Developments
Penn Hall soon to unveil its Woodland Creative and Adventure Trail
National Lottery Awards bid
The Woodland Creative and Adventure Trail at Penn Hall School is a unique and innovative development that will provide a range of exciting, challenging and creative opportunities for both physically disabled and able bodied children. In a major building project that has cost in excess of £180k, the existing playground has been extended to provide easy access for wheelchair users to the area of woodland that is attached to the school. In this area the children have a slide, abseil rope, low level traverse wall, speaking tubes and range of play panels to entertain them.
A range of activity areas which are accessible to disabled users have also been created in the woodland. These include a bespoke zip wire, a wheelchair abseil, dedicated problem solving areas, orienteering trails, nature and night-time trails, story telling and outdoor cooking areas. Already our children, many of whom have been actively involved in the design of the project, are being challenged, thrilled and invigorated by the adventurous and creative opportunities that they are enjoying in a woodland environment, that they would find difficult to access elsewhere. Many educational opportunities are presenting themselves, in this outdoor setting, based upon a Forest Schools type approach.
The impetus in enabling this vision to materialise came from Lottery funding but the project has grown to embrace a range of partners who continue to contribute to its development. Now that the Trail is established, it is hoped to offer the fantastic range of facilities to local Primary schools children.
Recent Successes
Penn Hall School is nominated by Birmingham Midshires as their ‘Charity of the Year 2007’
UK
Kielder Challenge winners 2006 and Runner Up 2004
Artsmark
Gold Award 2006
Nominated
as a Innovation Centre for Black Country Creative Partnerships July 2006
Successful
CSCI Inspection March 2005
Successful
Investor in People Review 2005
OFSTED
2003 “Penn Hall is a very good school with a number of excellent features” Highlighted
in Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools Annual Report 2003/04
Sportsmark
Gold with distinction 2003
Successful
SCOPE appraisal for Wolverhampton School for Parents 2003
ASA
Swimming Centre of Excellence (July 2003)
BA
Science Silver Crest Awards Runners Up (Regional Finals)
Expansion
of out of hours learning including further developments of Penn Pals after
school club within the extended schools programme