Examiner education reporter HAZEL ETTIENNE goes behind the scenes at Lydgate School

SEEING the smiles on children’s faces makes headteacher Martin Ord feel privileged to come to work at Lydgate School every day.

This New Mill school is a special school for children aged five to 16 who have a range of complex learning difficulties.

It aims to create a safe, secure and stimulating environment to enable students to reach their full potential both academically and socially.

“Children who have struggled in a mainstream environment want to come to school, to learn and develop.

“Seeing them doing this makes this job extremely rewarding,” said Mr Ord.

“Many have had negative experiences elsewhere and can’t cope with education in the “fast lane.”

Lydgate is classed as a community special school, but the majority of its 97 pupils travel from outside the immediate area of New Mill.

But its strong ties with other schools in the area ensures it has a strong community feel.

In the last year several successful projects have continued to build on well-established links.

Work with the Holme Valley Sharing Memories Group has led to the production of a traditional mumming play which is to be performed at Holmfirth Arts Festival in July.

Twenty children aged between 10 and 12 have been involved in the production which has also been performed at the school’s Christmas show and at Upperthong Junior and Infant School.

A dozen pieces of artwork by pupils of the school will also appear in an exhibition by all the schools in the Holme Valley at Thongsbridge Tennis Club.

Children from the school also performed in an event at Holmfirth Civic Hall as part of the Holmfirth Folk Festival.

Lydgate was one of three Kirklees schools, including nearby Wooldale and Paddock Juniors, who have also taken part in the Pushing Back the Furniture Project.

It involves children from a variety of backgrounds and abilities meeting at each other’s schools and working on a variety of projects together.

The scheme was recently showcased at a conference for 150 special needs teachers across Kirklees at the Textile Centre of Excellence at Red Doles Lane.

Two years ago the school was visited by school inspectors from Ofsted, who gave it a good with outstanding feature rating.

Since then it has worked hard to significantly improve the range of practical facilities available to children. The school was built 35 years ago and has educated 654 children since it first opened its doors.

But following the re-organisation of special education in Kirklees three years ago its status changed from catering for children with moderate to looking after those with complex learning needs.

But space is still a consideration, with eight classes of children and only seven classrooms.

This means the school hall has to be used as a multi-purpose area for dining, assembly and gymnastics. A new science block, ICT suite and teachers’ resource base have been welcome additions.

Mr Ord, head teacher for the last three years and acting head for two years previously, is proud of the changes which have evolved in the last six or seven years at the school.

In 2000 children at the school sat no formal qualifications.This summer, year 11s have taken foundation stage GCSEs in five subjects.

Care and safety, as well as academic and social achievements, remain priorities.