The Mayor Officially Opens New Sensory Spaces at CPA
On Friday 5th December Charlton Park Academy was delighted to welcome The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor Linda Bird and Councillor David Gardner and Angela from Albany Taxi Charity to the school for the official opening of our new sensory spaces to support the unique needs of our students.
Councillor Bird and Councillor Gardner met with our Senior Leadership Team, Occupational Therapists and teachers as well as some of our pupils who were thrilled to give them a guided tour of the school.
Photo: The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich (centre in red coat) with members of the CPA Senior Leadership Team, teachers and pupils
Cutting the ribbon
The Mayor cut the festive red ribbon to signify the opening of the new rooms.
Occupational Therapist Kirsty Richards talked to the group about the benefits of having the new sensory spaces.
The new sensory spaces have been carefully designed to help our pupils feel calm, focused and ready to learn.
One of the highlights of the new spaces is the addition of sensory swings. The therapeutic swings support students to help them gain the sensory input they require to regulate and develop skills they need for day-to-day functional activities.
Photo: The Mayor cutting the ribbon watched on by Councillor David Gardner
The swings bring a range of benefits including:
Occupational therapist, Diana Bennet, has led on this project and demonstrated the therapeutic swings to the mayor and other guests.
Helping with balance, body awareness and postural control: The use of motion, touch and input to joints and muscles supports students in developing better control of their bodies.
Relaxation and calm: The linear movement of swinging supports calming, helping students to feel less anxious and more settled.
Building coordination: Use of various activities in conjunction with the motion of the swings encourages students to use their hands, eyes, and bodies together, improving focus, awareness and coordination.
Encouraging exercise: Some swings are more active, giving students a fun way to move, strengthen muscles, and stay healthy.
Photo: Occupational Therapist Diana Bennet demonstrating and talking about the new sensory spaces
Through these experiences, students build important everyday skills such as confidence in how their body moves, awareness of the space around them, and the ability to connect their senses. All of these directly support learning and help students thrive in the classroom.
Magic Room Software
Many of the classrooms at Charlton Park Academy use Magic Room by Sensory Guru. Magic Room is special software that allows our teachers to transform our classrooms into interactive, immersive environments that can make learning more accessible to our pupils. We were able to demonstrate the software to The Mayor by turning one of our classrooms into a Winter Wonderland!
Photo: Occupational Therapist Diana Bennet showing The Mayor the benefits of the swings
During her visit The Mayor visited some of our other classrooms to meet some of our pupils. She spoke to them about what they enjoyed learning at school. It was very exciting for our pupils to meet the Mayor in person and see the golden medallion that she wears round her neck that symbolises the authority and dignity of the office of mayor.
Charlton Park Academy is proud to continue creating inclusive spaces where every student can feel supported and reach their full potential. We are grateful to Councillor Linda Bird and Councillor David Gardner for visiting us.
Albany Taxi Charity
This project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Albany Taxis. They are a fantastic charity who donated funds to help us incorporate play into our school environment – something that is so important for our students.
Albany Taxis also very kindly provide yearly trips to Hastings, where our pupils enjoy a wonderful day out by the seaside with their families, travelling in taxis. Albany Taxis is a long‑standing supporter of Charlton Park Academy and has played a key role in enriching the lives of our students. We are very grateful to them.
Photo: A classroom transformed into Winter Wonderland using Magic Room software
Photo: The Mayor talking with one of our pupils in Falconwood classroom