Shirley school creates ‘sensory room’ to help its pupils

Children at Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic Primary School in Shirley can now improve their learning experience by making use of a special ‘sensory room’.

This new room is designed to help pupils at the school, some with special educational needs, focus and relax during lessons.

The school states that ‘it prides itself on ensuring it caters for the needs of each and every child’ and ‘recognised that it needed to create a safe sensory space’ so turned to parents for their ideas and support.

A dedicated team of parent volunteers worked tirelessly to convert an old office into a new safe sensory space equipped with mood lighting, a worry tree and various materials and textures for seating and flooring.

The driving force behind the project were parents Rachel and Chris Davies, who hope that other mainstream schools will follow suit. They recruited their friends, family and a handful of parents to help them with the transformation.

Rachel said: “As parents of a child with autism you can often feel helpless, there are continuous challenges that we as a family face every day.

“We are at the beginning of our journey but we quickly realised that we need to embrace the positive aspects of our son’s condition and accept him for who he is.

“Our son struggles every day to manage his emotions, he cannot regulate himself without sensory integration into his daily routine. Our son is an inspiration to us; his bravery, tenacity and talent is awe inspiring.

“He makes us want to fight for him, educate others and adapt the environment around him to allow him to thrive.”

Mrs Carol Ashcroft, Our Lady of the Wayside’s Assistant Headteacher and SENCo, acknowledged and thanked the work of the Rachel and Chris Davies and the determined group of volunteers.

Particular thanks were paid to WalkOn Flooring in Tile Cross, Birmingham – who, on hearing about the project, provided the flooring and fitted it free of charge.

She said: “As a school we are so grateful and thankful for all those involved in this project. The transformation from an old office/storage room into a safe sensory space has been truly remarkable.

“This space is essential for every child, whether it is a child experiencing a bereavement, a child facing difficult times at school or home, or in the case of Rachel and Chris’ son, a child who has additional needs and who requires a safe space to express themselves without fear of judgement.

“Such a space allows children to regulate their emotions, develop and mature. They need to feel safe in their expression.”