NEWS

Playground and environmental improvements at Iochdar School

Lead organisation: Sgoil an Iochdair agus a'Choimhearsnachd

Total project cost: £224,000

Status: September 2006 - Completed June 2007

The playing fields at Iochdar School have long been a bog, on which snipe nest, and wild flowers bloom. They have not, however, been an amenity that could be used by pupils at the school, let alone anyone else.

In 2006, work started on the upgrading of the playing fields at Iochdar school. In 2007, the work was been completed, and the major features of the project are in use. We are now in a period where we are assessing whether the project has been successful. We have a few snags to sort out, but the playground and playing fields have been transformed.

The Croileagan play area has proved to be a sheltered and stimulating place to play, and is well used both by the croileagan, and by toddlers visiting at other times. The ball court is a fantastic resource, allowing pupils to play football and basket ball without the risk of breaking windows or knocking over smaller pupils. However, it is a little under-used at present, as it is still exposed to the north, waiting for the tree-planting areas to come into their own. We are installing some wind-break fencing to reduce this exposure. We also need to think about how we can improve use of the ball court out of school hours.

We are also having a few problems with drainage at the bottom of the path to the school just where it passes the swings and the roundabout. We have notified the contractors, and we have had some remedial work suggested. It is not clear how soon this can be undertaken, but it should alleviate some of the problems.

In the future, once the trees have grown, we plan to revisit this project, to see if any alterations are required. In particular, we hope to add an adventure and activity trail through the trees, probably in five years time. We have also heard that the school is planning to develop the einvironmental studies area behind the school, which is very exciting.