Wisbech special needs school fights on to reach £40,000 hydrotherapy pool target

We're hearing how being unable to use a hydrotherapy pool at a school for students with special educational needs in Wisbech is having an impact on the children there.

Meadowgate Academy is aiming to raise £40,000 to repair the heating system at the pool, which gives children with complex medical and health needs access to physiotherapy.

The pool, which has been in place since 2012, is thought to be the only one of its kind in Fenland.

"It's a form of therapy I often rely on"

Scott Rowbotham is a neurodevelopmental physiotherapist at Meadowgate:

"We can support them and allow them to float, so that they have access to movement which otherwise, 24 hours a day other than when they're asleep in bed, we have to safely support them in a wheelchair or a standing frame so they aren't able to move," he said.

"It's a form of therapy I often rely on, and classes appreciate me getting into the pool because it means we are providing a form of rehabilitation as they grow.

"In a class, it will not allow them to have an additional opportunity to explore themselves, explore the water and have sometimes their only chance to take part in a physical activity safely."

What does the pool include?

The pool's facilities include hoist systems that can safely lift pupils with physical disabilities between the changing rooms and pool.

Hydrotherapy promotes normal body development, decreases pain and supports general health for pupils with complex health conditions, but in order for it to work properly, the water must be heated to 34 degrees to have any therapeutic benefits.

Three funding bids submitted by Meadowgate Academy to the government have so far been rejected.

"It's difficult not to be frustrated"

"I totally understand there's lots of demand for many schools; it's difficult not to be frustrated but we're committed to trying to solve the problem ourselves," Michelle Flanz, headteacher at Meadowgate, said.

"It's not just the physical benefits; these children get so much out of it, they're out of their chairs, doing wonderful interaction with their staff, it's a brilliant opportunity for them and can happen every day if the pool is open."

The Department for Education has said it cannot comment on ongoing individual cases.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.