New places have been created by a £8.2m school extension, as Bolton Council continues to grow its SEND offer across the borough.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Orchards Federation as the two-year project comes to a close.
The expansion of the federation’s two sites on Highfield Road, has created new and updated spaces for The Orchards Nursery School, Cherry Tree Primary School and Green Fold Special School.
The multi-million-pound investment was used to remodel and extend buildings at both sites, construct a new Early Years unit and create new sports facilities.
Overall, the work has increased the capacity of Green Fold Special School from 130 to 185 places.
It is part of Bolton Council’s broader Belonging in Bolton Strategy to meet a growing demand for SEND, a challenge which local authorities across the UK are facing.
Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Rabiya Jiva, said:
“The Orchards Federation is made up of three popular and highly-rated schools, and this £8.2m investment will allow even more pupils to benefit from the very highest level of education in a supportive and inclusive environment.
“Like many areas in the UK, we are seeing an increase in demand for SEND places, and we want as many children as possible to go to school in Bolton where they are closer to their families and friends.
“Alongside this expansion, our wider Belonging in Bolton Strategy underpins our committed to inclusive practice by ensuring mainstream schools can meet the additional needs of children with SEND.”
Katie Hague, Executive Head of The Orchards Federation, said:
“Our Vision has always been to ensure that all of the children in our care flourish.
“This expansion supports our ability to give every child an exceptional education in an exceptional building.
“Green Fold provides the highest quality of education, care and support for our pupils, and being able to extend this offer to more pupils through these additional spaces is great for the Bolton community.
“We are also incredibly excited to see the creation of a dedicated Early Years building that has brought the Orchards Nursery and Cherry Tree's Reception children together, allowing our staff to work even more closely to provide the very best start to every child's educational journey.”
Construction was carried out by family-owned local employers Seddon, working in phases to keep disruption to a minimum.
During the project Seddon spent more than £2m in the local supply chain, conducted 100 hours of volunteering and made £7,000 in donations to local community initiatives.
As part of their commitment to creating training and employment opportunities, Seddon also provided 56 weeks of upskilling for apprentices and industry placements for T-Level students from Bolton College.
Matthew Sargeson, Operations Director for Seddon Property Services, said:
"Our team is incredibly proud to have delivered this important investment for Bolton Council and The Orchards Federation.
“Working in a live school environment required careful planning and close collaboration to ensure pupils, staff and families could continue their daily activities safely while the works progressed.
"Creating high-quality learning environments that help children and young people thrive is something we're passionate about.
“It's particularly rewarding to see this project provide more specialist places for local families, while also delivering lasting social value through local employment, apprenticeships, volunteering and investment in Bolton's communities."