(UK) E. Devon: New SPED classroom; school currently "oversubscribed"
- 34 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Mill Water School, in East Devon, is celebrating the completion of a new stand-alone classroom that will provide additional teaching space and a welcoming, supportive environment for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The school is oversubscribed and common to many specialist settings, faces ongoing pressure on space.
But school leaders wanted to create a shared space that promotes connection, inclusion and belonging for children and their families, as well as increasing teaching space capacity.
So, they developed plans for a new school building intended to be available not just during the school day, but also for use outside school hours, including school holidays.
The intention being, to give SEND families somewhere they can access together outside the school day.
Feedback from parents showed strong support for the plans, with many families describing feelings of isolation and exclusion when using communal spaces that are inaccessible or feel unwelcoming. . . .
“The reality for many parent-carers is that school holidays are often a time of home-bound activities rather than having the opportunity of exploring new or different places,” she said. . .
The project has been in development since the summer of 2023, with construction starting in November 2025, and has been supported by charitable funding bodies who recognised the wider benefits for SEND wellbeing and community connection.
We (Devon County Council) also committed £400,000 [$544K] towards the project. . . .
