Orbit Homes ‘buddies up’ with school in Daventry for new educational programme
Primary school children in Daventry have swapped their usual school uniform for hard hats and high-vis jackets, as part of a new educational programme by Orbit Homes.
The Building Buddies programme, which is aimed at children aged 7 to 11 in KS2 (Key Stage Two), saw pupils from Abbey C of E Academy being invited to experience a unique hands-on site visit at Micklewell Park in Daventry.
The pupils were able to develop their knowledge and skills by safely exploring the site, speaking to the development team, learning the importance of health and safety, and discovering how brand-new houses are constructed. There was also an opportunity for the children to build a home of their own, with a special 3D model house, which teaches young Building Buddies the build stages of a new home.
Adam Daly, Deputy Principal at Abbey C of E Academy, said: “Visiting the new Micklewell Park development was a fantastic opportunity for the children in the Junior Leadership Team at our school. We are so pleased at how much they all enjoyed and learnt from the experience.
“The site visit was a great way to teach the children about the house building process. They loved learning about every stage of the process, from watching the digging of foundations to exploring an almost-finished home - some of the children were already deciding which rooms would be theirs! The activities were interactive, enjoyable, and demonstrated to children that everyone can work in construction in a variety of roles.”
Leading the site visit was Joe Kane, Assistant Site Manager from Orbit Homes. He added: “We want to show young people that anyone can work in the construction industry, so we’ve created Building Buddies, an engaging new educational programme for children to discover house building and just how exciting it can be!
“All the pupils from Abbey C of E Academy were really interested and engaged throughout the site visit and it was great to see so many of them asking important questions. It was clear that by the end of the tour, they had a greater understanding of construction and the job roles involved in building a house.”
The school children received a completion certificate and pin badge to take home after the tour.
Free classroom resources are available for teachers to download from the Orbit Homes website, and includes worksheets for all KS2 pupils, as well as a supporting teacher pack. Download the Building Buddies resources here: www.orbithomes.org.uk/about-orbit/building-buddies.
To book a school visit or for more information, contact: building.buddies@orbit.org.uk.
Micklewell Park offers a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom houses, as well and one and two-bedroom apartments for market sale, with prices starting from £165,000. Click here for information.
Photo caption 1: Students from Abbey C of E Academy with Joe Kane, Assistant Site Manager from Orbit Homes.
Photo caption 2: Students from Abbey C of E Academy with Sam Fisher, Assistant Sales Manager from Orbit Homes and Adam Daly, Deputy Principal at Abbey C of E Academy.