Children may be told to aim high at the start of the year, but pupils at Newbury Park Priamry School, Perryman’s Farm Road, went one step further.
More than 500 pupils aged between three and 11 attached their dreams and aspirations to balloons and set them off into the sky.
The ceremony, which was conducted in the school fields, was witnessed by parents, teachers and admin staff.
Deputy headteacher Miriam Gould said: “The children really loved it and were in awe for a few silent moments, before erupting into a cheer – the parents were quite emotional too.
“The teachers had crib sheets and approached the event with military precision.
“Only six balloons were released prematurely, which was quite a feat consider the numbers involved.”
The high flying pupils have been contacted by members of the public who have recovered their balloons as far afield as Norfolk and Sussex.
The event has been used to educate the children in a number of subjects, with pupils looking up where the balloons had been found on a map and editing a recording of the ceremony.
When asked how much helium it took to inflate the balloons, Miriam said: “I didn’t personally pump them up, but I do know we used biodegrading balloons.”
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