Page 18 - link magazine

18 swindonlink.com • August 2009
Pre-school looks forward to new home

Upper Shaw Farm Playgroup has come through an uncertain few months when they thought they might not be able to move to Shaw Ridge
Primary School.
Having rented Upper Shaw Farm With this knowledge Shaw Ridge
social hall from Swindon Council governors agreed the playgroup
since it opened in the early 1980s, should be able to move to the pur-
the parent run playgroup assumed pose built community facilities.
they would be able to move to com- Playgroup chairwoman Chrissy
munity rooms at the new primary Awojinrin said her committee felt
school after it opens in September. great relief. “The playgroup has
However the council advised had a close relationship with the
them there might be a bidding school since it started; it will be
process for the room. Knowing that even better now.”
the social hall will be closed after the Shaw Ridge headteacher Sally
school opens, the group was facing Cowell said she is delighted that
homelessness. the close links will continue.
A few weeks of panic passed when The playgroup will make the
Kim Poulton of Swindon Sure Start move in January. It has places for
found a precedent in another author- pre-school children from Septem-
ity where a pre-school had been of- ber. For details call the supervisor
fered first refusal to use a community Jayne Miller on 07712 713369. Shaw Ridge headteacher Sally Cowell with playgroup children and staff
space at new primary school. www.uppershawfarmplaygroup org.uk outside the room they’ll move to in January

Working better with dyslexia
Millbrook Primary School will move to its new building in September as a
Dylexia Friendly School.
At a special assembly in early July John Gilbert, Swindon Council’s director
of children’s services, and Sue Thurtle from the council’s integrated service for
disabled children, presented headteacher Clare Griffin-Felton with a certificate
recognising the work undertaken to ensure the 40 children with dyslexic traits
are not disadvantaged by the school environment.
“Staff were trained over a year and we’ve looked at all aspects of the learning
experience,” said special needs coordinator Ruth Kendrick. “Dyslexic friendly
teaching methods are now embedded in daily practice and we’ve changed
physical elements in classrooms such as using pastel coloured backgrounds
rather than whiteboards.”
Millbrook youngsters with John Gilbert, Clare Griffin-Felton, Ruth Kendrick and Sue Thurtle

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