Local housebuilder Harron Homes has donated 30 pairs of high-quality wellies to the children of Staveley Primary Junior School in Staveley, Chesterfield, close to Harron Homes’ Thorpe Meadows development.

Staveley Junior School is part of the Outdoor Play And Learning (OPAL) Primary Programme, which aims to encourage creative outdoor play in schools, leading to increased focus in the classroom and the ability for children to regulate their behaviours.

In fact, schools applying OPAL’s play-focused approach have seen a reduction of recorded behavioural incidents by around 80%.

Staveley Junior School is a school of 146 children serving the community of Staveley, which aims to provide an excellent education while providing pupils with life experiences they might not be able to access at home, including opportunities to play, be creative, and learn outdoors.

In light of this, Staveley Primary School is on a mission to develop its outdoor space while implementing the Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) scheme over the next 18 months.

A core part of this project is ensuring the pupils have suitable outdoor attire for rainy days and during the colder seasons. Harron Homes’ generous donation of wellies constitutes a significant contribution toward this need, equipping the children with comfortable, durable wellies for fun and educational outdoor activities.

Sue Parkes, Headteacher at Staveley Junior School, said, “The children are delighted with the wellies. They’ve already started learning outdoors, but this will allow them to continue to do so through-out the upcoming winter months so that they can get the benefits of outdoor learning throughout the year.

“Many of our families would not be able to equip their children with outdoor attire of their own – particularly at this time of rising costs across the board. Harron Homes’ donation of these high-quality wellies is therefore a huge help, and we would like to extend our gratitude towards everyone at the company.”

Natalie Griffiths, Sales and Marketing Director for Harron Homes North Midlands, said: “Harron Homes is a housebuilder with community at its heart. We are dedicated to the communities where we build and make it a priority to support schools local to our developments. Last year we donated hi-vis jackets to the pupils of Inkersall Primary Academy in Chesterfield to help them during Walk to School Month, and it’s great to be able to help out another school this year.

“All children deserve the opportunity to learn in a creative and dynamic way, and we’re excited to see how Staveley Primary School develops its outdoor play offering for these bright young minds.”

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