Learning Beyond the Classroom
Additional activities in and out of school hours complement the curriculum and focus on the developmental needs of each young person. All young people have Individual Learning Plans (IDP) which are informed by the multi-disciplinary team and are regularly reviewed.
To complement our Curriculum even further, we take our students away within the UK, or abroad, once every year. This offers fantastic opportunities for our students to travel and explore, experience and learn about new environments and places, and participate in lots of activities.
Very few of our young people have ever participated in school sports and PE but we support them to do so and we have competed in in football, athletics and fell-running fixtures. We have students that have successfully joined local football and rugby teams. We have won Boccia competitions and have regularly taken part in tag-rugby sessions with other schools. The physical and mental health benefits of participation are enormous.
Summer Camp Programmes
We have a Summer Camp Programme and expeditions to the mountains of the Scottish Highlands and Snowdonia alongside our daily forays into the Lake District. Young people can take part in the John Muir Award Scheme, carrying out environmental work in the National Park. We have an established annual ski-trip to Bulgaria, the benefits of which are enormous.
Older students have bespoke independence programmes at our Kendal Green site in a semi-independent residential setting. Here they will develop the skills and resilience to be as independent as possible when they eventually set out on the next part of their journeys.
We also have excellent links with a local further education College where students can be supported to not only access a wider range of opportunities but also become used to working alongside peers in a busier, more mainstream environment. This can be an important milestone towards independence and bolsters self-esteem. Some students will attend on a part or full-time basis depending on their choice of subjects or even as an evening course. For some of our young people to avoid ‘falling off the edge’ at 16 and to continue to be academically challenged, the college link is really important.
Work Experience
Work experience is crucial in developing awareness of the world outside the ‘Whinfell Bubble’ and of building resilience. We have a robust programme which is individually tailored and we work closely with the local careers service to prepare our young people for life beyond school.
One of our young people has competed in Indoor Climbing competitions at a national level (which led to work experience and he is now employed full-time at a climbing wall).
Annual Student Holidays
Over the past 5 years we have visited a variety of different locations for our annual holiday which have been influenced by the suggestions of young people.
Each year we complete an annual survey which has a section focussed on holidays and we also focus the topic of holidays in a young persons meeting which provides feedback of locations as well as activities they would like to take part in on their summer holiday.
Some of the holidays which have taken place include:
Annual Student Holidays
Flookburgh Haven
One of the young people had expressed a like for caravan holidays so we organised a trip away whilst some maintenance work was taking place onsite. They enjoyed relaxing in a different environment as well as cooking for each other's caravans, using the onsite activities such as swimming and cycling.
Annual Student Holidays
Blackpool
We stayed at a haven caravan park and organised activities such as; Sandcastles swimming, Blackpool pleasure beach theme park and Madame Tussauds.
Annual Student Holidays
Bulgaria Skiing
We took a variety of young people with different abilities and experience. Those who had never skied before, staff and young people, were provided with lessons which soon saw them heading off up the slopes with the rest of the group.
Annual Student Holidays
Paris
The week saw us staying at centre parcs on the outskirts of Paris. One day the young people travelled into the city of Paris to engage in some French culture such as see the Eiffel tower, trying snails and an educational cruise on the river seine. The rest of the week we enjoyed the Disney theme parks which were loved by all.
Annual Student Holidays
Flamingo Land & Whitby
We stayed at Flamingo land in North Yorkshire which has unlimited access to the theme park and zoo which were visited daily alongside other activities offsite. The young people had researched these and they had been encorporated into the weeks plans. They visited an inflateable water park as well as spending a day in Scarborough seeing the sites and enjoying a speedboat ride.
Optional Subheading
Enquire about this school
Optional text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Nibh eu mauris tellus augue nisi. Tortor convallis nibh in sit ante morbi. Proin ut scelerisque lectus in libero mattis est donec. Congue semper eu vestibulum vulputate.