A rail contractor has completed voluntary renovation works on a primary school in Mansfield Woodhouse to help improve its outdoor facilities.

QTS Group, which has offices in Linby, sent two members of its workforce to complete three days of refurbishment work at Peafield Lane Academy.

QTS renewed an old rotten timber retaining wall and planted wildflowers within the patch. An existing mud pit was also moved to prevent the school’s soft play area from getting messy, and was replaced with a child-safe sandpit.

The QTS team also built a new digging play pit area, while one of the teachers donated a toy excavator to further encourage outdoor play and allow pupils to emulate their QTS role models.

The works will help ensure the area can weather all four seasons and survive wear and tear.

Kelly Darby, a teacher at the primary school, said: “We are grateful to the team at QTS Group for volunteering their services and expertise, and what an exceptional job they have done.

“The renovated area is key to our children’s early development, particularly because outside learning is a key part of the national curriculum.

“Our children are already benefiting from the space in new and exciting ways. Since the work has been finished, we have witnessed even the most reluctant children get involved in outside play and come out of their shell, which is wonderful to see.”

Gary Burnett, operations director, said: “At QTS we are always looking to add social value to the communities we operate in and look to give back to the organisations that play a pivotal role in their local neighbourhoods.

“Peafield Lane Academy has done so much for children and parents in the local area, particularly over the last 18 months, which have proved incredibly challenging. We hope the space adds great value for the school, teachers and the children.”

The academy continues to play a key role in the local community and recently provided many of its children with laptops and learning resources to ensure they were not disadvantaged while learning from home in lockdown.