Fairfax Academy sensory room: Former Paralympian and Birmingham City University Chancellor Ade Adepitan officially opened a new sensory room at Fairfax Academy – hailing the facility as “absolutely brilliant”.
Ade cut the ribbon on Thursday 9 July to launch the room, the final addition to the school’s Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) centre.
The centre, funded by a £39,600 grant from Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, supports students who struggle with emotional regulation, mental wellbeing or behavioural challenges.
The sensory room is fitted with colourful equipment designed to calm or stimulate the senses, giving students a dedicated space to reset during the school day.
Ade said: “What I’ve seen today was absolutely brilliant. I’m really impressed by the facilities.
“These can be tough times for families, especially those with SEND kids, so to have this kind of facility at the school is amazing. It’s going to vastly improve students’ lives and give them the space they need to relax and improve their mental health.”
The project has transformed the SEMH space, adding a raised ceiling, new furniture and two quiet pods where students can study in privacy.
Above the pods is an inspirational quote from Ade, who won gold at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup in Manchester during his wheelchair basketball career.
It says: “We can all be superheroes, no matter who we are or where we’re from.”
Principal Sean Castle described the opening as “a great day for Fairfax”.
He said: “This facility is about breaking down barriers in education and offering another avenue of support, so students can take a break from the curriculum, regulate and then readily access lessons again afterwards.
“It’s an important thing to promote equality so all students can make the most of their education. As a recognised champion of equality, Ade was the perfect person to open the room – he really aligns with our values as a Trust, and we’re so grateful for his support.”
The SEMH centre gives students somewhere to reset when they feel overwhelmed by the noise and bustle of lessons or school life.
Staff run one-to-one and group sessions around anxiety and self-regulation, while the centre is also used before school, at break and lunchtime, and by a small number of students during lessons.
Student Grace, a regular user of the centre, said the space had made a real difference.
She said: “This room is so important because it provides a safe space to talk, reset and regulate yourself. It’s a very calming space and there are staff in here almost all of the time.
“I have severe scoliosis and recently had back surgery. When I came back, I could sit in here to catch up on my schoolwork and homework, which helped me get back into the flow of school gradually. It was so helpful.”
Ade was appointed Chancellor of Birmingham City University (BCU) in 2024, bringing inspirational goals to make higher education more accessible and work better for disabled students.
Karen Corbett, Associate Assistant Principal for Inclusion and Wellbeing and the academy’s SENCo, said: “It’s been amazing having Ade here representing BCU, who we work closely with on careers and university pathways for our students.
“As an academy, we have first-hand experience of how good the university’s SEND offer is, and we have a close working relationship with them.
“We had a physically disabled student who left Fairfax and went to BCU, where they went on to achieve a first-class bachelor’s degree and then a first-class master’s degree.
“Having Ade here today reflects the shared values we have over SEND provision.”
After cutting the ribbon, Ade toured the school as students marked Culture Day.
He then joined students and staff for a game of boccia before taking the opportunity to shoot a few basketball hoops in the gym.
Clare Haines, grants manager for Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, said the £39,600 grant had been put to “brilliant” use.
She said: “I think the facilities look fantastic, and it’s a brilliant use of funding to transform this room to meet the needs of local students. We’re proud to be supporting something of this nature.
“We’ve seen more and more applications for sensory room funding in primary schools in recent years, but not many secondary schools, so it’s great to see these facilities being used and making a difference to students.”
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Ade Adepitan opens new Fairfax Academy sensory room
