Round Oak goes for gold with sports star opening
Paralympian basketball star and television presenter Ade Adepitan will bring the midas touch to Round Oak School and Support Service in Warwick at its grand opening on Wednesday 6 February.
Warwickshire County Council has invested £6.6 million in the purpose-built
special secondary school which opened its doors last September. The school, which is situated off the Myton Road between Warwick and Leamington, caters for students with disabilities and learning difficulties aged from 11-19.
Ade Adepitan was part of the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball team, which won the gold medal at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester in 2005, and was awarded the MBE for his services to disabled sport. Millions of viewers also recognise Ade as the star of the BBC One wheelchair idents and as a presenter on CBBC and Holiday.
Headteacher Puffin Pocock said: “Our new school has been a tremendous success story not only for the students but also the wider community. I can think of no better ambassador than Ade Adepitan to open our school and the students are very excited about the welcoming him to Round Oak and hearing about his achievements.”
The Round Oak School and Support Service boasts state-of-the-art resources including a sensory studio, hydrotherapy pool and other specialist rooms. As well as offering secondary provision, the school works with a number of different organisations to share its resources.
The school was previously based on Pound Lane in Leamington Spa and catered for 4-16 year olds. The new school retains the name of Round Oak School and Support Service, however the pupils are now secondary aged students from both the old Round Oak school in Pound Lane and Ridgeway School in Montague Road, Warwick. Ridgeway is now a special primary.