SPECIAL needs school Crowdy’s Hill opened a new sensory room this week thanks to a £14,500 donation from local charity Wiltshire Wooden Spoon.

The school was founded 50 years ago with 56 challenged youngsters, and today caters for 206 children who receive additional specialist support.

The opening of the sensory room was attended by Swindon’s deputy mayor Junab Ali and other representatives from the charity who were met by sixth form students from the school who provided refreshments for the guests.

Woodon Spoon chairman Gareth John said: “This has been all down to the fantastic support of young rugby players across Wiltshire, their parents, and supporters and is a remarkable achievement by everyone. We are so delighted to help more youngsters with disabilities in our county, it is a truly fulfilling outcome.

“It was a truly memorable day all around, especially with such excellent involvement by many of Crowdys Hill School.”

The children’s rugby charity funds around 70 projects across the country every year aimed at providing equal opportunities for children and young people with disabilities are disadvantaged. Wiltshire Wooden Spoon has now raised more than £100,000 for special needs children across the country since it started 8 years ago.

The sensory room has been created at Crowdys Hill School, in Jefferies Avenue, whose students are aged between five and 19 years with both moderate and complex learning and medical needs including autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, epilepsy, global developmental delay and cerebral palsy. It has been providing SEN education for more than 50 years.

A school spokeswoman said: “Our fabulous, innovative sensory room has opened up a whole new experience for our children and provided them with an exciting and enriching space in which to learn. It is a tremendous addition to our curriculum.

“Our school ethos is about equipping our children with the essential skills they need to live an independent life. We aim to provide every child, regardless of their ability, access to a variety of National Curriculum subjects at a differentiated level, as well as offering a growing range of vocational course, including land studies, home cooking, horticulture and employability skills”.