Music to the ears for Marshfield School

Fri, Nov 25th 2005, 11:00

House builder Redrow has hit all the right notes by donating a generous sum of money for new classrooms at a Newport school.

Loraine Goss, head teacher at Marshfield Primary, said: “The new classrooms that the donation provides have been most delightful. We have been able to expand our learning areas. Before the extension we had 11 classrooms and often the library doubled as a classroom. Those days are behind us now, as we now have 13 classrooms and a new music room, meaning the library can be used as it should be.”

Marshfield Primary School accommodates 334 students, ranging from age four to eleven. The school has over 260 students whose love of music and instruments can now be nurtured as one of the new classrooms is being used as a dedicated music room.

Loraine added: “The new classrooms also mean that our students with additional learning needs can now have the facilities to learn on a one to one or small group basis. Also the quadrangle that has been created by the extension means we now have a superb outside space in which the children can play in safely. The extension really has enhanced our learning facilities no end and we are extremely grateful for the donation to the Newport LEA from Redrow, it has provided an addition of quality for pupils and staff.

Redrow’s support for the local primary school is just one example of the many ways in which the company helps to enhance the communities in which it builds.

Debby Pavitt, field sales manager at Redrow Homes (South Wales), which is building new homes at Cwrt Ty Mawr in Marshfield, said: “We get involved in all kinds of different community initiatives and are particularly committed to boosting educational opportunities. Being able to help Marshfield School through Newport LEA has been fantastic, especially when we have seen what a difference the new facilities have made to the children and staff alike.”

As well as providing new classrooms for Marshfield Primary, the home builder has extended its commitment to education even further by launching the Redrow Learning Web. This UK-wide on-line resource includes a teachers’ area to help plan lessons and guide their pupils, meets with National Curriculum requirements and has been accredited by the National Grid for Learning.

The Learning Web is split into two modules – ‘The House Detectives’, aimed at primary school children aged eight to 11, and ‘Plan It … Build It’, which is targeted at secondary school pupils aged 12 – 16 as part of their citizenship studies.

‘The House Detectives’ enables children to compare and contrast their own community with others around the UK, while ‘Plan It … Build It’ challenges pupils to research, plan and ‘build’ a new development taking into account a full range of issues such as housing supply, planning policy, environmental concerns and sustainability.

The Redrow Learning Web can be accessed at www.education.redrow.co.uk