Fishkeeper Fry 2024 has now come to a close and it has been exciting to have been able to deliver this year's programme. Our participating schools this year have produced some amazing work with the support and encouragement of their dedicated teachers and we are thrilled to see how the students of the schools have engaged in the tasks and activities throughout, some even coming up with some personal activities, linking it to the programme.

The School of the Year has been chosen. The winning school, Collydean Primary School has arranged a visit from Tappers and the store employee who helped them through the program and answered any questions they might have had. They have also received a trophy and medals to reward them for their continuous enthusiasm and dedication to being the best fishkeepers they could be.

On the final week of the Fishkeeper Fry Programme, the schools learned how the fish breed and had a recap on what they have learned throughout the programme and what they can do for their fish should they choose to keep the tank in their schools.

English Martyrs Catholic Primary School Fishkeepers of the Week.

Tappers spoke about the two ways in which fish can have fry. These two ways are by laying eggs or giving birth to mini versions of themselves. A lot of schools that have participated this year have happily reported that they have some babies spawn in their fish tanks.

In Week 8, the schools that kept their fish tank in the school after the program had finished were able to add one more fish breed to their underwater community. This fish was the Dwarf Sucking Catfish. Some of the schools have reported that some students consider this fish breed to be a close favorite alongside the shrimp or snails.

The teachers have been asked to complete an online survey. This will help us understand what they feel has gone well in the program from a teacher/student perspective. They can also let us know what they think could be better. We are always looking to improve the program to make it more enjoyable and engaging for the students, so we appreciate any feedback that is offered.

We are pleased to announce that many schools have decided to keep their fish tanks this year. This allows them to continue teaching children the responsibility of fishkeeping, whether it's the same class or the class that comes after them, and so on. Some schools have reported that watching the fish swim happily in their tanks not only engages the children in the program, but also has a calming effect on the students, motivating them to do better in not just fishkeeping, but in all of their work.

Collydean Primary School pupils watching Tappers video.

Birchwood Primary School Pupils showing off their bookwork

We are already underway with looking for ways to improve Fishkeeper Fry 2025 and looking for ways to continue to grow the programme.

Sherbourne Field School pupil Bradley- Fishkeeper of the Week

Take a look at some of the feedback we've received from the participating schools this year.

“Fishkeeper Fry was a fantastic programme to be involved in! It was straightforward to prepare for and the communication of the worksheets and materials each week was clear and on time. The staff at our supporting store were incredibly helpful, offering advice and support the whole way through. The pupils were 100% engaged with the programme and produced some of their best work, throughout the whole year! It even helped to improve communications with parents and families as the pupils would go home and talk about what they had added each week. Our pupils thought that this project was the best they had ever done!” – Collydean Primary School

“The program was incredibly well organized with material you needed, videos to watch, and support needed for parents. I found that my knowledge increase and has been wonderful to see the children engage in this program. It has certainly benefited those with SEND and would highly recommend it to others in the future.” - Bewick Bridge Community Primary School

“We thoroughly enjoyed participating in Fishkeeper Fry this year. The children were fascinated by the fish and their antics. The programme engaged all of the children, particularly some of the most reluctant learners, and I was able to link back lots of the content to our Science curriculum targets. Thank you!” - Dr South's School

“'This year's programme has been amazing. Every morning, I would see my class come in, rush to the fish tank, and enjoy watching our new friends swim around in their homes. The children enjoyed the responsibility and learning about the finer details of fishkeeping that most of the children had overlooked before. We have chosen to keep our fish tank for our school and the children are still as enthusiastic about it now as they were at the beginning. Every school should give the project a go!' - Dovelands Primary School

“We loved taking part in the Fishkeeper Fry project this year! The children have learned so much and are still as enthusiastic about caring for our fish as they were when we first got them. We were able to include the whole school by delivering assemblies and sharing photographs with them, we had lots of visitors over the weeks from other classes! It was so easy to set up and run, you just needed to commit to around an hour per week to deliver the content and of course, collect the resources and fish each week! It was so lovely for me as the teacher to see the children so interested and invested in something! I would encourage any teacher to get involved next year if they can!” - Brookfield Community School