Frequently Asked Questions ��Our New School
You asked… We answered!
Can we see a map of the school with people’s offices/ classrooms please?
This is a floor plan of the new school- Ground Floor
This is a floor plan of the new school- First Floor
The classrooms
Ground Floor
Miss Shaw
Mrs Murphy/Miss Wilkinson
Miss Walsh
Mrs Wood
First Floor
Mr Whelan
Mr Healey
Mrs Garfin
Mr Wood
Mr Kanakides
Miss Sherwin
Mrs Shawcross
What are the classrooms going to look like?
All classrooms will look quite similar, so if you are taught in different rooms, they will feel familiar.
On the teaching wall there will be an interactive screen and a whiteboard. All rooms have a quiet area that you can get to from inside of your classroom.
Arriving at and leaving school at the end of the day.
How do I get into school on the first day?
You will come in the gates near the tram stop. There will be lots of staff around to direct you to your new classroom.
Where will we wait at the end of the school day?
You wait in a designated area on the ground floor. Your teachers will tell you which space you will wait in on the first day back.
Where will the taxis wait?
When pupils come back after Easter the taxis and minibuses will be waiting in the same places as they do now.
Where will children being collected by their parents go?
There will be an allocated space on the ground floor where you will wait. Your form teacher will tell you where this will be.
Classes and Lessons
Is my class timetable the same?
Yes, your timetable will be the same. The lessons you have on a rotation will change like they usually do because it is the start of a new term.
What number class will I be in?
In the new building we are going call classes by their teacher names for example Mr Donovan’s class instead of Class 9.
Is the first day going to be a fun day/get to know the building day?
Lessons 1 and 2 will be own classes but the rest of the day will follow the usual timetable.
Will my desk be the same?
You will have a new desk if you are in a classroom on the first floor. If you are in a classroom on the ground floor you might recognise some of the furniture from our current school.
Will we get to go on a tour of the whole school?
Each class will go on a tour of the school on the first day. This will help to familiarise yourself with the layout and where everything is.
Classes and Lessons
Will I have my space on my desk for my calendar, timetables and my things?
This is something that your class team can help you manage. You might not have your own table but there will be somewhere for you to store your things.
Can we have a toaster/kettle in the classroom kitchen areas?
Healthy and Safety rules means we can not have a toaster or kettle in the classroom.
Will we have our own trays in the classroom?
There will be space in your classroom to keep your own belongings. There will space to hang your coats up.
The Dining Room
How many people can sit together in the dining hall?
The tables in our new dining room are the ones from our current building. Four pupils/staff can sit at them.
Will there still be a picture menu?
We will still have a menu each week with widgit symbols.
Will we still have the same sittings?
Yes, we will still be having the same sittings.
Miss Shaw’s class at 12 o’ clock.
First sitting will be Mr Healey’s class, Mrs Murphy/Miss Wilkinson’s class, Miss Walsh’s class, Mrs Garfin’s class and Post 16.
Second sitting will be Mr Whelan’s class, Mr Wood’s class, Mrs Wood’s class, Mr Donovan’s class and Miss Graham’s class.
What will the knives, forks and spoons be like in the dining room?
We will be using the same plates, cups and cutlery as we did in the old dining room.
Will there be mac ’n’ cheese (the same as my sister makes) in the new school building?
The kitchen staff are staying the same, they will make food that you have had before and will sometimes add new things to the menu.
Playtimes
Will we still have a MUGA and where will it be?
The MUGA is being moved and football will still be available. You can see where it will be located on the floor plan.
What playground are we going to go on?
There will be some space available to go outside next to the new building. You can see it on the floor plan. It is quite limited but this is while the rest of the school site is being built.
Will there be a room for VR club?
Yes, VR club will still be on each day. Where this is will be confirmed on the first day back after Easter.
Will art club still be on each day?
Yes, there will still be an art club at break and lunch times. The location will be confirmed on the first day back after Easter.
How big is the football pitch going to be?
It will be similar to the MUGA now.
Will football still be in key stages?
Yes it will be.
Key stage 3 – Monday and Wednesday
Key Stage 4 – Tuesday and Thursday
Girls only - Friday
Toilets
Where are the toilets located? �
There are toilets for pupils on both floors.
On the ground floor there are six cubicles for boys and two toilets for girls.
On the first floor there are six cubicles for girls and two toilets for boys.
There are toilets for staff on both floors.
Are there mirrors in the pupil toilets?
Yes, there will be mirrors.
Are there urinals in the boys’ toilets?
There are no urinals in the toilets.
Fire alarm and fire drills
What’s the fire alarm going to sound like?
We are not sure at the moment, even Mr Cooper doesn’t know what it will sound like but we will try to find out and record the sound to play to you before we have a fire drill.
Where do we line up for a fire drill?
You will line up in classes outside near the MUGA. Your teacher will explain this to you in more detail in class.
PE and Changing Rooms
Where are we going to do PE?
You will do PE on the MUGA or off-site at Stretford Leisure.
Where will we get changed for PE?
You will get changed in quiet areas of the two spare classrooms. They are being used as changing rooms temporarily. There will be a changing room for boys and a changing room for girls.
The Lift and Stairs
Who can use the lifts?
Only certain members of staff will be able to use the lift. Certain pupils might need to use the lift but they would have to have a member of staff with them.
How many sets of stairs are there?
There are two stairwells in school. One set near the main entrance and the chapel and the other set are near the one set near Mr Whelan’s classroom and the OT room.
Post 16
Is there a TV in the common room?
Yes, there is a TV in the common room.
Can post 16 play football?
No, not at breaktimes.
Can we have breaks outside?
Post 16 have a wonderful new common room but there will be an allocated space for you.
Your staff will tell you where that is when they have been told by Mr Moloney.
If you have permission from your parents/carers you are also still allowed to go off-site.
What are the chairs going to be like in the common room?
The chairs are new in the common room. They are soft and comfy.
Will there be a DT room and Food Tech Room?
Yes, there is a new DT room which is on the ground floor. There is also a Food Technology room and Café on the ground floor.
What will be in the space our current school is on?
By September 2026, the car park, horticulture, play areas, forest school and the new pavilion building will all be on the site where our original school was.
Where will the art room be?
Mrs Wood’s form room will be in the new art room. You will have your art lessons in there if you have Mrs Wood for Art.
Where will Mr Moloney’s office be?
Mr Moloney’s office is on the ground floor near the main entrance.
Will there be a sensory room in the new school?
Yes, there is a sensory/immersive room in the new school. It is located on the first floor near the SaLT room.
Will we be getting new computers?
No, the computers will be the ones from the current ICT suites.
General Questions
General Questions cont. …
Will the new chapel be ready when we move in?
The chapel will be ready when we move into the new school building. It is located on the ground floor near the main entrance.
Will the new school have books to read?
Yes, each classroom should have reading books and books to read for pleasure and we will have a lovely new library. We are very lucky we have lots of books.
Are there CCTV cameras on the corridors?
No there is not any CCTV inside the school but there will be CCTV on the outside of the school building.
Where will the new ICT suite be?
There is one ICT suite on the ground floor and one ICT suite on the first floor.
Where will the SALT room be?
The SaLT room is on the first floor.
The next phase of building work
Will there be a swimming pool in there?
We will not be having a swimming pool but will be having a hydrotherapy pool in the annex building when it gets built.
Will there be a climbing frame?
There are plans to have outdoor play equipment eventually. How this will look has not been finalised yet.
What’s the playground going to be like?
When the building work is finally finished in September 2026 the outdoor space will be amazing but we will be limited for space until then.
Will the playground have a big swing?
Initially the playground will not have a swing but it might do when the construction work finishes and we have a full site back to use.
What is happening with the old building?
It will get demolished and the pavilion building, car park, horticulture and play areas will be on site.
When will this building be knocked down?
The old school building is planned to be demolished by May 2025.
How big will the sports hall be and when will it be ready?
The sports hall will be bigger than the hall we used to have. It will be ready for September 2026.
Any other questions…
Will we have a tube slide like in Bendrigg?
No, we will not have a Tube Slide like Bendrigg.
Will there be a cinema in the new school?
No, there will not be a cinema in the new school but there will be screens in the dining room.
Will we be getting new bikes in the new school?
There are bikes stored at Longford Park. We are not planning on buying anymore at the moment.
Is there a third floor?
There is roof access for the maintenance team. There are solar panels on the roof to generate electricity and support being a carbon neutral school.
Where will we sit our exams?
We will use a spare classroom until the end of this academic year for exam. Next year the location will probably change. When the building work is complete in September 2026, exams will be carried out in the hall in the pavilion building.
What is the cafe going to look like? Who will be running it? Can we buy things from it?
The café will probably not be up and running during this academic year. The planning and preparation for how this will work will happen when we are in the new building.