A £6 million extension of a South Cumbrian school has been completed.
Sandgate School in Kendal is a special school for children and young people between the ages of three and 19.
The project has expanded the Sandgate School satellite campus at The Queen Katherine School to include pupils in Key Stage 3, which means all secondary age pupils can learn on the same site and the overall capacity of Sandgate School has also increased.
Westmorland and Furness Council funded the work to create a new entrance and reception area, multiple meeting rooms and offices for lesson planning, four extra classrooms, with separate break out spaces for smaller, more focused group work, a new sports hall, changing rooms, additional storage and facilities within the extension to the existing school.
A new sensory room has been included within the extension, which features interactive wall and floor projectors, ceiling mounted tracking hoists to comfortably move students around the space and additional calming features and equipment to provide another relaxed, regulation area for pupils.
The school commissioned local experts to design and install a climbing wall in the sports hall, thanks to funding raised by the Friends and Family of Sandgate School.
Several members of staff with climbing qualifications are working with small groups of students within the school, without the need to travel to external, unfamiliar venues.
The school was heavily involved throughout the planning stages for the new extension and influenced features such as the design for suitable acoustics and lighting throughout the building, to make sure it was at the right level to avoid sensory overload in what can be a busy environment.
A celebration event was held and people were treated to a tour of the facilities and refreshments provided by the pupils themselves from their new kitchen.
Guests included the council’s former cabinet member for education, inclusion and skills Sue Sanderson, who was thanked for her tireless efforts during her time in post in improving SEND provision locally.
Headteacher Dan Hinton said: “This building is now a calm, fit for purpose and positive environment to learn and teach in, ensuring the use of all spaces is maximised to get the most out of them for the benefit of our young people and staff.
“Doorways are now big enough to allow for the movement of beds and specialist equipment around the school and there are multiple cupboards along the edges of our wide corridors to house wheelchairs and other essential aids.
“We now have enough accessible toilets and specialist equipment such as built in, motorised ceiling hoists, which run on tracks to move students between spaces with far more dignity (and a lot more fun!) than our previous manual hoists, which involved two people and a lot of manhandling.
“This could be distressing to some pupils and affect the health and physical wellbeing of staff.
“We’ve been able to increase our capacity by an extra 50 pupils, but due to the small group teaching rooms, which we didn’t have before, we are able to do focus work with smaller groups to aid learning.
“We have a permanent school nurse on site with a dedicated treatment and consultation room. The nurse can be alerted by buzzers fitted throughout the school in an emergency.”
Dan said he was pleased with the school’s kitchen, where students are learning new skills and gaining qualifications to prepare them for college and work placements after they leave Sandgate.
He said: “It is a key feature which is allowing our young people to learn real life skills and employable knowledge, to help with their plans after school.”
“The school dinners are being produced by our students, who have put together their own menu and pupils are involved in jobs throughout the process from kitchen porters to chefs.
“We are working with Kendal College to ensure learning from both education providers mesh together and help with further career progression. The kitchen is an invaluable facility to allow this to happen.”
Cllr Janet Battye, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said:
“It’s been great to be involved in the celebrations at Sandgate School. It is very important to us that we provide these young people with the best start in life. What’s special here is that it’s fit for purpose and it’s been brilliant walking around the school, seeing the youngsters learning and relaxing.”
“As a child-friendly council, our young people have told us that their top priorities are education and learning, having a voice and specific activities for them. The beauty of this place is that it encapsulates all of that for some students with the most special needs.”
“I think that this demonstrates the best of developing new special facilities where the council has worked in partnership with the school, students and parents. Another part is that pupils will not have to travel long distances to get to their school; we don’t want youngsters sitting in taxis and buses for any longer than they need to. This is, essentially a local service for those who need this provision most.”
