opportunity to come along and make a contribution and feel you are joining in with something.

“I think grandparents can be that little bit more adventurous with grandchildren.

“Parents always have to be very structured and disciplined and although the same thing applies to some extent with grandparents, you can spend some time doing the things that parents very often don’t have time to do. Fortunately, we have a reasonable-sized garden at home and they can come and do some gardening.

“It gives them the opportunity to do something different from what they do at their home.

“We had two sons and now we have two granddaughters. It has been a different experience.”

PICTURE CAPTIONS: Picture One: ECO DAY: Geoffrey Winkworth gets stuck in with granddaughters Hannah, aged nine, and Lauren Winkworth, aged six, left, (second picture)while Angela Scott helps out Abbie Barker, six, Freddie Moir, seven, and Sam Woodall, six, below, with the gardening at Grimley and Holt CofE Primary School in Grimley, near Worcester.