After realising that there was a need within the school, and the wider local community, for a sensory room to support children with special educational need, the idea for a sensory area was born.
The pupils, parents and staff at St. Mary’s R.C. Primary School started a two year fundingraising campaign for a building and equipment which culminated in the grand opening of the Sensory Pod on the 5th November 2021 by the Mayoress for Newton Aycliffe Mrs. Sandra Haigh, Sarah Honeyman, Councillor Atkinson and Miss Joanne Wills the SENDCo and Inclusion Lead at St. Mary’s.
Miss Wills thanked the invited guests including the many generous donors from the local community including, GAMP (Great Aycliffe Middridge Partnership), Community Spirit, Tesco, Honest John, St. Mary’s Mini Police team and those who took part in the fundraising event at ROF59 in 2019, in a time pre Covid.
The Sensory Pod project began in September 2019, when Miss Wills noticed, from working with partners within special educational needs education within the local area, that many parents, schools and communities were reaching for support and help in locating and looking for areas with sensory rooms and facilities. It was then that she decided it was time for the school, if it could make a difference.
With a plan for fundraising and reaching out into the community, especially to local councillors, Miss Wills set to work. Covid-19 slowed our project. It became evident that the resource of a sensory room would be needed for many children returning to school after two periods of lockdown and, with funding secured, work finally began on a sensory room during the summer holiday in August 2021. Miss Wills even went into school during August to capture the progress so that the children could see the work in progress on their return to school in September.
The Sensory Pod, as it is named, is an eco-friendly building with a wind turbine, solar panels and water butt to collect water for the school vegetable garden and will provide support for individuals in a variety of ways, ranging from:
• Enhance learning through play.
• Improve balance, movement, and spatial orientation.
• Develop communication skills.
• De-stress.
• Improves focus.
• Promote socialisation.
The children and staff at St. Mary’s are so proud to have this facility to offer to neighbouring schools and to support the wider school community.