Seashell Trust
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox school
| name = Seashell Trust
| image = SeashellNewSchoolUnderConstructionTheMouldingFoundationBuilding.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| established = {{start date and age|1823}}
| type = Special School
| president =
| r_head_label = Acting Chief Executive Officer
| r_head = Brandon Leigh
| head_label = Head of Royal School
| head = Emma Houldcroft
| chair_label =
| chair = Chris Smale
| founders = Robert Phillips and William Bateman
| address = Stanley Road
| city = Cheadle Hulme
| county =
| country = England
| postcode = SK8 6RQ
| local_authority = Stockport
| ofsted = yes
| urn = 106166
| staff = 500
| enrolment = 109
| gender = Mixed
| lower_age = 2
| upper_age = 25
| houses =
| colours =
| publication =
| website = {{URL|http://www.seashelltrust.org.uk}}
}}
Seashell Trust (formerly Royal Schools for the Deaf) is a charity in Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, England, for children, young people and adults with sensory impairment, profound and multiple learning difficulties, and profound communication difficulties. It is the oldest deaf children's charity in North West England and operates Royal School Manchester and Royal College Manchester, as well as children and adult care and residential homes including a supported tenancy.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
Schools
The Trust's special school is called Royal School Manchester, the Trust's independent specialist college [ISC] is Royal College Manchester. In addition, the Trust also operates ten adult care homes and seven children's homes.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
History
The original school was established in 1823 by Robert Phillips, a Manchester merchant, with the assistance of fellow merchant William Bateman. It attained its royal status by Queen Victoria in 1897, and queen was its patron. It first opened in Salford in 1825, with 14 children, but it became necessary to move to a larger building, in Old Trafford, where the foundation stone was laid in 1836.{{cite book |title=The Strangers' Guide to Manchester, with a Map of the Environs, and Illustrations of Public Buildings |date=1857 |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3aJYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA31 |language=en}} It opened on 21 June 1837.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}
File:Manchester Blind Asylum and Deaf and Dumb School 1838.jpg
The school remained there until 1956, when a new campus was built in Cheadle Hulme. The school in Trafford remained open until 1982 and the charity now operates solely from the one site.{{cite web |url=http://www.seashelltrust.org.uk/aboutus/history.php |title=History |publisher=Seashell Trust |accessdate=9 January 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} The name was changed to Seashell Trust in 2008 because the former one (Royal Schools for the Deaf) was "misleading", according to governors.{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/education/s/1079044_new_name_for_historic_deaf_school |title=New name for historic deaf school |publisher=Guardian Media Group |work=Manchester Evening News |date=12 November 2008 |accessdate=9 January 2009}}
In 2020, the Trust sold the green belt land it owned adjoining the school to housing developer Bloor Homes.[https://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/seashell-sells-land-to-fund-special-needs-school/ Seashell sells land to fund special needs school], Place North West, 8 June 2020
Deafness impairment
The reference to deafness in the name of the school had become obsolete because an increasing number of the students enrolled had communication difficulties but were normally hearing. In particular, the Seashell Trust had developed considerable expertise in working with normally hearing autistic students. The deaf students now admitted by Seashell all have very complex additional needs, including visual impairments, physical difficulties and low general ability.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}
Nomenclature
The Seashell Trust as a charity is effectively the parent body of the former Royal School for the Deaf and Communication Disorders. In changing the name of the school, it was decided to make a clear distinction between its school and its college (which occupy different parts of the campus). It was also decided to remove the reference to disability in the name. The school accepts students from preschool through to 19 years. The college runs a three-year programme, usually commencing when a student is 19 years old.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|1=http://www.seashelltrust.org.uk}}
{{Schools in Stockport}}
{{Schools for the deaf}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Private schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
Category:Special schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
Category:Charities based in Greater Manchester
Category:Educational institutions established in 1823
Category:1823 establishments in England
Category:Further education colleges in Greater Manchester