Specialist facility for Nottingham primary schoolchildren officially launches
An education facility for primary schoolchildren who have complex needs has been officially launched at Djanogly Strelley Academy in Nottingham.
The specialist provision is for children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and require a high level of support.
School staff, council chiefs, and those involved in the design and construction of the new building attended an official opening marked by a ribbon cutting and tour of the new facilities.
The new £1,179,000 single storey building, which has places for 16 pupils and is set within the school grounds, on Helston Drive, opened this September 2024.
Facilities include two classrooms, a calming room, a sensory room, dining and training room as well as toilets.
Sarah O’Connell, Headteacher, Djanogly Strelley Academy, said: “We know that early specialist support has a significant positive impact on children who have complex needs. That is why we are delighted to officially launch this new facility thanks to funding from Nottingham City Council.”
Councillor Cheryl Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, Nottingham City Council, said: “The development of Djanogly Strelley Academy’s specialist SEND provision is in line with the Nottingham City SEND Sufficiency Strategy 2023-28, and creates additional specialist capacity in the mainstream primary phase to meet the needs of pupils with autism and learning difficulties.
“We are excited to be working in partnership with Djanogly Strelley Academy in the creation of this facility which will provide quality specialist educational provision to local children.”
Andrew Evans, Construction Director, R1 Construction, commented: “At R1 Construction, we are committed to delivering projects that make a real difference to communities, and it has been an honour to be part of this meaningful initiative at Djanogly Strelley Academy.
“This new facility has been thoughtfully designed and constructed to provide a supportive and nurturing environment for children with complex needs, enabling them to thrive. We are proud to see the positive impact this project will have on both the pupils and their families.”
Tom Cadman, Associate Partner, Baily Garner, added: “This scheme was a testament to collaboration in construction as it was faced with several challenges through planning, periods of high inflation and general operational impacts due to the site constraints.
“Baily Garner are immensely proud to have delivered this scheme which will do so much more than just act as an educational facility as it serves the specific SEND needs within the local community.”
Djanogly Strelley Academy, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’, has around 400 pupils on roll aged three to 11, and expertise in providing high quality provision for vulnerable pupils and those who have special educational needs and disabilities.
The school has been praised by Ofsted for enabling disadvantaged children and those who have special educational needs and disabilities to make good progress.
The official launch event took place on 28th November 2024. Places are allocated to children who have high level complex needs.
Plans for the new facility were given the go-ahead by Nottingham City Council in October 2021 following a public consultation.
Mark Mallender, Chief Executive Officer, Djanogly Learning Trust, added: “Every child deserves an education that gives them the best opportunity to succeed. We would like to thank all of the partner organisations who have been involved in this project, which is providing inclusive, specialist provision that supports our community.”
Find out more about Djanogly Strelley Academy.
Pictured: Guests at the ribbon cutting ceremony of Djanogly Strelley Academy’s new SEND facility.
Photo credit: Tracey Whitefoot.