Proud to be Special
Carwarden House School in Camberley is a school for children with moderate learning difficulties from 7-16 + set in 20 acres of woodland. Headteacher John Cope was impressed at the results of a charity sponsored week-long trip for 10 children to Butlins.
"It was unbelievable to think that children nowadays had never seen the sea! " he said. "We were taken aback. In the restaurant many didn't know how to use knives and forks properly and couldn't believe other people were actually waiting on them. It was wonderful for me to be a part of it.
"The charity has funded a second trip costing £1200 because of the positive impact the first had on that group," John explained. Another group of children was taken by hovercraft to the Isle of Wight recently. "They thought they were in France, and one child asked a local if she spoke English!
Children at the school are mainly those who have failed in a mainstream setting from an academic point of view. They lack social and organisational skills and many have emotional difficulties.
A lot of our children have physical difficulties with poor fine motor control and our school physiotherapist needed a fitness room to work with the children. The charity funded a range of equipment for us costing £3000, and Gerry Francis was here with members of the charity committee for the opening ceremony.
"Our ethos here is to get as close to mainstream schooling as we can," said John. 'but our pupils have spent most of their lives failing. Historically special schools have been built nicely out of the way. I want to show people that these children have a lot to offer. They are particularly good at art and music.
"The philosophy is that everything must he short and sharp because their retention was short and their concentration limited. This is simply not true. If something interests them, they're all there explained John.
The charity paid for the entire schools outing to Thorpe Park. Gordon loved it as much as the children did - and took part in all the rides, it is rumoured.
The school choir has achieved a very high standard," John told me, and when Gordon asked us to sing at Lakeside for the Waitrose Christmas function for retired staff, we were terrified and delighted. The music teacher was also panicking but the 600 people there thought the 30-strong choir was wonderful.
Following the performance we were surprised with a £1000 donation from the charity to buy musical instruments!
Ochorinos were bought - a type of simplified recorder with only four holes. The children find it easier to pick up and the colour-coded music makes it fun to learn. A large percussion section was also added to the music department.
'A group called the Just So Singers includes a number of our pupils together with pupils from three other schools who all sing in the Surrey Youth Choir. The charity has provided them with uniforms to improve their image - it has done them a power of good," said John.
If you're used to being a failure it is important for us as a school to build on anything that is positive, and its working....
A joint venture between the school and the charity provided a recording system for the drama department.
At the end of Gordon's mayoral term, he invited the choir to sing, and again surprised the school with a £300 donation to be spent on any projects they felt were important. We're keeping it for something special. John said.
The schools current venture is to build a swimming pool. The plan is to use it during the week and have it run by the community on weekends, evenings and school holidays. The Children With Special Needs Foundation has donated £15,000. So far the school has reached £50,000 and is still fundraising.
