Leeds village school celebrating after receiving donation that will ‘transform’ school

A village primary school is celebrating after receiving a donation which will transform student’s outdoor learning.

Scholes (Elmet) Primary School received a £1,000 donation from Persimmon Homes after applying to the  Community Champions scheme.

The Leeds-based school say the donation will go towards building their forest school and improving their outdoor play area.

Inspiration for the forest school came from students ideas, the school said.

Councillor Ryan Stephenson was on-hand to present the cheque to the school with Persimmon. 

Councillor Stephenson said: “This grant from Persimmon will help Scholes Primary School deliver a new outdoor learning space, something devised by pupils themselves and a great addition to the educational offer at our village school.

“I’m grateful to Persimmon for this grant and look forward to seeing the project delivered”.

James Parkin, Land Director of Persimmon West Yorkshire, said: “It was a pleasure to visit the school, meet Ms Hague and the pupils who have been working so hard to bring their forest school vision to life. Hearing their ideas about how they’re going to use the outdoor space for future lessons was brilliant and we can’t wait to see the progress.

“At Persimmon we are delighted to be supporting their ongoing work to improve their outdoor spaces through our Community Champions scheme, and we know this donation will make a real difference.”

Karen Hague, Head of Scholes (Elmet) Primary School, said: “A huge thanks from the children at Scholes (Elmet) Primary School.  

“The development of a Forest School will allow all our children to experience hands-on learning in the natural environment. The generous donation will buy all the equipment needed to build dens, fire pits, bug hotels and much more.  We can't wait to see how it grows”