Summerwood | CHI | Post 16 Campuses | School Campuses

Our New Linwood Post 16 Skills Centre

Welcome to our page to document the exciting new building that is being prepared for Linwood Post 16 Students. We have been fortunate to acquire a former Children’s Centre which is just off Ashley Road in Parkstone, formerly known as The Ted Webster Centre.

The building had been vacant for approximately six months when we first viewed it and was looking a little sad. However, we were blown away by the space it could offer our students and the building’s potential. Our Post 16 Skills Centre is currently based at Linwood Main Campus, where the students are surrounded by our younger classes and are in rooms that are not really fit for purpose. Our main focus for these students is to prepare them for the future and help them become independent adults and we are hopeful that this new building will enable this further.

It will still have a similar timetable to what students already follow and will be run by our staff who they are already familiar with and be supported by the leadership team at Linwood School. We will still be providing school lunches as students require and running the enterprise businesses that the students have already began. Seascape builders are currently in the building preparing it for its new look and we are hoping that they will hand it over to us as finished in August 2025. We will then spend September furnishing the building and introducing the students to it through some carefully managed transition with the aim of moving in just before October half term… Fingers crossed!

We will use this page to report to all of our partners: parents, local authorities, governors, students and staff, the progress of the building work and the plans. You will see below galleries of different dates that contain photos of the building in various stages and the plans drawn up by the architects. We will also be adding to the Frequently Asked Questions section as time progresses with specific concerns or queries and adding more galleries as time progresses.

Thank you for taking this exciting journey with us!

Teresa Brennan
Head of Campuses

Download Post-16 brochure

Before Work Starts

Class A

Class A1

Class A2

Class A3

Class A4

Class with Sky Lights

Class with Sky Lights break away

Entrance

First Floor Classroom

First Floor Meeting Room

Flat

Pastoral Room

Pastoral Room 2

Reception Desk

Staff Kitchen

Tasty Bites

Tasty Bites Class

Upstairs Kitchen

February 2025

Classroom 1

Classroom 2

Classroom 3

Classroom 5

Classroom 6

Corridor

Entrance

Hall

IT Server Room

Kitchen Servery

Outside

Outside Recreation Area

Roof

Room

Staff Room

Tasty Bites

April 2025

Admin Office FF

Air con unit for server room

Bathroom

Classroom 1

Classroom 1a

Classroom 2

Classroom 2a

Classroom 3

Classroom 5

Cleaning Cupboard

Cupboard

Damaged Floor Server Room

Entrance Gates

Exit Gates

Hall

Kitchen Servery

Kitchenett FF

Life Skills Class

New Flashings

New Sky Lights

Office 1

Office 2

Outside Kitchen Servery

PPA Room

Pastoral Room

Pastoral Room 2

Patch Repairs Roof

Plant Room

Quiet Room

Reception Area

Reprographics Room

Staff Room

Storage

Storage 2

Tasty Bites Room

Tasty Bites Room2

Walkway

Plans

Proposed Site Plan

Proposed Ground Floor Plan

Proposed First Floor Plan

Proposed West Elevation

Frequently Asked Questions

Is school transport going to be available and at the same cost?

We are in contact with transport, and they are aware of the challenges of changing the transport for the new site. You will need to apply for transport as usual and this would initially be to the Linwood site or Springwood for September 2025. We are in the process of getting more information from BCP/Dorset & Hants and will share it here when we have received this.

What is the start and finish times of the school day?

The school day will start at 9.00 am and will finish at 3.00pm.

Is there a school meal option?

Yes, there will be a hot cooked school meal, the kitchen staff are consulting with the students at the Skills Centre over the next few weeks as to what they would like on the menu.

Is there a transition period? How long will this be for and how will it be done?

Transition is an essential part of this process, we want all our students to be involved in this process. Students will have multiple opportunities to visit the building and their classes prior to the start date. We are hoping that the different businesses will be involved in the development of the Tasty Bites room, the garden and the pictures that we display.

There will be some social stories and information packs nearer the start date to support students’ transition. Periodically staff will talk to students and show pictures of developments of the building.

How many pupils will be at the Skills Centre?

The building has capacity to support around 60 students. We do not anticipate that we will have this number of students until the third year of opening and it is also dependent on the needs of the students.

As classes are bigger does that mean there will be more students in each class?

Class sizes will remain similar to those that we have had over the last few years. Each class size will vary dependent upon the needs of the students in the group.

Will students who have 1-1 support still have this?

The level of support that the students currently have will continue in the new building.

Will students be allowed to go off site for lunch as they do in other P16 campuses?

We would anticipate that the students would stay on site over their lunch break and be supervised by staff.

Is the site secure?

The building will be compliant with all health and safety regulations in line with the rest of the school. There will be an In Ventry system in line with the other Linwood campuses and Mag Lock doors to prevent intruders. None of the Linwood Buildings are deemed as Secure Sites.

Will the site be ready for September 2025?

We are hoping that the building work will be completed around August and the building then handed to us. It will come to us as an empty shell, and we will need to furnish it etc.. We are looking to move sometime within the first half of the autumn term. This will give the staff and students an opportunity to be involves in successful transitions and involvement in the setting up of the classes and outdoor areas.

Are all the staff from the current Skills Centre going to the new provision?

Not all the staff who are currently at the Skills Centre are able to go to the new building but there will be many staff who the students are familiar with who will be going along with some new faces as there are every year currently.

How will staff shortages be covered at short notice?

Staff shortages will be covered as they are now within the Skills Centre. We are in consultation with an agency who are able to provide quality staff at short notice to ensure our students have the right support.

Is there parking for parents who drop and pick up?

Whilst there is not a huge amount of parking on site parents would be able to drive in and out of the site to drop their child off.

Will there still be enrichment activities and the businesses?

The curriculum will continue as it is within the Skills Centre, we will still be running the businesses and hope that we can develop these further within the new setting.

Students will be part of a work based supported business which will replicate the workplace. These businesses give the students the opportunity to develop skills and focus on their EHCP targets both individually and collectively. Businesses will run for two and a half days per week.