On Friday, 6^th May 2022 Brookfield Community School celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a number of special events happening throughout the day.

In the morning, we welcomed the Queen’s representative Vice-Lord Lieutenant Colonel, John Wilson and Deputy Lieutenant & Lead for the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, Brell Ewart who were joined by a number of special guests from the Old Cestrefeldians’ Society; Incoming President, John Drabble, Secretary, Derrick Priestley and Trustees, Tony Hine and Rob Woodhead for a Tree Planting Ceremony where the Old Cestrefeldians represented the past, the Vice-Lord Lieutenant represented the present and a number of our students including Head Boy and Head Girl represented the future.

The ceremony was important on many levels. From marking the Platinum Jubilee and the 70 years that Queen Elizabeth II has spent on the throne, to the commemoration of students and staff who have attended Chesterfield Grammar School and Brookfield Community School - and those who will do so in the future” said Mr Hirst, Headteacher. 

Chesterfield School, formerly Chesterfield Grammar school, was founded in 1594 and continued to educate boys from Chesterfield and further afield until 1991 when educational reorganisation resulted in its closure and the handover of its buildings to Brookfield Community School. Today, the Old Cestrefeldian Society and the Old Cestrefeldians’ Trust, works to maintain links between former students and masters from Chesterfield School and Brookfield Community School. When Chesterfield Grammar School was founded, Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne and the timber from traditional English oak trees were used to build her ships, so as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, Brookfield Community School wanted to plant an oak tree on the Chatsworth Road side of the school site, to commemorate her 70^th year, over 400 years later.

After the tree planting ceremony, our special guests took a tour of Brookfield which brought back lots of wonderful memories for some of the dignitaries who used to be students here, and later in their life taught at the school too, then to conclude the morning’s celebrations, the Vice-Lord Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenant joined our Headteacher, Mr Hirst in the Hall for a special assembly with our Year 7 students.

Later in the afternoon, students and staff gathered together for a 'Jubilee Picnic' and individual tree planting by our 5 Houses to mark the occasion.

This fits in with our wider belief that education does not simply focus on the academic; an experience in itself and not just a preparation for the next stage in life. We wanted to mark the Platinum Jubilee as a special occasion that we will never see again. For a monarch to reign for 70 years is unprecedented. The past is important, and it is vital that we understand and cherish our history. It is also important that we allow students and staff to create memories of their own. I am sure that long into the future we will be looking back at the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and how her Platinum Jubilee was marked with an oak tree that will stand at the front of our school for many years to come, as a reminder of this achievement” said Mr Hirst.

If you would like to 'Plant a Tree for the Jubilee' please visit https://queensgreencanopy.org/ for details on how you can get involved.