A step in the right direction for SEND pupils as new campus opens
But there's still a long way to go to fill the gaps
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New campus providing SEND support officially opens
By Jamie Hill
A new campus for young people in Swindon with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) officially opened on Wednesday.
Obviously this is great news for the town but, as we’ve reported over the last year, Swindon’s SEND provision is at crisis point, with parents throughout the town struggling to get their children the education they deserve.
Problems encountered include huge waiting lists for diagnosis and to get an Early Help Care Plan, with schools themselves unable to keep up with the increasing numbers of SEND pupils who are simply not coping with being in a mainstream setting. School transport for SEND pupils has also been a major issue.
Couple all this with an under-resourced borough council and the crisis in SEND provision has only got worse.
And that is why it’s such good news that this new SEND campus has officially opened.
The Links Campus, run by Churchward School, teaches children and young people who require varying levels of support. The learning provision was created, in part, thanks to the opening of 35 new places for young people with SEND by Swindon Borough Council.
Based at UTC Swindon in Bristol Street, the satellite school opened its doors in September but on Wednesday was given its official unveiling as council staff and councillors met with young people who are attending the campus and their teachers.
Housed inside a building formerly used as a production centre for the Great Western Railway, the campus features dedicated teaching spaces and collaboration areas, while also providing young people with direct access to the facilities available at UTC Swindon.
The creation of the extra SEND places forms part of the council’s work to ensure young people in Swindon are given dedicated specialist support throughout their education. Sixty places across Swindon were created at the start of the academic year, while further primary school places will be made available from both January and September 2025.
Cllr Adorabelle Amaral-Shaikh, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “The work at Churchward School is a fantastic example of how young people can thrive given the right support and learning environment. I enjoyed hearing first hand from the young people about how the new Links Campus is making a real difference to them.
“We know that more school places are needed, which is why we will continue to use additional funding secured earlier this year to develop plans for a new special school for Swindon.
“This work is part of our mission to build a fairer and better Swindon, and I know the work of Council staff and local schools will mean our young people will have access to all the opportunities and support they need to lead happy and healthy lives.”
Dave Dearsley, Headteacher at Churchward School, said: “The pressure for places at Churchward School is growing year on year. Having opened in 2018 with 20 students we now have 125 students on roll and the demand continues to far exceed the places available. Working with the local authority and UTC Swindon we have been able to grow again this academic year to meet some of this demand.
"This is an excellent opportunity for students at Churchward School to develop links with mainstream peers as they continue their journey towards becoming independent learners.
"Churchward School’s unique approach has been so successful that 90 per cent of students are ready to move into a less specialist environment ahead of time, with students leaving Churchward School and successfully transitioning into mainstream school or college, apprenticeships and work.
"I know that the partnership we are building with UTC will provide additional opportunities for our students to achieve their full potential and become active members of the community.”
The new campus is definitely a step in the right direction as well as the announcement of increased primary places early next year.
But it only solves a fraction of the problem that Swindon is facing and more will definitely need to be done in the next few years to properly address Swindon’s SEND provision.
The Ink News Briefing
Wichelstowe canal project barging ahead - Wilts and Berks Canal Trust joined the Wichelstowe Joint Venture team to see the latest progress in restoring the historic canal. Work on a new 500-metre section between Foxham Way and Mill Lane started in May, and the development has since reached an exciting milestone, with the first section of the canal now filled with water and work on the bank protection and landscaping under way. An essential step in the process was ensuring the canal was watertight, which was achieved by applying a waterproof lining made of puddled clay. Full story here
Drug driver among 44 offenders caught during three-day police HGV operation - More than 40 motorists were caught breaking the law thanks to an unmarked police truck during a three-day operation on the M4 in Wiltshire. One driver, who was initially stopped for not being in proper control of his vehicle, now faces the prospect of losing his licence after officers made what the force describes as a significant discovery. Upon returning to Badbury Weighbridge, officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from his van and the driver was arrested on suspicion of drug driving as he failed a roadside breath test. He has been released under investigation. Full story here
West Swindon celebrates new defibrillators - West Swindon Parish Council has announced the installation of four new 24-hour public access defibrillators across the area. Full story here
Comedy magician promises tricks and giggles in Swindon - Award winning comedian and magician, Pete Firman, will be coming to The Arts Centre on the 17 October 2025 with his brand new show, ‘Tricks & Giggles’. Full story here
Swinter is Coming
By Jamie Hill
Swindon music fans are definitely going to be in for a treat at the end of January with the first ever Swinterfest taking place.
Swinterfest will run from Thursday 30 January to Sunday 2 February at four venues across Old Town.
The venues are The Tuppenny in Devizes Road, The Castle in Prospect Place, The Vic on Victoria Road and The Beehive on Prospect Hill.
And the line-up is cracking, with Courting Ghosts, Stay Lunar, Subject A and All Ears Avow taking the headline slots.
But with the rest of the line-up filled up with the likes of SN Dubstation, Canute's Plastic Army, Modern Evils, Wild Isles, Concrete Prairie, George Wilding, Nothing Rhymes With Orange and Adders, to name but a few, it is definitely looking like a weekend that will sit long in the memory.
The new festival is the brainchild of the people behind The Swindon Shuffle and will see bands playing on the Thursday and Friday evening, and then during the day into the evening on Saturday and Sunday.
The first ever Swinterfest is headline sponsored by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation). UKRI is the largest public funder of research and innovation in the UK. They invest £8 billion of taxpayers’ money each year into research and innovation and the people who make it happen. UKRI, who have offices in Polaris House, have a long history of supporting the arts and have supported a variety of different projects.
It is also sponsored by Swindon Link and will be raising money for Prospect Hospice during the event.
Organiser Ed Dyer said: "We've been running The Swindon Shuffle now for nearly 20 years and it has built up a real community around it.
"We felt that we needed an event during the winter months to bring that community together once again and to act as an event that will go into battle against that really miserable time in January and February. We think of it as an injection of happiness into Swindon at a time of year when it's really needed.
"It will also be another opportunity to raise funds for Prospect Hospice, as well as support grassroots music and live music venues.
"This year, we're starting with what we do best and galvanising the music scene to take part. But the plans are to expand the festival in years to come to include different aspects of the arts from comedy to dance and theatre to art.
"We're very proud of the line-up that we've put together. Swinter is coming and it's going to be great."
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