A new satellite school developed for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) has welcomed more than 40 new pupils in Ripon after a £723,000 investment.
Mowbray School, Ripon, received the money from North Yorkshire County Council to open on the site of the city’s former Moorside Infant School.
The new school opened two of its classrooms last year to 12 pupils. It now hosts five newly equipped and fully refurbished classrooms, indoor and outdoor play and sensory equipment, calm rooms and a forest school.
The school will help children learn within their local area instead of travelling out of the county to get the specialist education they need.
It serves the Ripon, Harrogate, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough area and is a satellite of Mowbray School in Bedale.
The developments opened up a number of new jobs locally. The school has 30 members of staff and more are set to be hired when the kitchen opens.
Jonathan Tearle, Mowbray School executive headteacher, said:
“This has been a project four years in the making.
“It’s a fabulous facility and one which we are very proud of – it’s such a credit to the dedication and work of our staff. It’s been nice seeing the school grow from 12 to 42 pupils over the last few months.
“Seeing how the children have benefited is fantastic. It’s been uplifting to see them exploring the playground and playing and developing friendships.”
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Works are set to continue; the school recently put in a planning application to build a Rebound Training Centre at the site. This means the children can use trampolines with staff to improve their wellbeing.
In the summer a cycle track will also be installed so the pupils can use their adapted bikes and trikes.
The schools is part of the county council’s current strategic plan for SEND in North Yorkshire. The plan will see more funding invested into creating SEND provision in the county’s mainstream school.
There are more than 3,450 children and young people with education, health and care plans in the county.
