New Rainbow room at school

Pupils and staff at Audlem St James' school have been celebrating after the official opening of a new multi-purpose classroom.

The Rainbow room was designed and developed by staff members Shirleeann Southall-Martin and Sue Smart over two months and was officially opened this week by Crewe & Nantwich Borough Council leader Cllr. John Hammond. He described it as "a wonderful facility."

The room is a first of its kind in south Cheshire and will be used as a place to offer emotional and educational support to children. The school's headteacher Catherine Nolan-Birkitt says: "We wanted to develop an area where children could be nurtured because if they aren't emotionally settled and happy, with an outlet for their feelings, they won't learn. It's just magical and the difference it's making to children in our school is clear for all to see already"

She added: "What gave us the push to start was some funding we received from the Nantwich Educational Improvement Partnership. But without the village, the community and the parents' contribution we would certainly not be where we are today."

The room will be used for reading, writing and numeracy lessons and will also be used by pupils for cookery, drama and puppet shows. Some of the children and staff are pictured in the room in this week's Market Drayton Advertiser, which is available at Williams' newsagents.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.