We were so lucky to have a beautiful day full of sunshine to welcome Councillor Caroline Chugg (the Chair of Devon County Council), our parents and families, along with other VIPs to the official opening of Orchard Manor School. 

The VIPs arrived at midday and welcomed and served drinks by Harry, Aiden, Rhys, Connor and James who were extremely well presented in our new school uniform and blazers.  They did a wonderful job of welcoming all the visitors.  Lunch was served and time was spent chatting to the Governors and the Senior Leadership Team before the VIPs were taken off for a look around our new school.  They had an opportunity to see the Pizza Oven, our Forest School and our Rural Skills area  as well as to asking staff any questions they had. 

Whilst this was going on, in all the classrooms, there were mini-celebrations happening too.  Cakes and soft drinks were enjoyed by all the students to ensure that everyone was included in the party atmosphere.

The families were invited to join in our celebrations later in the afternoon.  They were treated to our fantastic Makaton Choir which welcomed the visitors with beautifully sung and acted words to Cyndi Lauper’s song True Colours.  All of the students involved did a beautiful job and everyone really enjoyed it. 

Councillor Chugg then gave a short speech before she unveiled the plaque to commemorate the school’s official opening.  She said she was delighted to be officiating at our opening ceremony and emphasised the importance of our school in providing specialist Education and Care provision for the whole County.  Our Chair of Governors, Maggie Carter, was also here and gave a speech too, which described Orchard Manor School as being progressive and committed to the on-going development of its provision to meet the needs of individual pupils and the demand for specialist provision places.  Then our Executive Principal Mark Rose paid tribute to all of our wonderfully talented pupils and the incredibly motivated and skilled staff and dedicated and supportive parents. He also reinforced the school’s commitment to supporting all pupils to become independent, responsible young people who can contribute positively to society. At the end, he thanked the local community for their on-going support and said he is looking forward to building more connections in the future. 

Amber Hurdley presented Councillor Chugg with a beautiful bouquet of flowers at the end of the speeches. 

Torbay Brass Band provided the musical background and some excellent entertainment for our visitors - whilst they enjoyed coffee and cakes provided by our wonderful catering staff.  Everyone really enjoyed themselves, and some of our children and teachers really got into the swing of things and helped play some musical instruments alongside the band.  The bouncy castle on the lawn was also very successful.  Towards the end of the afternoon we were all given an ice-cream out of the ice-cream bicycle by Harry, Aiden, Rhys, Connor and James.  Delicious!

All in all it was a lovely day, and a fitting launch for our new school.