LEARNING
Changing children’s lives Help for youngsters with social, emotional and mental health issues can be hard to find especially when you really need it. Kate Cadman visits Wilds Lodge School, an independent school on our doorstep dedicated to supporting boys for whom mainstream education is no longer an option
From left: Becky McSharry, Kirsty Lamb, Alice Lee and Emma Mills.
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HE overwhelming sense of calm that emanates from the meandering driveway on the approach to Wilds Lodge School feels ironic. I know from the conversations I have had that parents bringing their child here are often ‘broken’; feeling isolated and desperate as they journey down this impressively long driveway past a picturesque duckpond and roaming livestock. Maybe that’s precisely why, on my arrival, I feel as if I have reached my holiday destination. Nestling neatly between Stamford and Empingham the school radiates a sense of calm. It’s one of three Wilds Lodge sites, all of which are dedicated to educating boys between 5 and 18 years old for whom mainstream education is no longer viable. Wilds Lodge School has 90 such boys, the majority are weekly boarders and all have a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). “Many of the boys here have some level of autism or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and moderate learning difficulties,” explains Becky McSharry, Autism Co-ordinator and Team Leader for the Bungalow House Group (one of the five residential houses). “They often arrive with lots of questions about who they are because they feel they don’t fit within a mainstream school setting. Our students also have additional needs resulting from social,
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STAMFORD LIVING JANUARY 2017
emotional and behavioural difficulties. Our work is to build them back up.” 18-year-old Ollie Wilson has been at Wilds Lodge for three years and the experience has been life-changing. After studying at Casterton College and missing a total of two years’ study due to mental health issues, Ollie, who has OCD, found he couldn’t cope with the hectic, strict, and loud environment in a mainstream setting. “I couldn’t keep up with my mind. It was like a sensory overload. If I ever had to sit an exam I would suffer with facial tics and headaches. I was always judged in mainstream school and seen as being stupid.” “Here at Wilds Lodge I get the support I need but I am not pressurised so I can keep up. I never thought I would be able to sit and pass an exam but with the right support I have just got an A* in my maths GCSE and passed five other GCSEs. I just needed people to understand me.” In addition, Ollie has recently completed his Bronze Level Duke of Edinburgh Award and is currently training hard physically and mentally in order to fulfil his (and his coach’s) dream of being picked to represent Great Britain at American Football. “I have been playing for a couple of years and it’s always been like a dream for me to represent this country. It’s now a reality.” “We work as a therapeutic school linking care seamlessly with education and therapy.
The staff here work holistically in a counselling role, placing equal emphasis on the educational, social, and psychological development of their students. All staff, including kitchen and grounds, who come into daily contact with the boys undergo a basic level of special needs training and have Level One Autism Education Trust training and the majority also have a Level 2,” explains Becky. This inclusive philosophy is driven by Principal and Head Teacher, Robin Lee, who is keen to ensure all members of staff attend regular training on child protection, mental health and multi-agency working. The key to the success of the school, he believes, is a strong ethos, developed by a highly experienced and capable staff and the strength of the relationships between staff and students. “Everyone here pulls together for the boys, we are like one huge family. We really do change children’s lives,” adds Becky. There is tangible feel of progression at the school borne out by a team of groundsmen beavering away on the construction of an eco-building which is scheduled to open as the school’s theatre by September 2017. “The boys don’t like change so we promote change here so that they learn how to cope with it. We don’t isolate ourselves here either, in fact we welcome visitors with open arms. We like to encourage people to come in and see how we are doing.