Pupils get lessons in bricklaying during visit to site in South Otterington

Pupils from South Otterington CofE Primary School were invited to Saints Green at Peggy’s Field so they could learn more about the processes involved in building new homes as well as the importance of health and safety rules on construction sites.

The trip also provided an opportunity for some of the group to have a go at laying bricks on a small section of practise wall.

A group of 31 pupils from Years 3 and 4 took part in the visit, and they are now using what they learned and remembered from the trip to create a fictional storybook inspired by the day and based on their experiences. One copy of the finished book will be kept in the school library, while another will be displayed in the free miniature library at Saints Green.

Accompanied by their teacher Miss Lanham, the pupils arrived at the development in hi vis vests which had been gifted to them in goodie bags also containing colouring pencils and a highlighter set. The group listened to a talk on health and safety rules at the site and were shown the sales office. They were then given hard hats and protective gloves before going on a tour of the site.

Miss Lanham, Head of Teaching and Learning at the school, said: “We all had a wonderful time at the Saints Green at Peggy’s Field development. Everyone is so grateful to Lovell for the invitation and for the incredibly warm welcome we received on the day.

“The children were very excited to visit the development, put on the hard hats, hi vis vests and gloves and be shown the site. They were thrilled to see the various vehicles, such as large delivery lorries and a telehandler and to give the thumbs sign to people working on the site.

“The trip was very educational and informative. We all learned a lot about health and safety rules on sites and about the new homes that are being built here in the village. I had walked the children up to look at the development in February, so it was fantastic to be able to follow that up with an actual tour of the site.

“It is wonderful for the children to get real hands-on experience in an actual workplace. Now they can use their experiences to produce some work about the trip which will be brought together in a book to provide a lasting memory of the visit.”

Rebecca Darby, Head of Sales for Lovell North East, said: “We pride ourselves on building meaningful relationships with local schools, so it was lovely to welcome pupils from South Otterington CofE Primary School to Saints Green at Peggy’s Field.

“The site team really enjoyed teaching the youngsters all about the importance of health and safety at a live development and explaining exactly how we construct our new-build homes here.

“The children may be too young to be thinking about careers right now, but we hope this visit might inspire some of them to consider entering the construction industry when they get older. Some of the children proved to be a natural with the trowel so I think we might have uncovered one or two bricklayers of the future.”