Beaumont Hill sixth form for Darlington SEND students opened

 Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson cut the ribbon for the opening of executive principal Caroline Green’s Beaumont Hill Sixth-Form College, located on Salters Lane South, opposite Education Village.

 In a £840k scheme by the Education Village Academy Trust, the college will introduce SEND facilities for more students up to the age of 19, as well as creating an additional four classrooms on the Education Village site to accommodate more pupils. 

Bridget Phillipson, centre, with Beaumont Hill executive principal Caroline Green and principal Adrian Lynch (Image: PROVIDED)

 Beaumont Hill Academy currently holds 400 pupils from 2 to 19, but new features, including more classrooms, kitchen facilities and outdoor space means that their status as one of the largest SEND facilities in the United Kingdom will only expand.

 Mrs. Green said: “It has always been my dream to have such a sixth form college and now we have. Staff, students, parents and carers are very excited about the prospect.

 “SEND is much more visible today with greater recognition and diagnosis of conditions. Better medical intervention also allows disabled students to go to school.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson chats with students at Beaumont Hill Sixth Form College (Image: PROVIDED)

 Mike Butler, chief executive of the Education Village Academy Trust, added that the trust as a whole is dedicated to supporting all children, and reflecting the needs of all students in Darlington. 

 “Our collective endeavours have always been based on human dignity, not founded on deficit,” Mr. Butler said. “This new facility strengthens our mission, reinforces our ethos and reflects our unwavering commitment to the children and young people we serve.”

 With SEND children requiring more support, parents are thankful for the extra facilities that will be available as their children move through primary and secondary school. 

 Beverley Bird, a mother of a three-year-old with profound autism, said: “It is very stressful for parents as the places generally are not there which will affect children’s ability to thrive. So it is huge that we now have this provision as it takes the pressure off parents as their children can be here from aged two to 19.”

Performing the honours, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson cuts the ribbon at the brand new Beaumont Hill Sixth Form College in Darlington (Image: PROVIDED)

 The Education Secretary reinforced how important it was to make the necessary facilities available for parents of SEND children, because it is their “right” to be given access to specialist support. 

 Lola McEvoy, MP for Darlington, said: “To have this facility so close is wonderful. We don’t have to choose between empathy and excellence. This is proof you can have both.”

 The college will offer post-16 students a range of qualifications and accreditations, including BTEC Prevocational Award and Certificates in a range of subjects, as well as AQA awards in english and maths, physical education, ICT, entry level functional skills, and more.