Education Secretary opens school in White City

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State-of-the-art facilities for children who have learning difficulties

Education Secretary Charles Clarke officially opened on Thursday a new school which provides state-of-the-art facilities for children who have profound and multiple learning difficulties.

The strikingly modern Jack Tizard School, in White City, Hammersmith & Fulham, is the result of a £3 million investment by the council and features bright and spacious classrooms as well as the latest facilities, and technological aids. Specialist facilities include a multi-sensory room, a soft play room and well-equipped food technology, art, music, drama and IT rooms.

Mr Clarke officially opened the school, in South Africa Road, by unveiling a plaque in the foyer. He also toured the building and met pupils, parents, governors, local politicians, senior education officers and other guests.

The new Jack Tizard School caters for 70 pupils, aged from three to nineteen years. Besides the excellent facilities already provided, it is also hoped that a hydrotherapy pool can be added - thanks to a fundraising partnership with the Hammersmith & Fulham Children’s Trust – one of 35 national pathfinders which brings together parts of education, social services and health to provide a more integrated service for disabled and vulnerable children.

Mr Clarke said: “It is a real pleasure for me to open this remarkable school. Jack Tizard is a shining example of the government’s firm commitment to developing special schools for the most severely disabled children, for whom inclusion in mainstream schools may not be possible. I congratulate the staff and Hammersmith & Fulham Council on creating a stimulating, purpose-built environment that is focused on helping all children to develop their full potential.”

“We are delighted to welcome the Secretary of State,” said Barbara Reid, chair of governors at Jack Tizard School. “This is a splendid new building. It provides vastly improved facilities for both pupils and teachers and enables us to share our services with the wider community. We would like to thank the council for its major contribution in creating the resources to move the school, and to all those at Jack Tizard who have worked so tirelessly to turn our vision into the reality that you see here today.”

Parent and governor Julie Ryan, who has a five-year-old son at the school, said: “I am very happy with the new school. It is fully accessible with plenty of space and is geared to support the individual needs of the pupils. The teachers are very caring and very supportive. My son has made brilliant progress here. The building is very welcoming and very safe with good security systems which are monitored.”

Headteacher Terry Baker said: “We are very pleased to have moved to a new purpose-built school which has been designed specifically to the meet the needs of the pupils who attend. We are grateful to the council’s education department for all their help and support. The move to the new school provides us with greater opportunities to build on our previous good practice. It enables us to develop our role as a specialist learning and inclusion support centre in line with government policy and our borough’s special educational needs review.”

Cllr Andrew Slaughter, leader of the council, said: “Our officers have worked hard to see this major project through to completion and we are delighted with the benefits it is already producing for everyone at Jack Tizard. We want the school to become a centre of excellence in the borough – sharing good practice with other special schools, mainstream schools and partner organisations.
Following the establishment of a Children’s Trust in the borough, bringing together parts of education, social services and health, we will be able to provide a more integrated service to meet vulnerable children’s needs.”

December 5, 2004