Butler service at Repton School

Repton School offers a packed sports programme and has produced more than 150 first-class cricketers and three Test captains. Accolades which wouldn't be achievable without exceptional surfaces prepared by Head of Grounds and Gardens Andy Butler and his team.

On a very wet and windy day late October, Editor Kerry Haywood visited the school and commented: "I have lived in Derbyshire for almost twenty years and Repton School is a mere four miles from my house. I pass it often and its grandeur and history has always intrigued me, so it was great when Andy invited me to look around."

"Arriving under the iconic school arch (moved to its current position in 1906), you immediately get a sense of the history, but it soon emerges that Repton today is undoubtedly modern in terms of its practice and outlook."

Andy commented: "I have been at Repton for fourteen years now, and things have changed a lot during that time. Before I arrived, the maintenance was very reactionary and there was no remedial work done at all. It's now a strict regime with seasonal programmes in place to undertake decompaction and renovations, whilst Chris Knowles from Agrovista Amenity advises on fertiliser inputs; a programme of MM50, MM Tetra Sport on the outfields and a variety of Compo Expert products."

"My career started with Green Thumb and that gave me enough interest and passion for working with turf. I played a lot of sport when I was young, so I desired a way of trying to stay in sport. I didn't like coaching, so a school position appealed to me. Mike Kettle took me on here and I learned so much from him. Then, Mark Hillaby joined the school and, between them, they have taught me everything I know - two great guys. I was promoted to deputy and then spent the next ten years working hard and waiting for the opportunity to become head. During that time, I've gained all my NVQ qualifications up to level 4, got my PA1, 2 and 6, chainsaw licences etc…"

The team of thirteen grounds and garden staff manage the main site and also the Prep School - in total comprising: 25 football pitches, 2 indoor and 12 outdoor tennis courts, cricket pitches, a multi-million-pound Sports Centre including 2 floodlit water-based Astroturf hockey pitches, a state-of-the-art, full size indoor hockey facility, plus netball and squash courts.

"The soil profile across all sites is heavy clay," continued Andy. "Once upon a time, it was home to The Vikings and there's even an old monastery underground, so we're constantly doing all we can to improve decompaction and import better material."

"This summer, Sheltons Drainage installed gravel banding at one metre centres to our second football pitch, topped up with sand at 5 metre centres. We are also just handing back a second drainage project to staff which will make a huge difference in terms of usage. Historically, this time of year, pitches would no longer be in play, but this will allow them to be used throughout winter."

"This coming term we prepare for football and girls hockey then, after Christmas, it will be boys hockey and girls football with a little bit of rugby, before starting athletics, tennis and cricket in the summer - so there's a lot to do!"

It's no wonder then why the school has just invested in a Turf Tank Two robotic line marker. "We're still getting used to it, but we're about 80% of the way there now. It's going to be a huge time and cost saver though; it requires one member of the team to set it up and away it goes - rather than having two or three of the guys marking out for most of the day."

"The schedule for sport is full on, so it's important we have a good relationship with teaching staff. I'll hold regular meetings with the directors of cricket and football so that we all know where we're going, what we're doing and when we're doing it. Communication is key and they have a good understanding of remedial work, spraying tasks etc. and why they can't use certain areas at times."

"We have also made big strides to improve sustainability on site, by switching to electric for most of our handheld equipment, and electric options is also something we will strongly consider when needing to purchase new mowers and larger items. We are also introducing several wildflower areas… there is a wooded area near the Astro pitches which has recently been planted with two or three thousand wildflower seeds and I'm sure it will be stunning. Pupils got involved in the planting which gives them a sense of pride, involvement, and an introduction to the grounds team."

"Recruitment is obviously an emotive subject with everyone in the industry and it's something that needs to develop as quickly as possible. The last couple of times I have recruited, I've been lucky as I feel a school environment is appealing due to the variety of sports and daily tasks. However, I appreciate it's generally tough to encourage people to join the industry when there are so many more appealing jobs for (quite often) more money! We have to question whether our Associations are doing enough?"

Career development is important to the school and they have recently introduced a more stringent e-learning process. Andy continued: "The guys work through the programme and are offered all the training they need and desire - right from an external company undertaking basic tractor courses, or advanced learning and qualifications. We have a really great team here with good retention; three of the guys have been here for more than twenty years."

I ask Andy what the biggest change and/or challenge has been during his time at Repton: "When I first started, budgets were non-existent, as were general processes and maintenance regimes. Much of the equipment was on its last legs and I had to beg, steal or borrow machinery from other local venues. The management of the grounds team has vastly improved and, over the years, we have purchased essential machinery such as an Imants Shockwave and our own topdresser etc. We can now undertake the vast majority of end of season renovations in-house and it's nice to be able to select jobs based on weather and staff each day."

"I push hard with the team that you only get one chance to make a first impression. When a prospective parent or student is walking through the archway, as you did when you arrived, the first thing they see is what the grounds look like; is there any colour around, are we striped up nicely, is everything looking its absolute best? We are striving to be better."

Richard Fletcher, Facilities and Services Manager commented: "Since Andy took over in July 2021 , the transformation of the team has been remarkable and the improvements across all areas of the site is testament to his hard work, leadership and in-depth knowledge. As a school community, we are all extremely grateful for all the excellent work that Andy and the grounds and garden team do."