PUPILS at Thomas Wolsey Special School will spend just one more term in their building when they return in September before they move sites.

Naomi Cassidy

PUPILS at Thomas Wolsey Special School will spend just one more term in their building when they return in September before they move sites.

Work on the £11million building project on the grounds of Thurleston High School is expected to continue over the summer holidays.

In January the pupils of Thomas Wolsey will then move to their new location, where there will be an opportunity to enjoy plenty of extra facilities designed for disabled children, consisting of a drama studio, music studio, Astroturf and a swimming pool.

Thomas Wolsey School, which has 95 students ranging from three years old to 19, dates back to the 1930s and although staff and pupils like the site, it was not purpose-built so had problems providing wheelchair access.

Nancy McArdle, the school's headteacher, said: “We have been working in partnership with Thurleston High School for so many years so to finally be on one site will be fantastic.

“We have always felt it would be nice if our youngsters were not so isolated. When our youngsters go to Thurleston for their ICT or science facilities, it is almost like a military operation because we have to transport them across, which takes a whole team of staff.

“At the moment we have one of the most cluttered schools in the whole of Suffolk. The new building will have much more storage space. It will be fabulous.

“Seeing the young people together makes you realise it's the right decision. It is quite magical. The whole idea is of young people working together.”

The building is on target to be completed in mid-December and the grand opening will be held in January.

What do you think of the plans for the new building? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk