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Stalybridge primary school create new therapy room

What the new therapy room looks like. Image: Nigel Wood.

Buckton Vale Primary School in Stalybridge has created a new therapy room - believed to be a first in Tameside.

The therapeutic classroom has been funded by the Carrbrook school's Friends of Buckton Vale PTA group. 

The children were very excited on Monday (27 February) when they saw it and experienced it for the first time upon returning after the half-term holiday. 

Head teacher Deborah Brown said: "The idea of a therapeutic classroom is that it's very homely, set up so the children are in a calm space. It's quite different to the traditional classroom and it's the first of its kind here in Tameside. 

"We're very lucky our PTA have paid for this classroom to be set up and we are very excited." 

She continued: "Inside the therapeutic classroom, there will be lots of things the children can do such as Lego therapy, music therapy, art therapy and any other type of therapy we feel the children might need. 

"Unfortunately around the UK and internationally at the moment, there is a massive increase in the number of children who are anxious and avoid school. We have some real concerns about that in the world of education and this therapeutic classroom is one way to support children through some of their mental health issues and hopefully it will be the start of a new future in education." 

It's been developed by Cheadle-based company TPC Therapy Ltd, which runs a mental health service for young people and works closely with schools to help embed trauma informed approaches in lots of innovative ways. 

Shahana Knight, a childhood trauma specialist at TPC Therapy Ltd, said: "Part of our work is helping to change the school environment. We know that classrooms have been around for about 50 years in the same style and we're hoping to change that.

"We want to say goodbye to plastic tables and chairs and start to create rooms which feel homely and safe for our children - spaces that put their mental health and wellbeing at the core of everything they do in school and spaces that make them feel safe so they can actually learn and come to school and want to be there. 

"We're at Buckton Vale to help them create an intervention / group workspace - somewhere nurturing and safe for the children to come to when they're struggling with their emotions, their behaviour or their feelings at school." 

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