I may have gone to Wonderland...

Today I was sent to another special school but this one specialised in ASD. I did not know this before I arrived but whatever I was expecting I wasn’t expecting what I found.

Usually when I arrive at a school for supply I get quite a good feel for the school especially as it is usually first thing in the morning and there is chaotic sound of children/ parents/ teachers bustling about the place – here, there was calmness… what was this place?

The calm atmosphere continued as I was escorted to the classroom through a myriad of corridors and was planted in a classroom with 10 students, 1 teacher and 2 Learning Assistants – I was to be the third today.

There were comfy chairs at the front of the classroom all facing the whiteboard and the children were all sat, quietly talking amongst themselves with none of the usual silliness that I had seen from some classes first thing on a Monday morning. I was greeted by all the kids and had to ask – what was this place?

All the students in the class had some form of ASD but certainly not to the extent that I had seen last week.

It really was a credit to the school and staff to see students fully engaged in their lessons, being part of meaningful learning, having empathy and helping classmates and genuinely wanting to engage in what they were doing in school. These students were eager to learn and wanted to contribute to their lessons. I saw more enthusiasm for learning here in one day than I had seen in a mainstream school in six years. It was truly a marvel and a pleasure to be a part of.

The other thing I loved about this place was that teachers and TAs were not separate entities and actually wanted to talk to me and wanted to know more. I got invited to spend lunch in the classroom with other members of staff and people were friendly towards me (which doesn’t happen often as a supply teacher.

I felt refreshed and uplifted when I left and asked the agency to send me there again, if possible. It s not often I feel refreshed and uplifted when I think about the education system – but here, they certainly got it right and others should learn from them.

P.S. The only negative that I came away with today was the fact that children still think that gender stereotypes are quite normal and that a woman cannot be an electrician and a man cannot be a nurse. Imagine the boys faces when I told them that I knew how to wire a plug and that my husband was a vet nurse!!!