Oak Wood kicks off in style
A new era of special needs education in Nuneaton will officially start on Friday when Oak Wood Schools celebrate their opening.
Children in the borough with special needs can now go to a single site for their entire school lives, with many of the support services they need alongside them.
Oak Wood contains a primary and a secondary school next to each other. While they have separate staffs they have a single headteacher and cater for children from the age of three to 19.
The days of split sites, experienced by the youngsters who previously attended the Griff and Leyland special schools have ended.
The new school, built by Warwickshire County Council, has modern facilities that have inspired the 185 youngsters since they moved in in January.
Nuneaton Borough football heroes Jez Murphy and Terry Angus will officially open the building on Friday before visiting the children in their classrooms and having a kickabout with some of the pupils.
The youngsters will enjoy a range of special fun activities that have been put on to mark the day such as face painting, theatrical make-up, drums workshop, circus skills, balloon modelling and creative crafts.
Many people involved in the building project and councillors from Warwickshire County Council will tour the school to see the finished product.
As well as standard classrooms, there is a computerised sensory room, which stimulates children with light and sound. There are music therapy and physiotherapy rooms, a hydrotherapy pool, a soft play area, and an all weather pitch.
The school has three halls – a primary hall, a secondary hall and a sports hall and computer suites. Older pupils can access support and advice from Connexions, who have a base in the building.
Headteacher RoseMarie Scott said: “This is a beautiful school that is a wonderful place for the children to learn. They have settled in to the new building very quickly and are enjoying all the facilities that are now on a single site. As children get older they can move through the age groups without having to go through the difficult time of switching schools and having to get used to new surroundings. They are very excited about meeting the footballers and the celebration will definitely help Oak Wood enter its new era in style.”
Cllr John Burton, cabinet member for schools, said: “This is a facility that children in Nuneaton and Bedworth and their parents can be proud of. It isn’t every day that such a wonderful new building opens and this is a major landmark for the school and all those who use it, and I am delighted that children with special needs can be educated in such high quality surroundings.”
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