Pupils picked up a spade and joined key stakeholders at a ground breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of works to create additional places for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
The event at Silverwood School marks a key milestone in a new build of classes and additional facilities at the Rowde campus. The work will extend the existing campus to provide a high quality provision for 350 pupils by September 2023
The work will include creating a 'school within a school' feel with a community of small teaching clusters that will provide a range of specialist teaching spaces, therapeutic support, and quiet dining. Also planned is a hydrotherapy pool, a new all-weather sport pitch, new playing fields, landscaping, and ecological enhancements. The new facilities create exciting new learning spaces for Early Years/Reception aged children, through to post-16 learners, each with their own designated areas with age appropriate facilities.
Conservative led Wiltshire Council has organised the build to help provide sufficient places into the future. The designs were informed by feedback from a series of workshops and online meetings with the school community, local people, families and staff.
Conservative Cllr Jane Davies Cabinet Member for SEND said:
I was really pleased to attend the ground breaking ceremony today and see the work that is taking place to provide more SEND school places in Wiltshire. We have invested in this important project which has been informed by families using these services so we can ensure the facilities we provide are providing the best environment and delivering a first class education for our SEND pupils. Young people will be involved in this project every step of the way and I'm delighted tht it will also be a leading light in promoting environmentally friendly materials and preserving the rich nature of the site.
Sean McKeown, Executive Headteacher at Silverwood School said:
All Silverwood children and young people from across our campuses including Trowbridge and Chippenham will benefit from the amazing facilities the new build will offer. We have spoken about this for a long time and now it is becoming a reality. Our whole school community is incredibly excited to be involved in this project and watching their new space develop.
Richard Poulter, Willmott Dixon managing director for the Central South region said:
We are proud to break ground at Silverwood School, an exciting project that through its net zero ethos is helping us to accelerate our sustainability objective of achieving net zero operational carbon in all of our new buildings and major refurbishments by the close of 2030, as detailed in our 'Now or Never' sustainability strategy. We look forward to seeing the building take shape to provide a high-quality learning environment for the pupils.
