Northern Ireland special school fundraising for sensory areas as pupil numbers rise
A special school in Northern Ireland is fundraising to set up more sensory areas to support their pupils as numbers rise.
Brookfield Special School near Lisburn is planning to create five new sensory areas to support pupils and their growing needs. The areas will include spaces for the children to regulate their emotions, featuring padded areas to lie down and relax, bubble tubes, lights, textured areas, and mobile sensory trolleys.
The school currently has 159 pupils and three years ago, they received three new classrooms, physically increasing their capacity for students. Brookfield was historically a school for children aged 3 to 11 with Moderate Learning Difficulties, but over the last few years, it's profile has changed with many pupils with complex needs including Severe Learning Difficulties.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, teacher Zoe Millar said the new spaces are essential to help the children regulate, engage, and learn. She said: "So many of our children are dysregulated in school, and they struggle to regulate their emotions. Our children need to be regulated in order for them to learn.
"These sensory spaces provide a safe, nurturing environment and space for pupils to regulate and calm for the day. These spaces are accessed constantly and are not just needed on a one off basis.
"We are trying to raise these funds to support ourselves in the transition and with meeting the needs of these pupils. As a school, we are constantly trying to develop resources in order to meet the needs of our children. This year, we have significantly less funding than previous years. This doesn't allow us to facilitate the level of resources and support we want to provide.
"We currently have a sensory room in school. We are planning on creating five new sensory areas in school, which won't be sensory rooms. They will be safe spaces with sensory resources in order to support pupils and their growing needs. These will include padded areas for pupils to lie down/relax, bubble tubes, Lights, textured areas, projection screens, mobile sensory trolleys."
Brookfield Special School have launched a fundraising page in a bid to raise £10,000 to create the five new sensory areas. The school are hosting a fundraising sea swim event at Helen's Bay on October 19 at 11am, with staff, cold water swimming groups from across Northern Ireland, families, and friends getting involved - and members of the public are invited to join in too.
Refreshments will be available on the beach following the swim, and the school's therapy dog Prince will even be there to get involved. Staff have said they're looking forward to the swim, but more excited about the difference that could be made within the school.
One staff member added: "It'll be cold but it'll but worth it. Our children deserve the best and I guess we'll do anything to give them it."
Brookfield Special School's acting principal Aoife Cochrane said: "We are so proud of the young people in Brookfield School and want to be able to give them the best resources and experiences to make happy memories in their school journey. The difference these facilities and you could make to the lives of these young people is priceless.
"We would love you all to come and join us, and if you can't join us on the day, please show your support by donating to our Just Giving Page and by sharing the details of our fundraiser with family and friends."
You can find out more and donate to the fundraiser by clicking here.
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