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(UK) Barnet: New 90 place autism school opens

Nov 8, 2024, London World: Ceremony opens new Flagship Barnet SEN School

London borough


An event was held to celebrate the opening of the new Windmill School, an all-through, 90-place specialist school for autism, for pupils aged 5-19 in Barnet.


Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties business delivered the new school on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE) and Barnet Special Education Trust. The project saw an existing space refurbished to become the first publicly funded specialist school for autism in Barnet. . . .


The Windmill School will complement the existing local offer of special schools and autism specific provisions in mainstream schools, providing places for children whose autism is the major barrier to their learning and who would find the sensory aspects of those environments too challenging for successful progress in their learning. . . .


Having successfully delivered a number of SEN projects, Morgan Sindall’s team utilised its sector expertise and Intelligent Solutions approach to ensure the school was optimised for its pupils, staff and the wider community. This included designing a specific layout of specialist teaching and corridor spaces fit for the school’s operation and ensuring that the site was fully accessible. It was also important to tailor the ceiling and wall finishes, colour choices and acoustic as well as durability performance of the building materials. . . .


 “The opening ceremony really underlined the value that this educational environment is going to provide for so many young people as well as the wider Barnet community. There is a significant demand for high quality SEN places right now, and this school will ensure that high-end learning and support is available to give its pupils the best opportunities and the ability to fulfil their potential.”


Ginny D’Odorico, Headteacher at Windmill School, said: “I feel deeply privileged to be appointed to the role of Headteacher of this new all age autism specific school in Barnet. It was the very special collaboration between Morgan Sindall, the Department for Education and our Windmill Development Group members that brought such a bespoke specialist school to High Barnet. . . .



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