£18m special needs school opens to support up to 200 children
A new £18m school to meet the needs of Stockport’s most vulnerable children has opened for the new term, supporting around 200 youngsters.
Built on the site of the former Offerton High School, Lisburne School is set to transform education for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and represents a broader commitment to improving the provision for children across the Stockport Metropolitan Borough.
Pupils aged four to 11-years-old will benefit from specially adapted classrooms, sensory rooms, and therapeutic spaces which have been designed to address the specific needs of SEND children, while providing a stimulating educational environment.
Sustainability is also at the heart of the design which has revived a brownfield site to take advantage of the natural surroundings. A key focus is on views out to nature, and promoting external interaction with the protected green space, allowing pupils to move around freely and safely.
Lisburne School
Lorenzo Mognini, Senior Architect and Project Lead at AtkinsRéalis, which delivered the school, said: “This has been a really important project for us as the delivery of schools like this is crucial in enabling children with SEND requirements to thrive in education, which has enormous social value for the wider community.
“It really sets a new benchmark for future SEND provisions in the area, and we know that parents, teachers, and staff are optimistic about the opportunities it will provide.”
The design for Lisburne School was delivered by AtkinsRéalis’s team based out of the newly-opened central Manchester office representing a hub of design and engineering activity for the North West region.
The scheme is divided into three distinct teaching and learning blocks that cater for different age groups, creating a nurturing environment tailored to diverse educational needs.
Samantha Benson, headteacher for Lisburne School, which formerly opened in November, said: “I am so proud that our vision for an exceptional SEND school has finally been realised. The new site offers a fully inclusive environment for our children to thrive in and will offer opportunities to raise the profile of SEND and support children across the wider Stockport community.”
Luke Green Head of Capital, Design and Technical Services for Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, said: “Lisburne really is a flagship school which represents the borough’s clear commitment to improving our SEND provision to children from our borough.”
