Speaker Meeting, 6.15 for 6.30pm

Our guest at this meeting was Mandy Hancock.  Mandy is no stranger to us having supported our annual Swimathon since her son was 8 years old and swimming in the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group’s team.  He is now 23 and working part-time at Blunsdon House Hotel.

On this occasion Mandy was with us to talk about her newish role: Job Coach at Crowdy’s Hill School in Swindon.  Her enthusiasm and excitement for the job was all too evident.  But there was frustration throughout her talk, frustration with government regulations that are not good for young people with special needs.

Pupils at Crowdy’s Hill have diverse special needs which the school’s curriculum is designed to meet.   Children suffering from autism, sensory impairments, complex medical needs and physical disabilities have significant and complex barriers to learning.

The school’s mission, “Learning for Life”, aims to enable all children to be active learners to progress towards independence, autonomy, control and choice.   

Crowdy’s sixth form curriculum focuses on extending independence, access and autonomy.  It places a greater emphasis on developing specialist interests and building community links as those aged 16 to 19 move towards adulthood.  

Mandy’s job, in her words, is “to sell young people to local businesses.”  It’s not easy as some of the youngsters have severe disabilities.  For an employer, it’s fairly easy to tick the “we take on staff with disabilities” box by employing the deaf or the partially sighted.  But someone in a wheelchair is a different kettle of fish.

Mandy is irritated with the rigidness of the government apprentice schemes for the 16 year olds.  It’s only available to them if they have GCSE passes in Maths and English which is beyond the academic achievement level for those at Crowdy’s.  But when it comes to practical skills, they work harder and are more focussed on the job than many able bodied people. 

The requirement for GCSE passes is no longer needed when they reach the age of 19.  That’s fine, but what do they do from 16 to 19?  Sadly, some get into trouble.

Currently, Crowdy’s has 80 students in the sixth form.  In 5 years’ time that number is expected to be 150.  Some have had an awful upbringing and have not had any of the usual childhood experiences.  For instance, some have never been to a beach.   Mandy reaches out to the local business community, not just for employment, but also for these missing experiences.  She organises trips to the coast and countryside for picnics, sport and games.  Coming up, she’s working on a tour of Arkells Brewery and a day trip on a coach to Sandbanks.

Funds and volunteers are needed for such trips and Mandy is hoping that by speaking to Rotary Clubs, Rotarians will come up with ideas, manpower and contacts.   In return many of her sixth formers would be more than willing to volunteer for us at our fundraising events.

Can we step forward here and engage with Crowdy’s Sixth form?