November 2009
First Supergrounds Cheque Presented to School!
Representatives from the Royal Bank of Scotland present the £1000 cheque during assembly
Following the school's success in winning a £4000 grant to improve the school grounds from the Royal Bank of Scotland, representatives from the Mallaig branch came into assembly in order to present a cheque for the first installment of £1000.
Mrs Ann Bailiie and Mrs Victoria Coull presented the cheque to Miss Martin and Mrs Kordiak along with pupils from throughout the school.
The Royal Bank of Scotland also issued a press release which we have copied below!
RBS SUPERGROUNDS
PRESS RELEASE 1
2/10/09
LOCAL SCHOOL TO BECOME “SUPERGROUNDS”
The pupils at Mallaig Primary School celebrated today with news that they are to be awarded £4,000 to transform their outdoor environment into a “Supergrounds”.
The school plans to use the award to add an Outdoor Classroom Zone with a Sensory Garden Area to the playground and develop a Games Zone. The Outdoor Classroom will allow teachers to work in the outdoor environment and this will enrich the learning and teaching of the whole school. Many children benefit from hands on experiences in their learning and this is a great opportunity to make this approach a reality. The children will have access to this area during their breaks and they are already planning to open a theatre and shop! The Games Zone will enable children to develop their skills as well as encourage them to be more active.
The playground makeover comes as part of the ‘RBS Supergrounds Programme, which is now in its sixth and final year. Since 2004, the programme has transformed over 850 school grounds across the UK, providing over 200,000 children with an improved space to learn and play within. ‘RBS Supergrounds’ is led by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group and is managed by Grounds for Learning, the Scottish programme of the national school grounds charity Learning through Landscapes.
With Nearly 80% of Supergrounds schools reporting that improvements have led to changes in teaching practice, the programme has played a huge part in helping many schools take formal learning lessons outside.
So far, the RBS Supergrounds project has enabled 171 schools in Scotland to improve their grounds with a total investment of £1,197,000 in Scottish school grounds.
RBS Supergrounds has been developed by The Royal Bank of Scotland Group to strengthen the ties between company staff and their communities by staff nominating schools they have a connection with. MallaigPrimary School became involved with the scheme through Mrs. Victoria Coull, from The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, who is a parent at the school.
Mrs Victoria Coull from The Retail Banking part of The Royal Bank Of Scotland Group, said “As a parent I know how difficult it is for schools to raise funds and this scheme is an ideal way for us to improve the school grounds to help children develop. It’s great that The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, through RBS Supergrounds, agreed to give its support to the school because of my involvement. Not only has this project enabled schools to use their grounds as a tool for learning, but it has also had a very positive effect on our communities, teachers and children. We are all delighted that the bank is offering its support to Mallaig Primary School.
Miss Morag Martin Head Teacher at Mallaig Primary School said:” It’s fantastic that RBS Supergrounds is supporting the development of the playground at the school. Our new Supergrounds project will allow our children to access the curriculum in an active and fun way. We are really excited about working with RBS Supergounds and members of our community to ensure that the playground makes a real difference to the pupils’ lives”.
