Teachers View - Wyvern School

Wyvern school is an all age special school meeting the needs of 60-70 children with severe, complex or profound learning difficulties. Our partner school, Wey Valley, is an 11-16 comprehensive with 1400 on roll, several miles across town. This case study focuses on the use of shared or joint residentials originally as a means of strengthening links between the schools but now also as a means to create active citizenship opportunities for students in both schools.

Outdoor activities introduce all students to activities as diverse as riding, climbing, mountain biking and shelter building. In curriculum enhancement week mainstream Y7s use the outdoors to study in open air workshops, follow maths trails, do problem solving activities, pond dipping and so on. Older and more able special students act as helpers and facilitators working alongside Y10 mainstream students on work experience. They may help with preparing and serving meals, site cleaning and basic maintenance, supporting teachers with curriculum activities, helping to lead walks and providing entertainment during the last night extravaganza.

Accepting these responsibilities has:

1. Embedded special students within an appropriate teenage peer group.
2. Led to some close and lasting relationships extending to post 16 transition to college.
3. Developed self esteem and a sense of duty and purpose.
4. Created opportunities for reflection and self development.
5. Provided a set of experiences to describe which other people find interesting and impressive.

A straightforward joint activity weekend has evolved over the years to become a forum for special youngsters with a wide range of greater difficulties to meet, live and work with their mainstream peers. The physical challenges have been tailored to their needs. This year`s physical challenges involved:

1. A night walk around a partially wheelchair accessible lake.
2. An extended day walk on a well surfaced, traffic free road onto the high moor.
3. Swimming in a public pool.
4. Ten pin bowling.
5. Canal canoeing in a catamaran style paddle boat.
6. Riding in a powered safety craft.

Social opportunities included:

1. A pub meal, a Macdonalds and picnic lunches.
2. Shared accommodation in a basic camping barn.
3. Evening entertainments of games and songs.

The citizenship focus of these weekends was on the Wey Valley students. However, citizenship opportunities have also been created for special students:

1. Taking ones rightful place in the mainstream of society.
2. Becoming loved, liked or understood as an individual rather than as one labelled handicapped.
3. Learning about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour by watching others or being advised.
4. Developing communication skills with a wider audience.
5. Learning self help and self reliance.

For the more able special students the gains are more startling:

1. Working in equal partnership with mainstream peers.
2. Offering mainstream peers advice and information on the strengths and needs of less able schoolmates.
3. Giving valued help to others instead of always being seen as needing help themselves.

Finally, perhaps the most heartening aspect for the special staff involved is to watch the way that our most special students induce feelings of commitment, respect and interest in the mainstream pupils. Being loved and valued is part of citizenship - maybe not an active role but an important one nevertheless.

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