Ceremony opens new flagship Barnet SEN school

An event was held to celebrate the opening of the new Windmill School, an all-through, 90-place specialist school for autism, for pupils aged 5-19 in Barnet.

Morgan Sindall Construction’s Northern Home Counties business delivered the new school on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE) and Barnet Special Education Trust. The project saw an existing space refurbished to become the first publicly funded specialist school for autism in Barnet.

The completed school is made up of a three-storey structure spanning across 2,900 sq. m and includes primary and secondary general teaching spaces, laboratory space, food tech suites, sensory rooms, a fully functioning kitchen, multi-use hall and a rooftop play area.

The Windmill School will complement the existing local offer of special schools and autism specific provisions in mainstream schools, providing places for children whose autism is the major barrier to their learning and who would find the sensory aspects of those environments too challenging for successful progress in their learning.

The ceremony to launch Windmill School saw internationally respected researchers and speakers give talks to attendees on autism and education. Ginny D'Odorico, Headteacher of the Windmill School, began the event with an introduction to the school and representatives from Morgan Sindall presented a visual journey of how the facility was created, including a video from Windmill pupils sharing their perspective on the space.

A presentation entitled ‘A reflection on autism’ was then given by leading experts, including: Professor Liz Pellicano, Professor of Autism Research at University College London (UCL); Emily Rubin, Director of Communication Crossroads, Inc. in Atlanta, GA; Dean Beadle, an international autistic speaker, trainer, and advocate for change; and Annie Etherington, a tutor on the Autism (Children) Distance Learning Programme.

Incorporating specialist knowledge and expertise into the school has been central to its design, construction and operation. This included leaders from Oak Lodge School in East Finchley and a team of specialist academics and education consultants supporting Windmill School’s development.

Having successfully delivered a number of SEN projects, Morgan Sindall’s team utilised its sector expertise and Intelligent Solutions approach to ensure the school was optimised for its pupils, staff and the wider community. This included designing a specific layout of specialist teaching and corridor spaces fit for the school’s operation and ensuring that the site was fully accessible. It was also important to tailor the ceiling and wall finishes, colour choices and acoustic as well as durability performance of the building materials.

As part of the retrofitting work, extra consideration went into the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and heating (MEPH) systems. An innovative Natural Ventilation with Heat Recycling (NVHR) system was installed across the new school, with 110 sq. m of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels installed on the roof.

During the project, Morgan Sindall had to overcome a number of construction challenges including the site being on a significant slope, illustrated by the fact that there’s a single storey at one end and four storeys at the other. Building into a hill meant the team had to think creatively and use specialist equipment to resolve access issues.

Sustainability was a key aspect of the development and Morgan Sindall worked with waste management consultancy and social enterprise Encore Environment to identify over 3.4 tonnes of fixtures and fittings that were surplus to requirements but could be reused elsewhere. This ensured that items were repurposed and diverted away from traditional routes of waste disposal. The Morgan Sindall team also worked with several other local social enterprises during the project, including Nuneaton Signs, Tarem Services and Community Wood Recycling.

As part of Morgan Sindall’s commitment to social value, the contractor’s team worked closely with nearby Barnet College to develop the skills of young people in the local area. This included welcoming work experience students onsite and offering construction workshops.

Emma Curtis, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Northern Home Counties, said: “The whole team is exceptionally proud of the work they’ve done to create the new Windmill School, which has to rank among one of the most innovative and successful of SEND school projects. The close, collaborative relationship we developed with the school’s team, the DfE and Barnet Special Education Trust was central to this project’s success and ensured that the focus at all times was on delivering the best possible space for the school’s future pupils.

“The opening ceremony really underlined the value that this educational environment is going to provide for so many young people as well as the wider Barnet community. There is a significant demand for high quality SEN places right now, and this school will ensure that high-end learning and support is available to give its pupils the best opportunities and the ability to fulfil their potential.”

Ginny D’Odorico, Headteacher at Windmill School, said: “I feel deeply privileged to be appointed to the role of Headteacher of this new all age autism specific school in Barnet. It was the very special collaboration between Morgan Sindall, the Department for Education and our Windmill Development Group members that brought such a bespoke specialist school to High Barnet.

“The Windmill Development group were formed from our expert board of senior leaders at Oak Lodge School, SEN specialists, academics from the Centre for Research in Autism Education at UCL, as well as autistic scholars themselves. Development group members were really impressed with the commitment of the design team and builders to create such bespoke facilities, that met the distinct, individual needs of our pupils.

“The close working partnership with Morgan Sindall and the DfE really supported our vision to offer an autism specialist school that has a direct, qualitative impact on our pupils and their families, now relieved their child is finally in the right setting.”

Morgan Sindall’s Northern Home Counties business has a proven track record in delivering SEN school facilities across the region. The tier one contractor has previously worked with Barnet Special Education Trust to deliver an extension to Oak Lodge School in East Finchley and Edmonton Academy Trust to deliver Salmon’s Brook SEND school in London Borough of Enfield in 2022.