It’s raining and the playground at Belmont Infant School in the London Borough of Haringey is empty. But from inside a small shed opposite the classrooms, the regular sound of hammering is audible over the raindrops.
Inside, two children stand at a workbench. Peering through her plastic safety glasses, Cecilia from nursery bangs a nail with a hammer. Julie from Reception is making a model aeroplane. Reception class teacher Sophie Micallef stands by ready to help, but lets the children get on with their work independently.
As Cecilia decides to make a dash through the rain back to the classroom, Ms Micallef calls ‘Anthony!’ out of the door, reading off a long list of names waiting to take their turn. Anthony arrives, puts on the glasses, selects different lengths of wood from crates on the floor, and begins his craft determinedly.
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