Sparrows Schools continued to make progress in the education they provide but only with financial help.  Here is a selection of what is being planned and the costs involved.

Visual Arts and Dramatic Arts Classroom –  £2000.00

The art classroom will be a space where learners have freedom to express themselves in both creative and dramatic arts. Having a space, such as this one, is vital for children with barriers to learning as it helps with their basic development. It builds fine motor and problem-solving skills, enhances communication and expression and it promotes self-esteem. The space we currently have has not been updated for the past 21 years and so is desperately in need of a revamp into an environment that will inspire their creativity.

Sensory Calming Room at Foundation School – £1500.00

A calming and safe space for learners to explore their senses. Sensory integration forms a crucial part of a child development. It assists with building focus, concentration and self-regulating skills.

Resources:

• Dark blue painted walls with white or yellow stars
• Lava lamps
• Fairy lights
• Bean bags
• Speaker with soft music
• Sensory boards
• Teddy bears
• Curtains
• Fine motor activities – threading beads etc.

Reading Garden at Foundation School – £1000.00

The reading garden is a place in the Foundation School where our learners can go, either as individuals or in groups, to read with their teachers. This space is vital for our learners as reading is such an important aspect of learning.

Learning to read, and learning to love reading, can play a fundamental role in a child’s development into a curious, thoughtful, open-minded adult. In this age of electronics, it can be challenging to bring a child who is used to the hyper-energy of a video game down to the quieter energy of the written words in a book. But once a child is “hooked,” they will be readers for life! With some planning and the incorporation of specific design elements, a reading garden can be an ideal place to encourage reading.

Here is a glimpse of one such programme already in use:

The Catrobatkidz Programme

This exciting programme creates more opportunities for our very young learners to build coordination and muscle. In turn this assists with many learning skills.

When a grade 1 teacher was interviewed by another work colleague how this new programme had assisted her learners in the classroom, this is what she wrote:

“I had expected to hear that learners’ pencil grip had improved or that child could sit up for a little longer in her desk. Instead, I heard how children could now go to the bathroom unassisted because their hands and fingers were now strong enough to tie up belts and close zips and buttons, leaving the teacher free to work with the rest of the class. This story has stayed with me; I now know that a youngster can go about their daily activities with a little more independence and autonomy and therefore dignity and that has significant benefits for learning.”