Serving the Community in South Lanarkshire
An outdoor classroom has been created for Hamilton schoolkids by people completing community sentences.
People carrying out unpaid work as part of community payback orders (CPOs) helped to transform a pergola into an outside classroom in a South Lanarkshire school.
Pamela Kelly, headteacher at Neilsland Primary School in Hamilton, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the new outdoor classroom built by the unpaid work team.
They did a fantastic job, and the quality and care put into their work was exceptional.
This wonderful new space will be a fantastic asset to our school, providing students with engaging opportunities to learn, explore, and thrive. It will be invaluable in supporting and enriching learning across the curriculum for years to come.”
This was one of a number of projects across South Lanarkshire that have seen areas transformed by people carrying out unpaid work as part of a CPO.
Across Scotland, more than 12.5 million hours of supervised unpaid work have been completed since 2011, helping to improve local areas.
Professor Soumen Sengupta, Chief Officer for Health and Social Care for South Lanarkshire said: “At Neilsland Primary, our unpaid work service helped turn an idea for a new outdoor classroom into a practical space where pupils can learn, explore and thrive.
The confidence shown by the school community in our unpaid work service is greatly appreciated. It reflects the dedication of our justice social work staff, who work every day to reduce reoffending, support rehabilitation and help make communities across South Lanarkshire safer and stronger.”
