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MILLER HOMES DONATES FUNDS TO HELP PORTWAY INFANT SCHOOL BUILD OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA

MILLER HOMES DONATES FUNDS TO HELP PORTWAY INFANT SCHOOL BUILD OUTDOOR LEARNING AREA

Homebuilder Miller Homes East Midlands is supporting Portway Infant School’s green efforts with a donation of £300 to create a new “Forest School”.

 

The Allestree-based school is building an outdoor woodland environment on its grounds with the core focus of helping children to learn outside in a natural setting. It will inspire the children to explore, tell stories on a nature trail, share ideas about the planet, and learn more about animal groups and wildlife. 

The funds donated from Miller Homes will go towards supporting the Forest School, which is planned to help boost the students’ self-esteem and communications skills, while helping them learn vital social skills such as respect, teamwork and risk-taking.

To celebrate World Environment Day which took place on Saturday 5 June, the homebuilder also asked pupils of Portway Infant School to design a card which they felt best highlighted the area of Allestree, famed for its parks and green spaces.

Over 100 children put forward their illustrations and three were selected as the winners of the competition. Olivia Cox was awarded the best design in Year two, for her recreation of a Miller Homes’ new build in the community. Joshua Thompson won in Year one with a detailed portrayal of an Allestree recreational park filled with wildlife. Third place went to Olivia Dubiel, a reception pupil, who drew a portrayal of nature, full of trees, flowers, birds and other animals roaming the Derbyshire area. 

Along with being awarded a book voucher each, all three winning pupils’ cards will also be printed and placed in the welcome packs for new customers at Kedleston Grange, Miller Homes’ new development in Allestree.

To further help support the school, Miller Homes’ Safety, Health and Environmental officer, Alan Alsop will be hosting a school Health & Safety assembly visit to remind pupils how to assess risky situations, reinforce road safety and ensure they stay safe in the summer holidays.

Area Sales Director at Miller Homes, Alastair Parsons, said:

 “The communities close to all our new developments are always really important to us, and it’s been a pleasure to offer support to those at Portway Infant School, a fantastic school close to our Kedleston Grange development. Their Forest School is a wonderful idea, helping kids to enjoy the benefits of nature and allowing them to learn in even more creative ways than they would in the classroom. 

“Allestree is home to stunningly picturesque green spaces which have been recognised by the Woodland Trust and we’re delighted that more than 100 children wanted to design a card to reflect the beauty of Allestree, highlighting how much the area means to them. The designs show the importance of nature in this Derbyshire area, and that is something which we’re committed to maintaining through our new Kedleston Grange neighbourhood.”

Commenting on the donation, Lisa McSherry, Head Teacher at Portway Infant School, said


“The team at Miller Homes has been amazing at thinking of ways that we can work together for the good of the whole community. The children were excited to be able to draw representations of what was special to them. In fact, every single child in the school entered the competition and we were so impressed with the entries.

“Miller Homes gave the children lovely personal feedback about the winning entries, which they loved hearing. We were overwhelmed when we received a cheque from Miller Homes for £300 which will go towards supporting an outdoor classroom for our new Forest School which opens this September. This will mean that we can learn outdoors, no matter the weather. I know that we and Miller Homes will continue to work together to give the children of Portway Infant School some fabulous experiences in the coming years. Thanks to all of the team!”

For more information on the Kedleston Grange development, visit https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/new-homes/east-midlands/kedleston-grange-allestree.aspx

For more information on Portway Infant School’s new Forest School, visit  https://www.portwayinfant.co.uk/forest-school-at-portway/


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