Sonder Bikes
From climbing walls to forest schools, small Alpkit Foundation grants help SEN schools and settings bring outdoor adventure to pupils mainstream provision doesn't reach.
Adventurous activity has a habit of assuming a certain kind of body and a certain kind of mind. Rock climbing, forest school, a first mountain: these are usually built around what a mainstream pupil can do, and pupils with SEN, autism or other additional needs get left at the edge of the risk assessment. Small grants have gone to the schools and settings working to change that, one climbing wall, one accessible path, one expedition at a time.
On the wall
At Bents Green Specialist Secondary School in Sheffield, a grant funded climbing equipment for 24 students with autism and communication difficulties. "Students with disabilities do not get the same opportunities as mainstream students, and there seems to be a fear factor around any type of adventurous activity," says Matthew. The Pivot Academy in Huddersfield, which supports pupils excluded from mainstream school, used its grant to build climbing into the curriculum for up to 20 young people a year.
At Derrymount School in Nottinghamshire, weekly sessions at a local climbing centre work toward NICAS climbing awards, and for some pupils, the physical strand of their DofE Bronze. "Research and experience suggests that climbing is a mindful activity that requires the climber to be totally focussed and in the moment," says Tim Meek, who leads the project. Swanwick School and Sports College in Derbyshire, which supports pupils with autism and social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, used a grant for climbing hardware as part of a three-year plan to build outdoor education properly into its curriculum. "The children who attend do not always respond to a traditional school curriculum," the school explains. "By offering activities that are different to those experienced before, we can break down some of the barriers they have to learning."
Into the woods
Fountaindale School built its own Forest School area on the school grounds, rather than relying on off-site visits that are hard to organise for pupils in wheelchairs. "This has enabled us to offer repeated experiences within a forest environment, rather than being constrained by costs, access issues, safety and the complexities of organising external visits for groups of children in wheelchairs," says Programme Coordinator Karen Redgate. Pupils with profound and complex needs now get regular sensory time in the woods, while a group of nine pupils works toward the John Muir Award.
At Henshaws Specialist College in Harrogate, the woodland classroom is central to the curriculum for its 80 students aged 18 to 25, but the path to it wasn't accessible in bad weather. A grant funded a wheelchair ramp, opening the space up to every student year-round. "Many of the students I work with who have autism visibly relax when we go outside to explore our natural spaces," says Emma, an instructor at the college. "They also seem more able to tolerate each other's self-stimulating behaviours, and can work better as a group, due to the space accessible to them."
A similar problem faced The Faber Catholic Primary School in Staffordshire, a small school with many pupils needing alternative approaches to learning, and a history of being at risk of closure. A converted storage unit, log chairs and a canopy in the field opposite the school now support outdoor learning and the John Muir Award for Year 6. "We don't think iPads are the way forward," says Jessica. "Getting the children back to basics and improving their well-being, we feel, can be achieved through being outside and exploring their natural environment."
Beyond the school gates
Some projects take pupils further afield entirely. Warmly Park School in Bristol used a grant for swim gloves so autistic children and those with profound and multiple learning difficulties could take part in a canoeing trip on Bristol Harbour. "It is important to challenge autistic children and take them out of their comfort zone, otherwise they will stay in their own world, which will become ever smaller," says Russell. At JPC Community Farm in the Tees Valley, which supports young adults with learning and physical disabilities through work experience and apprenticeships, a grant funded outdoor clothing for more than 160 people taking part in outdoor educational activities.
The furthest any of these pupils travelled was with Lydgate Special Needs School in Holmfirth, a school for children with complex needs and significant learning disabilities. A grant funded walking boots for a group tackling their first mountain: Snowdon. "Not only is our school an additional needs school, but our pupils also face considerable financial barriers," says Ben Walker, who organised the trip. "We run this trip with no cost to the pupils, otherwise they would not be able to attend." All seven pupils and five staff reached the summit. For some, it was their first time in Wales. For some, it was their first holiday of any kind.
The Alpkit Foundation supports schools and settings bringing outdoor adventure within reach of pupils mainstream provision doesn't serve. If you run a project doing this kind of work, find out how to apply.