Holt Hall is saved for children with learning difficulties and disabilities
New lease of life as Norfolk County Council revamps Holt Hall
Steve Downes, Education Correspondent
Friday, July 1, 2011
6:00 PM
Holt Hall Environmental and Outdoor Learning Centre.
A Norfolk field studies centre is enjoying a new lease of life, just over a year after it was threatened with closure.
Holt Hall Environmental and Outdoor Learning Centre escaped the axe last year when Norfolk County Council looked set to remove funding from it and Wells Field Study Centre.
It was reprieved, and now the council has spent £43,000 to upgrade its facilities to make it more accessible and user-friendly for children with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Some of the money was spent on training staff, who recently hosted a conference at the hall to inspire teachers to use their school gardens and outdoor areas to support the learning of children with special educational needs.
Working with the Royal Horticultural Society and Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the conference included a range of workshops including creating a wormery and working with wildlife in the school grounds.
It was opened by Shelagh Hutson, chairman of the county council, who is focusing on outdoor learning during her year in office.
She said: “I am thrilled to see Holt Hall supporting even more children with disabilities and learning difficulties to access the outdoors.
“I know that children and young people benefit fantastically from hands-on learning and the outdoors is a source of learning across subjects, whether it be geography, science, English or maths. Outdoor education also gives children a chance to be active and develop skills that they can take home to benefit their families and the environment.”
The work builds on the successful Roots and Shoots programme which has seen children work to redevelop the Victorian walled garden at the hall.
The council is hoping that recent improvements to the toilets and showers will encourage more groups of children with disabilities to use the facilities.
Alison Thomas, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “A tremendous amount of work is going on at Holt Hall to try to attract more groups of young people to make use of the facilities and access the benefits that this wonderful building has to offer.”
John Perry-Warnes, county councillor for Holt, said: “Holt Hall is buzzing again now that more children are enjoying the facilities. The improvements are proving very worthwhile both financially and, more importantly, for our young people.”
