Leyland-based World Leisure is to provide a hydrotherapy pool for a £15million special educational needs school in Benfleet, Essex.
The pool will be installed at the new Glenwood School, set for completion in August 2017, which is being delivered by construction and infrastructure company, Morgan Sindall.
The specially-designed education facility will include state-of-the-art facilities to support 210 children and young adults aged 3-19 years, with severe and multiple learning difficulties.
The hydrotherapy pool will be one of a number of specialist facilities to help meet the young people’s needs, including different types of sensory rooms, an in-floor trampoline room and an immersive room. All of these will help promote levels of engagement, autonomy, body awareness, sequencing, postural control, organisation of the senses, self-regulation and the confidence needed to access community spaces.
The hydrotherapy pool will facilitate the implementation of young people’s physical support programmes in a specialist environment. It will also provide an opportunity for young children to gain water confidence and to learn behaviours that increase their ability to access community resources safely.
World Leisure managing director Simon Smith says: “The main benefit of hydrotherapy is the combination of warm water, high air temperature and relief of bodyweight, which results in optimum conditions for the delivery of individualised physiotherapy programmes. For children with significant physical disabilities, this resource may be the only place where they can move independently.
“This area can also help encourage social interaction, allowing young people to participate in some small group activities.”
Glenwood School head teacher Judith Salter says: “Glenwood School always tries to provide the very best they can for all learners. We are looking forward to using this specialist area, which is fully accessible for all. We are also delighted that we can use a substantial voluntary donation to add special lights and sound effects to this superb facility.”
