Toowoomba West Special School opened as Toowoomba West Opportunity School in 1975. It was the second such school in Toowoomba. These facilities consisted of one large teaching block, a covered area, tuckshop, admin block (refurbished in the early 1990s), toilet and amenities blocks and Home Economics and Manual Arts areas. Since then there have been many changes as the school population has changed. Manual Arts and Home Economics Teachers were withdrawn from Special Schools in the eighties. Apart from the redevelopment of the administration block, other alterations have been made to bring the facility to a point where it meets the changing needs of the students enrolled.
A commercial standard nursery was constructed in the late 1970s as a school initiative using commonwealth funds to provide appropriate programs to adolescent students on transition to the workforce. Initially available only to students of this school, it was later made available to students from Special Schools in South East Queensland who were accommodated in a large caravan purchased through commonwealth funds. This initiative ceased in the late eighties with the conclusion of this programme, and until the end of 2007, it was used by students from this school and the Denise Kable Special Education Unit.
An additional block (G Block), was constructed some distance from the main facility in 1985 to provide educational programs for students with multiple impairments. It is now a base for up to eight therapists and a school nurse, as well as an early childhood program.
In 1997, as a school-funded initiative, the Manual Arts area was converted to a combination of general classroom space and a work area.
The grounds, through a great deal of hard work and careful planning over the years, have been transformed into a prizewinning garden. The school garden routinely won first place in the Annual Carnival of Flowers competition for more than twenty years. The grounds include a large sports area, multi-purpose games area and adventure playgrounds.
In 2005 an all access playground was established through a federal government funding program - Investing in Our Schools.
In 2009 an amenities block was constructed to replace the original toilet block. This incorporated accessible toilet facilities for students and staff as well as a laundry and storage areas.
In 2011, a multi-purpose hall was established through federal Building the Educational Revolution (BER) funding. It has quickly become a space where the school community comes together for a range of activities such as school assembly, Arts Council performances, wet-weather play, whole staff training and functions hosted by the wider community.
Between 2011 and 2013, four additional double classroom buildings were added to the Gladstone Street campus to cater for the growing student population. One of these buildings is dedicated to a collaborative partnership with Harristown State High School Special Education Program. 'The Annex' caters for up to 20 full and part-time secondary students with disabilities who are enrolled at Harristown SHS but attend the annex for their educational program.
In 2014 an Early Childhood Developmental Program (ECDP) was established, based in G Block. The Toowoomba West ECDP is administered from the special school but operates independently from the main campus. This program shares an accessible playground facility.
In 2014 major works were completed at the front of the school to facilitate a drive-through drop off area replacing the turning circle. This has streamlined arrival and departure activities for students.
From 2016, the student population has continued to increase each year
Enrolment numbers:
2016 - 62 students
2017 - 65 students
2018 - 82 stduents
2019 - 93 students
2020 - 104 students
2021 - 113 students
With this increase in student numbers, the school leadership team has responded accordingly and realigned our school in how we operate on a daily basis; our facility requirements and our staffing requirements.