Schools hoping for an Olympic legacy (From Echo)

Schools hoping for an Olympic legacy

7:00am Wednesday 29th August 2012 in News By Lauren Hockney

A MULTI-million pound school relocation will create its own Olympic legacy in south Essex, a headteacher says.

After £23million of funding was secured from Essex County Council last year, Glenwood School will move from Rushbottom Lane, Benfleet , up the road to the Deanes School site, in Daws Heath Road, Thundersley.

Jan Atkinson, headteacher at Deanes, said the project was in the “planning process” and thoughts have been given to how the move will link in with this summer’s Olympics.

The Deanes School is a specialist sports college and Glenwood is a special needs school, which caters for youngsters aged three to 19.

Mrs Atkinson said: “When Glenwood joins it will be like bringing the Olympic and Paralympic values together, which will be the legacy for this area.

“It’s about two really good schools working together as a partnership and sharing the facilities.”

She added: “We’re thrilled and really excited about it, because it opens up all sorts of opportunities for our students, who perhaps want to be doctors, physiotherapists and get into health and social care.

“It will be a resource for us and Deanes will be a resource for them – it will be brilliant.”

It is also hoped Glenwood pupils will join Deanes’ “Olympic” house system.

The school is divided into four houses with the names of Greek gods – Aphrodite, Poseidon, Athena and Apollo.

Mrs Atkinson added: “We started the new house system just before we knew London had won the Olympics, so we’ve been working on it since then.

“It encourages competition in school, not just in sport, but in other areas of the school too.

“We try to have a balance of being inclusive and encouraging those children who want to be competitive to do that, much like the Olympics.”

The new Glenwood building is planned to open in September 2015. Facilities will include a new sports hall and an all-weather outdoor sports pitch.

The project was previously axed in 2010 after the Government scrapped the £55billion Building Schools for the Future scheme.

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