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Pupils, parents, school staff and everyone involved in the building’s construction came together to share cake and celebrate the school’s opening.
The school expansion is vital in tackling the growing need for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school places and will enable more children to access schooling in their local area.
The building takes Baytree from a single site catering to 72 children with profound and complex learning difficulties, to two-sites offering about 120 school places.
These modern and inclusive facilities have opened just as Baytree has received an outstanding Ofsted report, with inspectors commenting on the quality of care and education provided to their learners across both sites.
Pupils are now settling into their bright and spacious surroundings, which have been carefully tailored to meet a range of needs.
Adaptations inside the building include integral hoists for children with limited mobility, a hydrotherapy pool, sensory rooms and provision across a single storey for those unable to use stairs.
Significant effort was made by ourselves and project contractors Willmott Dixon to bring learners along on the construction journey.
Sensory site visits were undertaken, along with opportunities to decorate steel beams and help lay the bricks that make up the new school building.
Streets and pavements leading up to the school have also been newly resurfaced to ensure ease of access and benefit to the surrounding community.
We hope the new school site can help promote and support an ever-improving awareness of accessibility and inclusivity.