Primary school near Banbury will feature on BBC’s Countryfile as a landmark tree is planted

On Wednesday (March 22) staff and pupils at Deddington C of E Primary School were delighted to mark the significant tree planting moment with a special visit from John Craven and the Countryfile team.

Six pupils from the school, along with head teacher Clive Evans and teacher assistant Amy Harbottle, were filmed planting the one millionth tree donated by the Woodland Trust for the charity’s free trees for schools and communities initiative.

The newly-planted tree will become part of the school's woodland area, where some of the pupils have outdoor learning activities. The school is planning to expand the area and build an eco-lodge in the near future.

The scheme was launched by the Woodland Trust to help the UK reach its 2050 carbon net-zero target and in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s service as part of the Platinum Jubilee Green Canopy.

Headteacher Clive Evans said: "We were delighted to welcome John Craven to Deddington Primary School to join our children in planting the one millionth tree. The children were very excited to meet John and appear on Countryfile, and they learned a lot about filming and producing television programmes.

"The visit linked well with our existing project as the planted tree will become part of the school’s extended woodlands, which is brilliant. The community of Deddington will be taking very good care of that special tree."

The special moment will be shown on the Easter Sunday (April 9) episode of Countryfile on BBC One.

For more information on the Woodland Trust’s free trees project, visit https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/