The Ponds School officially opened its new doors yesterday, after three years spent in the grounds of Riverstone High School.
What's not to love about this school.
It has a Sway Fun, which is a bit like an amusement park ride in that you can sit in your wheelchair on a platform and be swayed back and forth like a boat at sea.
There’s a trampoline, a Liberty swing (a gift from Rotary and purpose-built for kids and adults in wheelchairs), a sensory panel on which kids can play music, a water play area, a wheelchair accessible sandpit (you can wheel your chair underneath it) — and a bike track.
We spotted seven-year-old Kai Bailey excitedly taking a bike for a spin on the track on his second day of school last week.
The track has line and lane markings just like a real road, so kids can learn the rules while having fun.
‘‘We divide our school into 1.5-hour teaching sessions and 20-minute breaks,’’ said principal Leonie Donaldson, who introduced us to eight-year-old Georgia Jonas, one of two pupils who actually lives in The Ponds; the other is Imogen Todd.
Georgia told us ‘knock-knock’ jokes and sang for us.
Her teacher Dee Malak also lives in The Ponds.
VIDEO: High support teacher Dee Malak demonstrates how the school’s four TAP-it interactive learning stations work in this video, below.
After three years spent in the grounds of Riverstone High School, the trio — and principal — are particularly happy the school has moved to 201 The Ponds Boulevard, The Ponds.
‘‘This is the first SPP (school for specific purposes) to be built in north western Sydney since [Kellyville’s] Tallowood School,’’ Ms Donaldson, of Castle Hill, said.
With 100 pupils in 16 classes, the school for students with moderate or severe intellectual disabilities has already reached capacity, taking in pupils from within a 40-kilometre radius of the school.
Other features of the school include a hydrotherapy pool with ceiling hoists for therapy, water awareness and learn to swim classes.
All classrooms have a storeroom, bathroom, withdraw room and breakout space.
Light switch boxes have keys, staff have swipe cards to all areas and each classroom has a skylight, so rooms can be darkened and lightened.
‘‘It means we don’t have to use the lights which is great for electricity saving,’’ Ms Donaldson said.
■ Tell us what you think.
The Ponds School
■ Ponds pupils keen to dive into new school — and pool (January 27, 2015)
Riverbank Public School
■ GALLERY: Go inside The Ponds' new primary school (January 21, 2015)
■ Riverbank Public School: A Complete Guide (January 22, 2015)
The Ponds High School
■ GALLERY: Go inside The Ponds' new high school (January 27, 2015)