Turnshaws School has much to be proud of. OFSTED inspectors were very impressed by everything they saw during their most recent visit to the school and awarded it the supreme accolade of "excellent" in 11 different areas.

Pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties from all over the Kirklees district come to the school. At present there are 49 children and students, aged between 3 and 19 and ranging from the nursery class to the post-16 education group being prepared for life beyond the school. They all have very special educational needs.

Children from Class 3 at Turnshaws School and musicians from Shelley High School have got together to produce a song about Voices. Click below to hear it. Turnshaws Song (28k)

There are as many staff as there are students at the school. The school has its own nurse and experts in physiotherapy, occupational therapists, speech therapists and members of the education services for the hearing and visually impaired all regularly visit.

There is also dedicated provision for pupils with autism including special classrooms as well as staff.

Gill Taylor has been headteacher at Turnshaws for the last four years. She is delighted that, following last year’s OFSTED report, the school has become the first of its kind in Kirklees to receive a special mention from the Chief Inspector of Schools. She thanks all those who contribute to making the school what it is: "The report is a tribute to the work of all staff and governors, the support of parents and carers and the positive attitudes and efforts made by our pupils."

Like every other school in the country Turnshaws follows the National Curriculum but anyone who visits the school will soon realise that here is a school that is providing much more.

Togetherness, Unique, Realistic, Nurturing, Stimulating, Happy, Achieving, Welcoming, Supporting are the qualities listed in the school’s vision statement . Put the first letters of each word together and, of course, you get Turnshaws!

To achieve all of this, and more, you need very special teachers. Gill says: "We need the combination of the fun element in teaching and the creativity."

Gill Taylor

"You’ve got to need to be in a school like Turnshaws because it’s so special. I hate the term Turnshaws Special School but it is a special school for special children and its that element of fun that we’ve got to get.

"You’ve got to extract everything you can out of people and turn it into something beneficial for them, and also to provide parents with the pupils’ successful achievements because they also have the emotional side of coping with the children. They’ve got to see the success, which sometimes may be hidden, and it is the teacher’s skill to extract that from the pupil."

Parents are always welcome at the school where they even have their own room. The parents group meets regularly, providing a forum to share problems and get advice from visiting experts.

The children do not spend all their time in the school. There are visits to the theatre and to music festivals.There is a weekly gym session at New Hall Prison. Every Christmas the women there hold a party for the school.

There is rarely a dull moment at Turnshaws. On our first visit to the school the website team met a group of children from Kirkburton First School, together with their teacher, who were busy making decorations celebrating the Chinese New Year while a visiting theatre group was providing plenty of entertainment in another part of the school.

There are many active links with other colleges and schools in the district. For 12 years pupils have been going back and forth between Turnshaws and Almondbury High School. Now, every Friday, a group of children put on their Almondbury uniforms and become part of that school for the day.

Turnshaws School (together with Highfields School in Huddersfield) is due to close in 2004 when pupils and staff will be transferred to a new school, which is to be built on the campus already shared by Newsome High and Newsome Junior Schools. Gill is looking forward to the modern facilities the new building will provide.

Voices will be visiting Turnshaws School between April and June, 2003 and we will be meeting the pupils and all the staff, taking part in many of their activities, and bringing you regular reports of all that is happening.