Woodbridge Road Officially Opened
After years of planning and preparation, the new school building for Woodbridge Road Academy was officially opened yesterday.
Woodbridge Road Academy is a special school in Ipswich that makes a significant difference to the lives of pupils with communication and interaction needs. It excels in breaking down barriers so pupils can access the mainstream curriculum in a structured, low-arousal setting, helping them to fulfil their potential.
The school opened in September 2022 with an initial intake of 16 pupils, at a temporary location in Murrayside Community Centre. Now its purpose-built building is complete, bringing student numbers up to 62, and offering a host of benefits for pupils and staff alike.
The new building has been planned to be an ideal learning environment for the pupils, so every aspect of the school, from layout through to the choice of paint colours, is designed to be low-arousal and to help pupils focus. Woodbridge Road Academy also has a high staff to pupil ratio, with classes of around eight children being taught by one teacher and supported a teaching assistant. This means pupils get plenty of adult support and teachers have the flexibility to adapt lessons to the individual needs of the pupils.
Suffolk County Councillor Rachel Hood cut the ribbon, and staff and pupils then showed visitors around the school. BBC Look East was there to capture it all and you can read the article here.
Suffolk has seen a 200% increase in applications for EHCP plans over the last eight years, and the total number of pupils in England with special educational needs is rising every year, leading to a greater need for SEND provision than ever before. In partnership with Suffolk County Council, Paradigm Trust has opened Woodbridge Road Academy in Ipswich to bring more SEND places to the area.
Woodbridge Road Academy, a new SEN school for Ipswich
Paradigm Trust’s new school, planned to be in a new building on Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, will be specifically designed for pupils with communication and interaction needs, to give them the focused support they need to help them fulfil their potential. Sixty places will be awarded by Suffolk County Council from September 2022.
It will be the fourth Ipswich school for Paradigm Trust, which already has responsibility for Ipswich Academy, Piper’s Vale Primary Academy and Murrayfield Primary Academy. All of these schools have achieved great academic progress and community support under its care.
You can find out more about the new school here: https://www.woodbridgeroadacademy.org/.
Ipswich Star feature of Woodbridge Road Academy
Naomi Shenton, the newly appointed Principal of Woodbridge Road Academy, says “no stone will be left unturned” for its future SEND pupils to lead successful lives ahead of its consultation in the new year.
For the full story, click here.