PUPILS at a Teignbridge primary school are back on track for reading and spell-checking thanks to a national building company.

Homebuilders Taylor Wimpey Exeter visited Gatehouse Primary Academy in Dawlish last month to see the replacement equipment funded by their £579 donation after the school’s Kindles were stolen during a Christmas break in.

The Kindles, which were a donation from the school’s PTA during Covid, were taken from the school during after a burglary at the school during the 2023/24 Christmas break.

Taylor Wimpey’s donation was used to purchase Spell Checkers and LCD Pads to replace the Kindles and ensure the pupils have the equipment they need to continue receiving high quality education.

While visiting the school to see the new equipment Taylor Wimpey also gave a presentation on site safety to raise awareness on the importance of following health and safety rules. At the end of the presentation, students were treated to goody bags.

The company also announced the launch of a road safety sign competition, challenging students to design a road safety sign to be put up around its Brook Vale development in Dawlish as part of Road Safety Week, a national campaign aimed at raising awareness on the importance of road safety and the devastating impact road crashes have on victims.

The chosen winner will receive a £50 voucher and the school will receive a further £200 donation as a thank you.

Rio Cooper, Assistant Head Teacher at Gatehouse Primary Academy, said: “Taylor Wimpey visited our Unit 3 to share information on their local development Brook Vale.

“During the visit, the children enjoyed trying on a range of protective equipment and learning about the different roles that are found on a building site. Taylor Wimpey also discussed site safety and launched an exciting competition to design a new road sign for the development.

“The visit was not only informative, but also gave us the opportunity to thank them for their very kind donation to Gatehouse Primary Academy, which has allowed the school to invest in different tools to support the children's learning.”

Melissa Langton, Sales and Marketing Director for Taylor Wimpey Exeter, said: “We’re very proud to have helped the school replace the equipment that was stolen over the Christmas period last year.

“We hope the donation really helps to enhance the learning experience for the pupils and minimises the emotional and financial damage caused by the robbery during what is supposed to be a joyous period.

“It was a great opportunity for our sales team to visit the school and see the equipment that we helped fund. The presentation was a great success with the children and we look forward to seeing their designs for our road safety competition in the coming weeks.”