Future builders and designers inspired as Davidsons Homes visits Meadowdale
Pupils at Meadowdale Primary School were given a hands-on introduction to the world of construction when Davidsons Homes visited the school with a digger demonstration and launched a creative sculpture design competition for older children.
Timed to coincide with British Science Week, the visit introduced Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) pupils to the machinery and engineering involved in building new homes and communities.
The children were thrilled to see a real construction digger up close, learning how the powerful machinery is used to move materials and prepare land on building sites. The digger was provided by DTC Construction, which is currently working with Davidsons Homes on the nearby Little Bowden development.
For many pupils, it was the first time they had seen construction equipment at such close quarters. The demonstration sparked huge excitement, with children keen to ask questions and find out how the machinery works.
Alongside the digger visit, Davidsons Homes also launched a sculpture design competition for older pupils at the school. The winning design will be transformed into a real sculpture and installed at the housebuilder’s Little Bowden development.
The competition encourages pupils to think about what makes their local area special and how public art can represent a community. They learned how sculptures are often created to celebrate local identity, reflect nature or tell a story about a place, and can be made from materials such as wood, stone, metal or glass.
Davidsons Homes Area Sales Manager Victoria Barnaby encouraged the children to explore themes including community, nature, local wildlife and the surrounding landscape when developing their designs. The sculpture will celebrate the creation of the new neighbourhood while reflecting the character of the local area.
Teachers said the pupils were already coming up with fantastic ideas and seemed inspired by the challenge.
Simon Tyler, Sales Director at Davidsons Homes South Midlands, said: “We are always keen to work with local schools and give children opportunities to learn about the world around them in fun and engaging ways. Construction is a fascinating industry, and it was wonderful to see how excited the children were to meet the digger and learn how it works.
“We also wanted to give older pupils the chance to get creative through the sculpture design competition. Public art can be a wonderful way to celebrate a place and bring people together, so we’re really looking forward to seeing the ideas the children come up with. From the conversations we had during the visit, it’s clear there are already some fantastic and imaginative designs being thought about.”
Liz Martin, Headteacher at Meadowdale said, “We really value being able to bring science, technology, engineering and maths subjects to life for our pupils – it is one of things we work incredibly hard on at school and our relationship with Davidsons Homes and DTC Construction enables us to do that brilliantly. The children are always so excited to see the digger turn up and being given the opportunity to design a sculpture that will exist for all to see, is a really special thing. Thank you to all involved for making this happen.”
The winning sculpture design will be brought to life and installed at the Little Bowden development once construction progresses, giving pupils the opportunity to see their creativity become part of the new community.