New school opens to help rehabilitate children

The new school inside Hinckley's Atkins Building will help children return to the classroom

A new school has opened in a Leicestershire town to help children with health conditions back into mainstream education.

The Children’s Hospital School has opened The Phoenix Learning Centre in Hinckley offering 12-week placements.

The school will be for pupils aged 11 to 16 who have been out of the classroom for health reasons such as anxiety and mental health conditions, and children who are inpatients at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield Hospital.

It will be based inside the Atkins Building and means children in south Leicestershire will not need to travel to Leicester for the Children's Hospital School's other three sites.

Children whose health has kept them out of mainstream schooling can begin their journey back at the new school

Headteacher Stephen Deadman said: “Having a centre locally means that students are able to remain within their community which we know increases a successful transition back into school.”

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council deputy leader Mark Bools said The Phoenix Learning Centre will be “of great benefit to children across Hinckley and Bosworth as they work towards getting back into their regular school”.