Specialist SEND nursery in Penhill nearing completion
The finishing touches are being applied to a specialist early education setting for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families in Penhill.
Published: Friday, 17th January 2025
The Swindon Early Years Centre will expand to open a new provision from Spring 2025. Based in a former nursery building on the site of the Everleigh Centre, the new resource will enable more families to access specialist support.
By opening the new site, the number of hours of specialist early years SEND education and family support offered directly by Swindon Borough Council will double. Currently, the Saltway Centre in Middleleaze is the only place in Swindon which provides council-run specialist early years SEND provision.
The Council has invested £600,000 to refurbish the site which was previously a children’s centre. Extensive repairs and maintenance has been carried out with the help of volunteers.
Ahead of opening later in the year, furniture and specialist equipment is now being installed and a recruitment drive to hire the specialist staff required to run the provision is also underway.
Located in an area with the highest percentage of children with SEND in the Borough, the service will operate during school term time, while also providing specific SEND stay and play sessions for children and their families.
Councillor Adorabelle Amaral-Shaikh, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “I am really pleased to see the progress that has been made with Swindon’s newest specialist SEND nursery. We know that Penhill is an area with a large number of families who will benefit from the specialist support that this new facility will provide.
“As a result of the Council’s investment into refurbishing a previously unused building, we will ensure that more children with SEND are able to access more of their early years entitlement.
“Doubling the amount of specialist early years SEND support in Swindon will improve opportunities and outcomes for some of our most vulnerable families and help us achieve our mission to build a fairer Swindon.”
Both the existing Saltway Centre and new Swindon Early Years Centre in Penhill will benefit from the support of volunteers. To find out more about volunteering at the sites, please contact SEYC@swindon.gov.uk.