Moorings Way Infant School has revealed its brand new play area - and they had some surprise visitors

Moorings Way Infant School has opened its brand new boat-themed play area which cost over £6,500 and was funded by Portsmouth City Council. The funding came from the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy Neighbourhood Spend and the unveiling of the framework was tried out by officials including Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Cllr Hugh Mason, MP, Stephen Morgan and the Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson.

Jill Loader, who led the project as the staff rep for the school’s Parent and Teacher Association, said that the area was much needed as the old framework was not useable for children.

She said: ‘As a team, we noticed there was a broken boat in the playground which the school had placed barriers around to ensure the children’s safety. So, we felt we needed something new for the children to enjoy, which is when we looked at the option of having a galleon.

‘Seeing how much it was, we knew we didn’t have anywhere near that amount of funds, so I asked myself, who do I know and where can I go, there’s always someone we can reach out to.

‘It makes me very proud to see the joy and the excitement on the faces of the children because of this new play area and I can’t thank the council enough for making this all possible.’

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Moorings Way Infant School is a member of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust and schools from across the city were represented at their event, including Meon Infant and Meon Junior schools.

Children from these schools will also occasionally benefit from this new outdoor play area at events such as sports days.

Stephen Morgan MP, the Shadow Minister for Schools, attended the official opening and congratulated the school for their new oakwood galleon.

He said:’It’s great to be at Moorings Way Infant School and see what the staff and the governors have been doing to invest in play facilities for young people. It’s good to see first-hand their efforts to keep children in our city stay safe and healthy.