SEND school facility built in £3.6m council project

The building of a new education facility for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) students in Surrey has been completed.

Built at St John the Baptist School in Woking, The Aquinas Centre is a £3.6m project under Surrey County Council's Inclusion and Additional Needs Partnership Strategy to help children and young people access the right support.

The site will initially welcome six Year 7 pupils in September before expanding to provide 30 specialist places.

Councillor Helyn Clack said: "This investment reflects our commitment to providing inclusive education opportunities that enable every child to thrive within their local community."

The building includes three classrooms, a teaching kitchen, breakout spaces, four therapy rooms and outdoor learning areas designed to "support a range of learning and wellbeing needs".

The project also aims to expand local SEND provision and create more opportunities for children and young people to achieve positive outcomes in their education, the council said.

Anna Dwyer, deputy head teacher at St John the Baptist School, said that the centre would provide "inclusive" and "ambitious" education for young people.

"This is not about creating a separate experience for our students, but a more inclusive one," Dwyer added.

"We are incredibly proud of what this will mean for current and future generations of students and their families."

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