Ed Balls unveils school's new "supergrounds".

School's new 'grounds to learn in' opened by Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families

Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, unveiled the transformations to Morley Newlands Primary School in Leeds to reveal the school's Supergrounds.

The transformation was made possible through the 'Royal Bank of Scotland Supergrounds' programme. Pupils at the school played a huge part in designing, planning and transforming the grounds and were thrilled that Ed Balls could officially open their new outdoor area which includes a wildlife garden, a seating area for an outdoor classroom, raised flower beds, a bark chip path and added improvements to an area of woodland.

Ed Balls, commented, "Outdoor play is both fun for kids and a really important part of their learning. So it is good news that the children of Morley Newlands have been able to find ways to making better use of their school grounds with the help of the RBS Supergrounds programme."

"With the new wildlife garden that the children have chosen, as well as an outdoor classroom, the Supergrounds programme will make a real difference
- not just helping children to learn, but also keeping them fit and getting plenty of fresh air."

Joining Mr Balls were teachers, parents and local bank staff who had also played an important role in developing the school grounds.

Ed Balls was met at the school by The Mayor of Morley, Terry Grayshon, who is also a Governor of the school. As an RBS employee, Mr Grayshon, has been the driving force behind the school receiving the support necessary to transform its grounds.

The RBS Supergrounds programme was created to enable employees to nominate and support their local school to transform their outdoor spaces. To date over 500 schools have received a share of the £6 million programme. As well as financial support, schools benefit from the expertise of national school grounds charity, Learning through Landscapes, who run the programme in partnership with environmental charity Groundwork.

The programme is proving to be making a significant impact on children's attainment and wellbeing. In a survey of participating schools, 77% reported a huge impact on pupils, with a large majority seeing a surge in activity and an improvement in attitudes towards learning.

Catherine Precious, Deputy Head at Morley Newlands commented, "The children are delighted with the changes that the RBS Supergrounds programme has brought to our school. Over the last few months we have really seen how the transformation in the grounds has inspired work in the classroom. The children are also very exci ted about the outdoor activities that we have planned for them and cannot wait to experience Science and Art in their new wildlife garden!"