A £1,000 donation is set to help bring a new outdoor activity trail to life.
Herne View Church of England Primary School in Ilminster has received the funding from Persimmon Homes South West as part of the housebuilder’s Community Champions scheme.
The donation will support the construction of a playground trail designed by pupils themselves, giving children the opportunity to be involved in the development of their own play space.
Claire Oaten, headteacher at Herne View, said: "We would like to thank Persimmon Homes South West for their generous donation and supporting a school local to their future plans.
"We intend to use the donation for a new outdoor playground activity trail for the children which will be install this summer as part of our works to bring the school on to one site at Ditton St.
"Our children will be involved in designing this trail and who knows, this may inspire some to become future designers of the future."
The school currently operates across two sites but aims to consolidate onto the Ditton Street location.
Herne View opened in 2022 and currently has 405 pupils.
Its curriculum places emphasis on both indoor and outdoor learning, with dedicated facilities including a forest school, gardening classrooms and rooms for cookery, art and STEM/design technology subjects.
All pupils have regular access to forest school sessions and the school maintains a strong focus on the arts, sports, and future career education.
The donation comes as Persimmon progresses plans to build 400 homes in Ilminster on land south-west of Canal Way.
Stacey Harris, sales director at Persimmon Homes South West, said: "Persimmon has a proud record of helping schools through our Community Champions programme, and we are happy to do so once again with Herne View CofE Primary School.
"We believe that supporting education is critical to developing future generations of skilled housebuilders as well as demonstrates our commitment to leaving a positive and lasting legacy where we build, especially as a significant developer in Somerset with plans to bring 400 much-needed homes to Ilminster."
The planned development will see the homes powered by air source heat pumps and equipped with electric vehicle charging points.
Thirty-five per cent of the properties will be transferred to a social housing provider for local people.
A Section 106 agreement for the site unlocks nearly £3.5 million of investment into community services, infrastructure and facilities.
This comes alongside an extensive package of environmental and ecological enhancement at the site, supporting a lasting legacy for Ilminster while creating new jobs during construction.
Detailed plans for the first 100 homes have been submitted to the planning authority.
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