Written by Sharon, Tanzie’s mother
In Year 6, Tanzie’s junior school went on a one week long residential trip each year. The trip was to a PGL activity centre, full of fun activities.
We started to discuss this with the school at the beginning of Year 5, because we knew that it would require additional planning for her. As a result of the planning that went into the trip, Tanzie had an absolutely amazing time and was included in all of the activities that took place.
Some of the factors that contributed to this included:
- Starting planning early – at least a year before the major activity. It is important that the school and parents work together for such a major activity.
- The school SENCO went on the residential trip the year before Tanzie was due to go, to see it through her eyes and to start thinking about any adaptations that might be needed. This allowed the school to start planning early.
- Tanzie had never slept away from home before, so we started to organise one night sleepovers at her best friends house, and then when her confidence grew, she stayed with her aunt for two nights on two separate occasions. This helped her be confident when staying away from home, as it was not her first time away.
- We packed each of her days’ clothes in a plastic bag clearly marked with the day on it. At the end of each day, the dirty washing was put back in that same bag. This helped Tanzie with her organisation when she was on the trip, allowing her to be more independent.
- A couple of months before the trip, I went to visit the residential centre with the teacher leading the trip and the SENCO. I was able to look at the site, discuss the catering/her dietary preferences, and also discuss the activities. I noticed that the safety helmets all looked rather large so they made sure they would have smaller ones available. This meant I could provide my input to the planning, to ensure that any necessary adaptations could be made.
- Although the school normally did not communicate with parents during the residential trip, after the first night away they telephoned me to provide an update and reassure me that all was going fine. This allowed me to relax a little bit while she was away. This flexibility was appreciated.
