Priti Patel MP with Gary Smith, CEO of Hope Learning Community Trust (left) and Adam Dean, Headteacher at Chatten Free School.
Priti gets her first look at new special needs school in Witham
On Friday morning, 11th March, Witham MP Priti Patel made her first visit to the new Chatten Free School, which opened in September 2021 and has been created and designed specifically for children with special needs. Adam Dean, the Headteacher, showed Priti the new school building and grounds situated in Rickstones Road, Witham.
Chatten Free School is part of the Hope Learning Community Trust and is dedicated to working with children and young people who are severely affected by autism and social learning difficulties. It provides a unique, individual curriculum for each of its pupils. The School’s main objectives are to create an environment that makes a difference to the lives of pupils with special needs and to offer much needed support to their parents. Priti gave the school her full support during the pre-construction phase, working with it to ensure that the project was not held up by red tape.
Priti said: “I am very pleased that Chatten Free School is in my constituency, and I have been very impressed with the state-of-the-art facilities that I have seen today. This excellent new School offers a safe and positive educational environment for children with special needs, whilst also providing support for their families. I will continue to work closely with the School to ensure that it gets all the assistance it needs from both the local authorities here in Essex, as well as from the Department for Education.”
Adam Dean, Head Teacher at Chatten Free School said: “Is was a great pleasure to have Priti here on site for a tour and to introduce her to some of our staff. Her support during the lead up to the opening of our School was a great help and very reassuring. Our vision for the School is for it to be a functional, loving and happy place providing the best environment for our pupils to learn the life, communication and academic skills they so badly need.
“We believe our pupils have the right to live lives filled with purpose and joy and our mission is to teach them the skills they need to find such fulfillment.”
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Inside one of the sensory rooms at Chatten Free School specifically designed to create environments where children with special needs feel safe.
Adam Dean, Headteacher at Chatten Free School, briefs Priti during her tour of the School.