You can just about spot the children among the 60,000 stinging insects gathered around them. They’re not screaming. In fact, they don’t seem particularly bothered that they are sharing air space with something that usually causes pandemonium in a classroom.

But then, these kids are experienced. They are part of the Bee Team, otherwise known as Heron Hill Primary School’s group of elite beekeepers.

We set up the Bee Team four years ago. Jacqui had always had a fascination with all things entomological and had kept bees. She felt beekeeping would be of huge benefit to the pupils, for multiple reasons. We pitched it to the headteacher, Peter Hicks, and we got our first colony in 2016.

Originally, The Bee Team prioritised those children in school who were classed as pupil premium, were disadvantaged or had behavioural or emotional issues. This was a chance for them to see school in a different way, to succeed in non-academic areas and to take responsibility for something.

But since then, the Bee Team has grown from one colony of bees and one after-school club to six colonies on-site and three after-school clubs. These include “new-bees” (children just embarking on their beekeeping journey), experienced pupils working towards their Junior Beekeeping Certificate and an advanced group, who are qualified beekeepers. We now have the largest and youngest group of qualified beekeepers in the country (the usual age for qualification is 14-18; these children are 8-11).

The children have ownership of the bees and are hands on, actively managing them in the hive. They work cooperatively, within a small team, as they carefully and respectfully inspect the bees. Inspection is the process by which the keeper checks bee welfare, honey production, reproduction and several other things to ensure the hive is in good working order. In addition to the Bee Team caring for the bees, all 450 pupils, from nursery to Year 6, have multiple “bee experiences” during their school career. The Bee Team regularly takes the bees into classrooms, where curriculum links to science, geography, maths and more are made to bring learning to life.

Of course, beekeeping is a pastime that involves risk: children light smokers, use blowtorches and tools. But we train them properly and they handle this kit in a safe and controlled manner because they understand and manage the risk.

The children are in danger of being stung, too, but there have been no stings in all the time we have had the Bee Team. But when it does happen, the children will know exactly what action to take, including how to administer an EpiPen injection if necessary.

All these risks are worth it: the impact has been huge and significantly noticeable across a number of areas: attendance figures have increased, teachers report fewer behavioural issues, and teachers and parents have seen a significant uplift in children’s engagement at school.

We continue to see children who might find school difficult or those who may not necessarily be “academic” succeeding at beekeeping: once-reluctant readers can be found enjoying books; children see the point in doing maths when it means working out the Bee Team finances or how much money has been made on honey sales; and children who once tried to avoid school now can’t wait to come through the gates.

As one parent told us: “It is so nice having my child look forward to being at school. Bees have changed his whole view of education. Looking after the bees, and learning about them in such a way that he loves, benefits him more than any other book or subject ever has … He will read anything to do with bees.”

For vulnerable children, in particular, the Bee Team provides a safe and supportive environment where individuals are valued and coached, both in beekeeping and life skills. Children who suffer from low self-esteem positively glow with confidence and pride as they realise they have something to offer. Beekeeping has such a positive impact on an individual’s mental wellbeing, too - after all, if you can inspect a hive of 60,000 bees, you can do anything!

It was a particularly busy year last year - the children participated in advanced beekeeping skills, such as breeding their own queens and dividing colonies to donate to disabled groups. They won a national award from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for their education work, and they won local and regional honey shows.

Money, honey

Admittedly, beekeeping is an expensive pastime. The Bee Team has been very lucky in that it continues to receive significant help and support from the local beekeeping association, as well as friends and neighbours.

The Bee Team fundraises regularly with honey sales and school “mufti” days, and it has a successful “sponsor a hive” scheme.

Additionally, it is now in a position to host fundraising Bees and Tea afternoons during the holidays, during which children from the Bee Team give up some of their holidays to host a local community group. The children demonstrate a hive inspection, share their experience and enthusiasm with the visitors, and delight them with tea and cake afterwards.

The plan is to develop further community links. The apiary is undergoing building works this year, following successful grant applications with the Frieda Scott Charitable Trust and the Lake District Foundation. When finished, we will have an apiary that can accommodate larger groups, including classes from other schools and disabled groups. We will be able to offer those visitors a “bee hide”, which will be a covered, bee-proof, fully accessible room, complete with sound panels, large viewing windows and hands-through “touchy-feely” gloves. The first to be welcomed will be a local group of partially sighted and blind young people.

Bees don’t just bring a school together, they bring a community together, too.

Karen Harper is a Year 5 teacher and Jacqui Cottam is chair of governors at Heron Hill Primary School in Kendal

This article originally appeared in the 24 April 2020 issue under the headline “Hive of activity takes the sting out of going to school”