FUTURE careers and staying safe were the lessons of the day for pupils at Cam Hopton Primary School in Dursley after a construction team paid a visit to the school.

Around 200 children attended the site safety lesson led by Luke Winter, site manager of St Modwen Homes’ nearby Littlecombe residential development, along with Considerate Constructors’ mascot Ivor Goodsite.

The lesson included the chance for children to don the same protective clothing that St Modwen Homes’ construction staff wear on sites nationwide.

The pupils were also taught about the different jobs people do in the industry, from planning and design roles to on-site trades, and were invited to take part in a competition to design a health and safety themed poster, with the most creative entries set to be showcased as part of the Littlecombe hoarding.

Headteacher at Cam Hopton Primary School, Rebecca Harris, said: “The lesson was great fun, and the children enjoyed dressing up in the protective clothing and learning about the diggers and all of the machines which are used to build homes, so it was a really engaging way for the children to learn about what makes building sites so dangerous.

“It’s also opened their eyes about the amount of work that goes into building the homes, and all of the different jobs people do.

"Hopefully it will have inspired the children to look into a role in construction in the future.”

Joe Davies, from St Modwen Homes, said: “It’s important to get out to schools and inform boys and girls about all of the different careers available to them in construction.

"Attracting talented young people is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry - so it's really important that they understand about the many rewarding roles on offer.

“We hope the children had fun learning about the work we do on site but, more important, that they understand how to stay safe near sites in the future.”