The Owls of St.Francis

When OWLS came to St Francis Catholic Primary School in South Ascot it wasn’t Harry Potter’s dreaded Ordinary Wizarding Level exams,  but 11 spectacular birds of prey who  captured the children’s attention.

Casper the Barn Owl, Gizmo the Tawny Owl, Arnie the little Owl, Oscar the Eagle Owl and Chalky the Snowy Owl were among the birds who held the children’s attention as they learned about the way owls live, their environment , diet and the challenges they face. The children absorbed some weird and wonderful information such as the fact that owls have one ear higher than the other  to give them ‘3D’ hearing and they can turn their heads almost all the way around to compensate their inability to move their eyeballs!

The school hall saw an amazing fly past as several of the owls swooped low and silently over the heads of pupils and staff, few of whom had ever seen these spectacular birds so closely. As a reminder of the visit, the pupils were able to have their photographs taken with an owl.

The visit by the “Night Owls” team (www.niteowls.co.uk) was organised by St Francis Key Stage 1 Co-ordinator Tanya Swan. Miss Swan said “It was a lovely experience for the entire school to see the owls but particularly for our younger children who are currently reading ‘The Owl Babies’ by Martin Waddell. Being able to get so close to real owls made the characters in the book come alive for them.”