A Prestwich high school has been given a £1.5m makeover to transform its learning and wellbeing activities.

The Heys School has undergone major building work to create five extra classrooms, a bespoke library and a unit to offer additional support to those who need it.

Work has also focused on creating "The Bridge", an in-house facility to help pupils at risk of exclusion re-engage with education and avoid being excluded from school.

The investment comes after a recent report found the school had the highest exclusion rate in the borough.

Read more: The five Bury schools with highest exclusions rates

The aim of The Bridge is to allow pupils to have a broad and balanced curriculum with bespoke support and intervention to help them return to the classroom. 

Head teacher, Miss Rachel Evans, said: "We’ve been able to re-develop the building in a way we never thought possible thanks to support from the trust and their expert management.

“The building was looking a bit tired but now we have vibrant, exciting areas where children can learn and socialise, and receive support to assist their wellbeing.

“We can’t wait to see the impact this renovation work has on our school community for years to come and look forward to seeing pupils enjoying the new facilities.”

Renovations have also been used to as an opportunity to pay tribute to two much-loved members of staff who died during the pandemic.

Miss Evans said: “We’ve been delighted to name two of our buildings after Mrs Jane Wilson, who was PA to the last two head teachers and epitomised the core values of the school, and Geoff Barlow, a former head teacher who committed a huge amount of his life to the school. 

“The new facilities have become all I hoped they would be and more.”

The Heys Road school has spent the cash over the last school year, drawing on funding from the local authority, government school capital funding and its own funds.   

Miss Evans said the investment, carried out with support from the Rowan Learning Trust, has made a huge difference to the school.

The work has included replacing outdated portable buildings with five new maths classrooms and equipping them with high-quality interactive resources.

A classroom and a former staffroom have also been combined and refurbished to create a spacious library to replace the previous much smaller library area.

The new facility, which is hoped to become a focal point for the school, now provides space for pupils to read, play board games and chat with friends, as well as areas for one-to-one sessions for those who need additional support.

Pupils and student librarians were involved in identifying the activities they would like to see in the new library and choosing books to be stocked, and there are plans to invite authors and poets to run sessions.

Some of the funding has gone to creating multipurpose inclusion rooms that offer bespoke support such as sensory areas, as well as space for classroom-based work and social activities. 

Pupils have also been involved in creating a ‘Heys heroes’ wall, which will feature pupils and staff who are nominated weekly.

The Heys School is holding an open evening for the parents of prospective pupils tonight, Wednesday, October 12, from 6pm to 8pm.

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