The summer school holidays are well and truly underway, with days out planned, ice creams consumed and school uniforms folded away until September. It is a time when you might expect school corridors to fall silent, but at Brackenbury Primary School and Wormholt Park Primary School in Hammersmith & Fulham, steel-toe-capped boots have temporarily replaced school shoes walking the halls.
United Infrastructure, which delivers critical infrastructure and property services to communities across the UK, has begun a significant 14-week refurbishment programme at the two schools. The project will transform previous mainstream classrooms and educational spaces into a new Specialist Inclusion Base. The developments will establish new Special Educational Needs (SEN) teaching spaces, associated access routes and supporting facilities, creating an inclusive and enriching environment designed to help local children learn, develop and thrive. The creation of the new spaces has been funded by the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.
Schools are placing an increasing focus on creating inclusive learning environments that support the wellbeing and individual needs of every pupil. For some children with Special Educational Needs, traditional classrooms can feel overwhelming or make it difficult to engage. Sensory spaces can provide a calmer, more adaptable environment that supports learning, communication and emotional regulation.
Sensory classrooms are designed to respond to a child’s needs through a combination of interactive equipment, sensory-stimulating features and calming elements such as light walls, bubble lamps and tactile boards. They can be used for lessons and group activities, as well as sensory breaks and one-to-one support, giving pupils greater flexibility to learn, communicate and explore in a way that feels accessible and enjoyable.
The investment at Brackenbury and Wormholt Park will include bespoke sensory and DMX lighting systems, specialist acoustic ceilings and wall treatments, accessible wet room and WC adaptations, safety flooring and protective padding. United Infrastructure will also undertake internal remodelling to create new teaching and breakout spaces, alongside the installation of access control and door-entry systems and upgrades to electrical, fire alarm and wider mechanical and electrical services.
David Collins, Executive Head Teacher at Brackenbury Primary School, commented:
“We are delighted the London Borough Hammersmith & Fulham have funded the creation of a new specialist inclusion base at Brackenbury, this represents a significant investment in the future of children with additional needs in Hammersmith & Fulham. Every child deserves an environment where they feel safe, understood and able to thrive, and these new facilities will provide high-quality spaces designed specifically to support learning, communication and wellbeing.
“This project reflects our commitment to ensuring that every child has access to the right provision to meet their needs while remaining part of their local community. We are grateful to LBHF and United Infrastructure for working closely with us to bring this vision to life and look forward to welcoming pupils into these new learning environments later this year.”
