A PRIMARY school in Corsham has been awarded a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery Fund.

St Patrick’s has spent the grant on improving outdoor learning experiences for children, with a horizontal climbing wall, a table tennis table, and a multi-gym for eight children to use at a time.

Head teacher Rita McLoughlin said she was delighted to receive the grant which has helped kick-off a year of outdoor learning.

“We are absolutely delighted to get this,” she said. “We want to be giving more opportunities for children to be taking learning outside, and the national initiative is for children to be keeping as fit as possible.

“It isn’t just playtime equipment. What we want is for our children to be active every day.

“We have an initiative to keep them physically well with activities, as well as mentally.

“Last year was our year of wellbeing, and this year is our year of outdoor learning. We have done lots of work with forest school’s learning.”

During their year of mindfulness, kids would take part in Take 15, where every day after lunch, classes would take 15 minutes of undisturbed time to do mindful colouring in, meditation or listen to music to calm down after the business of lunchtime.

Miss McLoughlin, said: “This year, each year group has a committed time to do some learning outside in addition to PE, as we want them to use this equipment not just in PE lessons or as break time equipment.”

In total, £5.3 million of National Lottery funding has been awarded to 251 projects across the South West.

James Harcourt, England Grant Making Director at the Big Lottery Fund, said: “We are proud to be able to distribute National Lottery Money to community projects that are making a real difference in the South West.

“You realise the incredible impact the money generated is having on communities.”