A special school in Blyth will feature on an upcoming episode of George Clarke's Amazing Spaces, after converting an old train into a library.
The Dales School supports children with special educational needs and runs across two sites in Blyth and Ashington. Teacher James Groundwater had a vision to turn the old train into a special place for the children.
He then worked long and hard through the summer holidays alongside other staff members and volunteers from Wickes to get the train ready for George Clarke's visit.
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When asked about the project, James spoke about the challenges that come with this kind of project and the impact that it has had on the children at The Dales School.
“The project has been very challenging as staff have been doing their usual jobs on top of project managing. it’s great to see all the effort pay off. The train has made a big difference to the lives of our children and for their self-esteem.
"Instead of being known as a child who goes to a special needs school, they are now know known as a child who goes to the school with the train!", he said.
The intention of the project is to help children with their reading skills, which are even more vital for the development of children with special educational needs. The school have also received donations from several organisations including Arnold Clark, Northern Rail and Blyth Council.
The train comes with its own track, station and ticket office, which have all been built by volunteers or donated to the school. It is also fitted with a driving simulator to encourage early career aspirations within the children and to help children with sensory needs fully immerse themselves in the sights and the sounds of the railway.
The next challenge for the school is to find funding to convert another carriage on the train into STEM classroom, in order to encourage creativity, problem-solving and innovation amongst students. The carriage will be multifunctional, and will also be used by Northern Rail for training purposes.
Head teacher at The Dales School, Dr Sue Fisher said: “We are incredibly proud to be featured on George Clark’s Amazing Spaces. It just shows how our school goes above and beyond for our pupils, making learning accessible, engaging and fun. A huge thank you to all the local community, funders and businesses that have helped to make the school train something we can all truly be proud to be part of. Without James’ vision and your help this fantastic project would not have happened.”
The episode will air on Monday at 8pm on Channel 4.
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