The building was acquired by Polaris Community, one of the largest children’s services providers in the country, in January last year and has undergone the first phase of extensive renovations to provide the best environment for its students.
Barraclough is a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH) school for children in Halifax, Huddersfield, and throughout Yorkshire and is open to pupils needing additional support.
Loren Cahill is the head of organic growth at Polaris and worked with Kirklees Council to ensure the school meets the needs of children in and around Halifax and Huddersfield.
Loren has overseen the entire development to date, she said: “Transforming a building into a school for children with special educational needs is a fun challenge and I love to see our school spaces take shape, but nothing brings us as big a sense of achievement as when the first pupils actually start their educations with us.
“One of our main considerations here has been making sure the acoustics are neurodiversity-friendly, so we’ve looked at how sound performs within the building and have made changes accordingly to best impact the young people’s education.
“We’re working collaboratively with the local authority to ensure children in the local area attend the school which best suits them and are welcoming more children now.”
Some of the changes to the old care home include internal restructuring and the installation of acoustic ceiling tiles which provide a calming learning environment for neurodivergent children.
To combat traffic in the area, the school is having 18 new parking spaces built, as well as a new one-way system, and the installation of a bike shelter.
School timings will be different to that of neighbouring school The Mount to minimise disruption to residents.
Barraclough Hall School will have the capacity to host 40 children aged between five - 18 and is named after Lucy Barraclough. Born in 1885, she was one of the founding members and captain of the Huddersfield Atalanta Ladies’ Sports Club football team and a member of the English Ladies’ Football committee.
For more information visit the school’s website here: https://www.barracloughhallschool.co.uk/