Manchester School Appeals For £40k Construction Project

A primary school in Manchester has appealed to local construction firms to help it build an outdoor classroom and sensory space, expected to cost around £40,000.

The Manchester Evening News has reported that Haveley Hey Community School in Wythenshawe has one of the highest numbers of Looked After Children (LAC) in the city.

Therefore, it wants to create better resources for its pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to better support their social, emotional, physical, and mental health needs.

Executive headteacher at the school Sue Spiteri said: “The children will experience huge benefits from a facility like this to support their learning, particularly so following the pandemic.”

The plans include creating an outdoor classroom and sensory garden, with five breakout tables, a large outdoor shelter with a sedum green roof and a firepit, and will cost at least £42,000.

Ms Spiteri added: “Our aim is always to provide an individualised and holistic approach to learning in order to best meet need.”

Helen Groves, national education lead at Atkins, the architecture and engineering consultancy that designed the facility, appealed for skilled traders to donate time or resources to help with the project.

“We’ve been involved in the design of the garden and classroom because we feel it is a real opportunity to provide positive social value in a school and community that would benefit greatly from it,” Ms Groves added.

With regards to its SEND provision, Haveley Hey Community School also has a SENDCO, SEN teachers, a visiting psychologist and speech and language therapist, and works with other agencies that specialise in children with additional needs.

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