PUPILS at Sneinton C of E Primary School will now have a space to develop as leaders of the future thanks to a generous donation from the developer behind The Island Quarter.

The Conygar Investment Company has provided £1,500 of funding for the new multi-use space, which was officially opened today (30 March) by Richard Watson and Arpita Anstey from The Island Quarter.

The room will now provide a dedicated area for pupils that take part in the school’s leadership initiatives, including its pupil council, primary parliament and wellbeing buddies. Conygar’s donation has allowed the school to furnish the room to make it welcoming and functional with contemporary furniture, including a large meeting table and chairs.

Out of school hours, it will double up as a space for the wider community to benefit from offering access to facilities including washing machines to support those who don’t have one available to them, as well as a meeting room space for local groups.

Richard Watson said: “Conygar is committed to helping build resilient communities around The Island Quarter, and this begins at school. We have supported Sneinton Primary since buying The Island Quarter and the pupils have been regular visitors to site as it grows. This room will provide an opportunity for the leaders of tomorrow to have a space where they can develop their skills and work together to improve the pupil experience for their contemporaries.”

Julie Doyle, assistant head teacher at Sneinton Primary School, said: “We believe creating and developing leaders is essential for our children’s lifelong journey and important in raising aspirations. To do this, we offer as many students as possible the chance to take on leadership roles to build those attributes as they grow through the school.

“Our relationship with The Island Quarter has been an amazing boost for everyone involved at the school, and we are over the moon with this extremely generous donation, which has helped us kit the room out to a really high level and provide an aspirational space for our pupil leaders.”

This pupil leadership room is the latest in a series of initiatives between Conygar and the school, including the donation of iPads to support remote learning during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the placing of a time capsule beneath 1 The Island Quarter and the creation of a poetry anthology.