The act of gardening offers a host of advantages for everyone, but it’s especially beneficial for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other special educational needs. There’s no better place than the great outdoors for nurturing the mind. Engaging with nature can help children with ASD build their social skills, boost their confidence, fight off anxieties, and push their mental boundaries in a safe, calm environment.

Gardening can be utilised as a tool to calm down after an overwhelming day or to teach valuable life skills about patience, perseverance, and the rewards of hard work. Activities that are done in the garden will also naturally assist with developing gross and fine motor skills without the pressure of a classroom setting, which children with ASD can struggle with.                         

Over this past year here on Fosse Campus, our SEND students have created their own garden. They have worked extremely hard, whilst improving cognitive and communication skills, to build a fully functioning planting area, greenhouse, polytunnel and some wonderful pallet chairs.

The student's motor skills have been strengthened, as they have been digging, weeding and watering. Their fine motor skills have improved by planting seeds and young seedlings. We have encouraged students to have a sense of pride in the school, by looking after adjacent flower beds around the grounds and litter picking.

Carefully chosen plants and flowers can maximise a garden’s sensory appeal with scents and textures, we hope other students will have access to it this summer. In fact, this type of horticultural therapy has great promise as vocational training and may lead to a first job. 

This half term has seen Year 10 preparing for and sitting their PPEs (pre-public ‘mock’ exams) and Year 11 preparing for their final GCSE exams. In tutor time and in lessons students have been looking at how to manage their time when preparing for exams, and effective strategies for revision. This included methods for remembering your learning, such as flashcards, self-quizzing and ‘look-cover-write-check’. Year 11 have also looked at using past papers, models and feedback to improve their skills to achieve the best grades they can in their exams.

Year 10 students will find out their results on ‘mock results day’ on June 15th and subsequent lessons will look with students at how to improve their learning as they prepare to move into Year 11.

Year 8 students had an adventurous day out in the picturesque countryside of Monyash last week. The students enjoyed a scenic walk through the beautiful countryside, learning about the local flora and fauna as they went along. The pledge trip proved to be a great success, with students expressing their enjoyment of the outdoors and learning about nature first-hand.

The excursion not only provided a great opportunity for students to bond with one another but also to develop an appreciation for the natural world. We look forward to seeing the positive impact that this experience will have on our students.

Students from our school had an exciting and enriching experience during their Easter holidays as they visited the stunning city of Barcelona. The students had a memorable time exploring the vibrant city and immersing themselves in the local culture.

During their stay, the students tried the delicious local cuisine and enjoyed sightseeing around the city, including visiting the iconic La Sagrada Familia cathedral. They also took advantage of the beautiful weather and spent time relaxing at the beach.

The trip provided an excellent opportunity for our students to broaden their horizons, gain new perspectives, and develop their language and social skills. We are delighted that they had a fantastic time and look forward to future school trips.

The Year 10 Ambitions group of students attended Nottingham University on May 4th for a taster day. This included a Biology lecture including a practical and a Psychology lecture surrounding conspiracy theories. They also had a tour around the campus and looked around student accommodation.