Shrewsbury primary school digs in to learning with new mud kitchen addition
Schoolchildren in Shrewsbury are looking forward to getting stuck into their new 'mud kitchen' thanks to a donation from a local building developer.
Children at Woodfield Infant and Nursery School in Shrewsbury have welcomed the latest addition to their forest school sessions.
The mini mud oven and double mud kitchen (for making mud pies) will support learning for children aged between three and seven as part of their outdoor learning provision.
The outdoor project is being supported by Woodfield & St George’s Parent, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA), which raises money for both Woodfield Infant School and St George’s Junior School.
The instalment was funded with the help of a £500 donation from Bellway, the developer behind three new residential developments around Shrewsbury.
Pru Allison, co-chair of the PTFA, said: “We have been developing our outdoor provision this year. We held a school community event in the spring term to tidy up our outdoor areas in readiness for enhancing them with resources.
“One of the items which Bellway has kindly funded will be used in the woodland area and the other in the early years area, which is used by our reception children and the children in our newly-opened nursery provision.
“The wider forest school and outdoor learning project will greatly enhance their educational experience. Some children are more able to engage in learning through being outdoors and trying new activities.
“The school is exceptionally good at offering children a variety of ways to learn so that they can apply the techniques that best suit them.
“On behalf of Woodfield Infant and Nursery School and the PTFA, I want to thank Bellway for their generous donation. All the children are looking forward to their outdoor sessions with huge anticipation!”
Bellway is building 224 new houses and apartments at Copthorne Keep, on the former Copthorne Army Barracks site off Copthorne Road.
It is also building 150 homes at Darwin’s Edge off Hereford Road and a further 164 properties at The Spinney, off Oteley Road.
Marie Richards, sales director at Bellway West Midlands, said: “We are very happy to be funding a mini mud oven and mud kitchen to contribute towards Woodfield Infant and Nursery School’s outdoor learning project.
“One of our key objectives as a company is to ensure that we have a positive impact on Shrewsbury as the new homes we’re building take shape, and supporting a school which is so close to our development is a good example of the way we can do this.
“We hope that the new outdoor learning space will become a hive of activity and help to enhance the learning of pupils at the school for many years to come.”
