Solihull Mayor opens specialist needs school
The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Flo Nash made a special return visit to the Brooklands Hospital site run by our Trust on 25 February 2019 to officially open the Jade School, a new purpose built specialist support unit for children with learning disabilities and/or associated specialist needs.
The Mayor was welcomed by a number of staff including Simon Gilby, Chief Executive of our Trust, with school staff alongside clinical and medical team members from the services. Together they took part in a tour of the Jade unit, the school and grounds.
During the Mayor’s visit, Sue Baigent, School Teacher, provided an account of the history of Jade School, the need for the new building, and the resources available to the children and staff in order to give greater opportunity for the children to learn and create through their work. Sue Baigent commented: “This school and its teaching staff will afford those children who attend, greater opportunities to fulfil their potential, improving their outcomes based on their individual needs and requirements - no two children are alike!”
The staff were very pleased to show the Mayor the great things on offer at the school including, various pieces of equipment available for children, audio visual technology on the walls, alongside some aspects of the children’s work on display. Those attending discussed at length the important role the school and unit has and will continue to play in the lives of the children and their families, while the school education team invited the guests to review pupils’ work through the displays and ask questions.
The Mayor, Cllr Nash, said: “I am so pleased the Trust invited me back to open this wonderful new school building and see first-hand the importance it plays in the lives of the children and the staff. All those involved should be proud in having achieved such a wonderful, colourful and inviting school, and most importantly the children for creating such wonderful pieces of work for us to look at.”
The Jade School forms part of the Trust’s Learning Disabilities and Autism services across Solihull, Coventry and Warwickshire. Find out more about those services at www.covwarkpt.nhs.uk