Pens Meadow School: the new build

Soundswell have been delivering a service to Pens Meadow school https://www.pens-meadow.dudley.sch.uk/ for at least 6 years. The school previously operated across two sites. Now everyone is all together on the Tiled House Lane campus in Brierley Hill, Dudley.

Earlier this week Jo and Diana had the very great pleasure of a tour of this fabulous, state of the art building. In the words of Marie Hunter head teacher, ‘it has been a very long time coming’. However, once the start date was confirmed, building got underway in March 2024. By January 2026 everyone had moved in.

Michal Pawlowicz, Deputy Headteacher

One of the two deputy heads, our guide was Michal Pawlowicz, whose enthusiasm, sense of humour and passionate advocacy for children and families is front and centre of everything he does.

The overall impression is one of light and space and tranquillity. Aside from the obvious newness (including that lovely new-build smell!), there are so many clever touches. The audio panels throughout which absorb loud sound and stifle echoes, clever storage solutions, including sinks being ‘in cupboards’ and resources cleverly concealed and protected.

One of the stand-out smart solutions has to be the hoist in the hydrotherapy area: it can move along and across the pool, plus leave the pool area and enter the shower and changing area, accessing all the necessary facilities at the touch of a button.

The school has its own kitchen where food is prepared from scratch. Staff there are catering for dietary requirements across the board, including modified diets for pupils with dysphagia.

Outside, everyone can enjoy play areas, pretty gardens with a profusion of colour and sensory plants, plus a forest school area. There are winding (wibbly-wobbly) paths and gentle inclines with attractive seating along the way.

Every classroom has access to an outdoor space via ‘slidy slidy’ doors which support the safety aspect and add to the feelings of space. Few items of equipment are permanently fixed as staff like the option of being able to use the spaces flexibly.

Spaciousness is also reflected in the classrooms. There may be typically ‘only’ between 8 and 10 pupils per room but there are good reasons for this. No-one is crowded – for many of the pupils in school, the need for space is just as important as the need for calm. Staff report the positive impact of the building on pupil ‘behaviour’. Things which can trigger dysregulation have been given thought and where a pupil may need chill-out time, there are various smaller withdrawal rooms plus a wonderful sensory room with interesting, calming and creative visual stimuli.

The school now has an 15 place nursery unit: a huge room with its own generous and exciting outdoor space. According to needs (which are comprehensively assessed during their time in nursery, children may go on to attend Pens Meadow, others move on to different specialist settings.

It’s hard to believe there are up to 140 pupils and around 120 staff in the building! Things are calm and relaxed but passing through the corridors, plenty of quiet, purposeful activity can be observed going on in the classrooms.

However, a beautiful new building can only ever be half the story. The heart of Pens Meadow lies in the people. There is a definite sense of ‘team’ and strong leadership. Throughout our visit, staff were consistently and continuously engaged with pupils – lots of smiling was in evidence! A sense of pride in what has been achieved permeates throughout.