Students, teachers and governors celebrated the official opening of Priory School’s new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) resource base on Monday (16 April) with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Headteacher Jacqueline Laver cut the ribbon with Vikram Hansrani, head of service for SEND at Slough Borough Council. They were joined by representatives from Slough Borough Council Property Services, Slough Urban Renewal (SUR), and Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure.
The group took a tour of the newly opened facility following the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The children of Priory School have been enjoying their new classrooms following the completion of the new building in February.
The new resource base will provide 60 places for students with education, health and care plans.
The work is part of the council’s ambitious school places programme – a multi-million pound investment in primary and secondary school buildings, extensions and new schools – to provide enough places for Slough’s current and future young people.
The new standalone single storey SEND resource building includes five classrooms, two group rooms, a sensory room, meeting room and large entrance foyer that can also be used as a library area. Alongside standard toilet and shower facilities, the building houses a changing facility with a hoist installed.
Students have also been enjoying their new covered play and external play spaces.
Jacqueline Laver, headteacher at Priory School, said: “We are absolutely delighted with our new resource base. I would like to say a big thank you to Slough Borough Council, SUR and Morgan Sindall Construction for their support with this fantastic project. Our children and staff are very excited to have such a great facility that will support many Slough children with special educational needs and disabilities.”
The works at Priory School were undertaken by Slough Urban Renewal (SUR), a partnership between Slough Borough Council and Morgan Sindall Investments Ltd which is driving regeneration across the town through new housing and investment in leisure, community facilities and school buildings.
Cate Duffy, director of children, learning and skills, said: “We are delighted to see Priory School’s SEND resource base in use, providing an excellent new learning environment for students with special educational needs and disabilities.
“We are working hard to meet the demand for additional high quality school places across our fast growing borough. The Priory School SEND base will help meet this rising demand.”
Priory School is the fourth completion of the school extension programme in the last 12 months, following James Elliman, St Marys and Claycots. Further school expansions are underway, including Wexham School (being undertaken by SUR), Haybrook College and Littledown School.
Lindsay Rotherforth, development manager at SUR, said: “Priory’s SEND resource is an exciting new addition to the school, delivering enhanced learning and teaching facilities benefitting both students and teachers.
“We are delighted to be playing a key role in improving and extending existing school buildings and facilities in Slough. The Priory School project is a real collaborative working success story.”
