The Opening School Facilities (OSF) funding has had a significant impact on Treetops Free School and the Thurrock community. Through OSF, Treetops have been able to increase their community provision, now being able to provide community sessions 7 days a week. The funding has also enabled the school to increase their SEND provision through new accessible Netball, Multisport and CrossFit activities. As a result of OSF funding in the school, they have witnessed 70 new students engage in extracurricular sessions.
The funding has been tailored to those with SEND and additional needs, with the opportunities allowing students, ex-learners, and community members a safe and familiar environment to take part in physical activity.
Opening School Facilities funding has also enabled the school to open for longer in the evenings and at the weekend, enabling other opportunities to become available, allowing work experience for those within post-nineteen provision within the café to gain valuable socialisation and life-skills.
Going forward, the aim is to open their space more in the holidays and at weekends. Speaking to parents helped Tree Tops understand that there isn’t much respite provisions during the school holidays at a low cost. By speaking to current activity providers, Tree Tops hope to find out ‘What’s next?’. Due to the current lack of SEND fitness sessions, Treetops hopes to be the home of specialist fitness sessions within Thurrock in the near future.
Anthony Hattam, Treetops Free School Headteacher explained; “With this funding, our ambition and dream is to make this more than just a school. We have a huge site, with Treetops opening in 2008 and the Free School opening in 2021, now these have established fully, and facilities have opened, we can offer so much more to the local community. For us, at Treetops, it’s about trying to give more opportunities to the local children and families that have SEN and physical disabilities.”
Stuart Tryhorn, Assistant Relationship Manager at Active Essex, who helped coordinate the funding to school said;
“Treetops Free School is dedicated to providing specialised education to students with SEN, and staff are trained to meet the individual needs of each student. In 2022 Treetops accessed the 3 year Opening Schools Facilities Programme to further their offer for those individuals with SEND and long-term health conditions within their community.
Treetops are working with partners who have a passion and expertise of working with SEN children and adults, people with disabilities in an inclusive way. Thurrock has limited opportunities for a wide range of people, this programme aims to reduce that by opening their facilities. The Trust is well known locally for the education they provide, which should transfer to out of hours community activities.”
