£1.2million investment brings joy to Sunderland’s SEND community
When the context is positive, here are two words we love to see within close proximity to each other: SEND and investment. Fortunately, it’s certainly positive on this occasion for Sunderland!
Two new facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities are set to open this academic year after a £1.2m investment took the plan from dream to reality.
Hudson Road Primary School in Hendon has a brand new dedicated space for Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) provision, while Mill Hill Primary School in Doxford will now benefit from new additional resourced provision for children with autism.
The new crucial facilities will provide support to 32 children with additional needs while increasing teaching specialism within the schools to the benefit of all pupils.
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Brilliant news for Sunderland. SEND provision is a top priority across our region and has been for quite some time now. It’s fantastic that this investment has been made, which will impact the lives of so many children going forward.”
Putting unused space to good use
At Hudson Road, the former Bright Stars Nursery has been transformed into The SEMH provision and will offer an alternative environment which children can access alongside mainstream classrooms to support their individual learning and emotional needs.
Mill Hill Primary School’s autism provision has been built in an unused classroom and includes outdoor space, sensory space and bespoke teaching opportunities based on the individual need assessments of pupils.
The site will support a further 16 primary-school-aged children who have autism and associated difficulties with communication and interaction.
Cathy Westgate, Head Teacher of Hudson Road Primary School, said: “We were delighted to be asked to open a new Additionally Resourced Provision for pupils with SEMH in Sunderland. We hope that our new pupils will thrive in The Harbour at Hudson Road and feel very welcome in our inclusive school community.”
Mrs Errington, Head Teacher of Mill Hill Primary School, said: “Everyone at Mill Hill Primary is delighted to announce the opening of our Additional Resource Provision for children from across the city, with the support and environment they need to thrive and achieve their full potential. We feel privileged to have this in our school and to support the children and families signposted to us.”
Personalised support to meet individual needs
The work being carried out at Hudson Road and Mill Hill Primary Schools are part of Together for Children (TfC) and Sunderland City Council’s ongoing commitment to increasing the number of appropriate school places for children with SEND needs. The Council has invested over £24 million pounds in developing Sunderland’s Special Educational Needs and Pupil Referral Unit provisions in the past 5 years.
This has resulted in 272 new places for children with SEN in the city with a further 200 existing places being recreated in greatly improved buildings.
Speaking about the developments, Pamela Robertson, Strategic SEND Lead for Together for Children, said: “Our long-term strategy at TfC is to deliver SEND provisions within our existing schools where possible. We know this offers the best support for the children themselves and their parents and carers, and we are delighted to have been able to deliver facilities in both Mill Hill and Hudson Road over the summer holidays.
“Both schools have a fantastic track record of support and inclusion, and the two new sites will offer the right mix of mainstream education and personalised support to meet the individual needs of the children in the school. We have the full backing of both schools and governors, and we are looking forward to seeing the children arrive on site in September.”
We wish both schools the very best of luck as they navigate these positive new developments, and we look forward to seeing the impact it has on the communities.
Hudson Road Primary School and Mill Hill Primary School are Schools North East Partner Schools. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School membership, click here.
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