By John Baron
Bramley youngsters have celebrated the grand opening of a new £25,000 sensory and nurture cabin.
Whitecote Primary School pupils were visited by former Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain rugby league star Adrian Morley, from children’s charity Wooden Spoon which had funded the facility.
The new Whitecote Cabin, based in the school’s grounds in Wellington Grove, will provide vital support for pupils with special educational and emotional wellbeing needs – an increasingly important focus in mainstream education.
Whitecote headteacher Frances Stead welcomed the investment. She said: “It is important for the local community because children are coming to us with more needs and families are needing more support.
“The cabin will be a special place for children to come away from the main school building. I must thank Wooden Spoon as they listened to what we needed, considered it and have been so supportive through this process.”
Cutting the ribbon on the new cabin, Adrian Morley told youngsters: “I loved my time playing rugby league and I loved living in Leeds and playing for the Rhinos. It’s not every day you get the chance to open important facilities like these.”
Stuart Watson is the Yorkshire chair of Wooden Spoon, a charity dedicated to transforming the lives of children and young people through the power of the rugby community.
He said: “We’re about supporting children who might need a leg up in life. We use the principles behind the sport of rugby, where everything is about working as a team and ensuring the nobody gets left behind.
“We fund projects that will make a long-lasting impact to young people – we hope the cabin here will last up to 20 years.”
The cabin will also be used for activities including Lego therapy groups, drawing and talking, planters, growing food, cooking, as a break-out area for those needing support, and running after-school sports and parent-children groups.
It’s hoped the cabin will be more inclusive for pupils who struggle in a mainstream education setting, and better support parents who need a better understanding of supporting a child with special educational needs. It’s also hoped to set up a network between parents and professionals.
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