Mountjoy is a Special School located in Beaminster, West Dorset. The school provides a warm and close-knit community for young people between the ages of 2.5 and 19 and aims to help maximise their potential for learning and independence.
It was a brand new school – built for 48 pupils with physical and learning disabilities and is nearly four times bigger than the old building on Flood Lane in Bridport. The outdoor play area is almost 10 times the size of the former playground.
Dorset County Council agreed to re-locate Mountjoy from Bridport onto the Beaminster School site in 2010, after discussions with the headteacher and governors at the secondary school.
The budget for the Mountjoy project was just under £9 million, and also included providing state-of-the-art learning facilities for all pupils such as a sensory studio, media studio, sensory hydrotherapy pool and soft play room.
Working on behalf of Dorset County Council, RM Smith Fencing was contracted to install fencing and appointed Alpha Rail to manufacture and supply 130 linear metres of St. Neots style railings and decorative vertical bar railings.
The railings were powder coated grey and featured a decorative ball midway through each rail which helped to create an air of inquisitiveness the children could explore, but still ensure the gates maintained an effective barrier to safeguard their security and protection.
"The school is delighted with the quality and finished effect of the railings. They have been made to an exceptionally high standard and we were pleased with the way the project was managed and completed on time."- Tess Alison, Senior Landscape Architect, Dorset County Council