A PRIMARY school has unveiled a brand new sensory room, which was installed thanks to a huge donation from the National Lottery.

Stanford-le-Hope Primary School, on Copland Road, recently converted a small office into a fantastic sensory room.

The Big Lottery Fund provided £10,000, allowing the school to transform a small, little used office space into a high tech sensory room, full of incredible equipment such as mirrors, bean bags, mats, lights and tactile toys.

The new sensory room, which has been in the works since 2015, aims to provide a unique and stimulating learning environment that will enable the school’s pupils to thrive.

Joanne Bray, headteacher at the school, praised the new facilities as a great addition to the school site.

She said: “The opening of the sensory room is the culmination of a great deal of hard work which started way back in December 2017.

“It’s amazing to see the children enjoying the room and benefitting from the effects of the different stimuli.”

A sensory room is a special room designed to develop a person’s senses, usually through special lighting, music, and objects.

They can be used as a therapy tool for children with limited communication skills.

The school is now looking into buying more sensory toys for the room to make the experience even more special for the children who use the room.

The school has a nursery assessment base and a base for visually impaired children and the room will especially enhance the provision for these children.

However they will not be the only children to benefit from this fantastic space.

It will provide both a haven of calm for some children and a stimulating, exciting environment for others in which to explore all of their different senses.

The room was officially opened by Paul Griffiths, the CEO of St Cleres Multi-Academy Trust.