We were in the Plymouth Herald yesterday – page 3. And honestly, it still doesn’t feel quite real.
Pounds House in Central Park in Plymouth.
For those who don’t know the building – it’s a Grade II listed Victorian villa that’s been sitting empty for years, right in the heart of the city. And with planning permission now secured, it’s going to become ‘Phoenix Bay Park’ – a specialist SEND school for up to 40 young people across primary and secondary age.
I grew up in Plymouth, I’ve walked past Pounds House my whole life. The idea that a whole new generation of young people – young people who’ve often had a really difficult time in education – will be building their own memories in that building is something I find genuinely hard to put into words.
Because that’s what we’re really about. Not just giving young people a school. Giving them a place. A place that says you belong here, and your education isn’t over just because mainstream hasn’t worked.
We’re trauma-informed to our core. Small classes. High staff ratios. Bespoke pathways – whether that’s barbering, carpentry, digital media, or something else entirely. We meet young people where they are.
We did it in Newton Abbot. We’re ready to do it in Plymouth.
Thank you to Janet King and The Plymouth Herald for telling our story.
And to everyone who’s been part of making Pounds House what it’s becoming.
This is happening and September can’t come soon enough!
