Showing support for Saltash school

Cornwall’s biggest housebuilder has donated £2,000 to Burraton Community Primary School.

The donation from Persimmon Homes – which was marked alongside pupils, staff, and local councillor Keith Johnson – comes from the developer’s Community Champions programme that sees £700,000 donated to good causes and much-valued organisations across Britain each year.

Burraton Community Primary School is a large Primary School located on Fairmead Road in Saltash that has been here for over 50 years. Burraton welcomes 312 pupils to the classroom every day, which includes 19 children within its onsite ARB.

The school also has a thriving Nursery with children joining us from the age of two years old. The school plans to use the kind donation from Persimmon towards improvements to its outdoor educational space for the children to enjoy. 

The accredited five-star housebuilder has an outline application to bring up to 300 new homes to Saltash at Latchbrook Farm. The scheme reserves 30% of the properties for a local housing association to tackle Cornwall’s 25,000 household-strong waiting list. A site for a new school has been reserved to the immediate north of the site, and Persimmon will provide contributions to facilitate its opening, which can also be used to improve existing schools in the area.

The proposal would includes active travel networks, an equipped playground, a natural play area, and safeguarding over half of the development for green space. The scheme also includes plans for bike storage, biodiversity net gain, and wildlife corridors. Millions of pounds in community investment would accompany a successful application.

Other recent recipients of Persimmon’s Community Champions funding include Saltash Memory Café, Radford Community Centre, and Plymouth Hospitals Charity.

Persimmon Homes Cornwall & West Devon Sales Director Jane Cartwright, said “As a developer seeking to bring much-needed new homes to Saltash, we felt it important to show our support to local services like Burraton Primary with this donation.

“As we know, we are sadly seeing pupil numbers at schools shrink across the county and new homes are a good way to sustain schools and keep a local presence, so Persimmon is determined to leave a positive and lasting legacy here many times over.

“We are so pleased to hear this money will go towards helping the school’s children spend time learning and making the most of the outside. We wish them all the best for the term ahead.”

Hannah Robinson, Headteacher at Burraton Community Primary School, added “We are incredibly grateful to have received such a generous donation to support the development of outdoor education at Burraton Community Primary School. This funding will provide our children with even more opportunities to learn, explore, and develop valuable skills beyond the classroom.

“Outdoor learning has such an important role to play in children’s wellbeing, confidence, and personal development, and we are excited to see how this generous support will enhance the experiences we can offer our pupils. Thank you to everyone involved in making this possible and for investing in the future of our children.”

Speaking at the school, Cornwall Councillor for Saltash Tamar, Keith Johnson, said “A gift to a school is much more than a financial contribution, it is an investment in children, their dreams and the future of our community.

“The strongest communities are built not only with bricks and timber, but with kindness, opportunity and people who care. Persimmon Homes has demonstrated that spirit through this generous donation.

“To every child at Burraton Primary: believe in yourself, work hard and dream boldly, because your background does not determine your future.”

Cllr Johnson offered his heartfelt thanks to Persimmon Homes on behalf of the school and the wider community.