Disability schools around dulwich?

[Chloe Carserides]

Hi all,

I've just recently become part of the coaching team at Dulwich Sports Club.

I am very keen and interested in coaching children with disiabilities. I've been on a few courses and had some experiences in coaching children with disabilities and now is willing to bring this to the club.

I was just wondering if anyone knew of any disability schools around the dulwich area?

I am willing to travel to schools and coach in schools or arrange days where they come to the club to play!

This is something that i am very passionate about and think that people with all abilities should have a chance to play tennis!

Thanks

Chloe Carserides

[womanofdulwich]

Turney school on turney rd near Rosendale?

[sillywoman]

I think Highshore school in Highshore Rd, Peckham SE15 is a school for children with disabilities - but I could be wrong?

[prickle]

Not totally sure what you mean by 'disability' but there are many children in mainstream schools with 'disabilities'.

[bluesuperted]

Was going to say the same as Prickle. The inclusion agenda means that all mainstream state schools include many children and young people with special or additional needs which range in severity and complexity.

[alice]

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/info/200226/special_educational_needs/1914/sen_schools/1

hi chloe - it sounds like a great idea - above link takes you to list of special schools in southwark - i'd contact them directly - disabilities can be cognitive, psychological and /or physical. Integration only works for a some.

[Chloe Carserides]

Thank you all for your feedback, especially Alice!

I really do appreciate it!

Sorry, I should have made myself more clear, when I used the term 'disability' I meant more physical disabilities.

Such as: Hearing & sight impairment, wheel chair users etc.

However, I feel that it would be a good opportunity to work with children with learning, behavioral, mental and emotional disabilities too.

Thanks again,

Chloe

[Otta]

You will find that most children with physical disabilities are in mainstream schools. The "special" schools are usually either for autism or quite severe learning disabilities.

Schools that were traditionally for visually impaired kids will now be full of kids with a visual impairment AND a learning disability. It would be quite unusual these days to find a kid who is visually impaired, but otherwise fine, in a specialist school.

Deafness is a bit different because of all the communication issues involved, so there are still "Deaf schools", although not particularly local.

[simonethebeaver]

My stepdaughter has visual and cognitive impairment and uses a wheelchair and she is in mainstream school. Her best friend at school is blind. Most specialist schools nowadays cater for children who have autism and similar disabilities that make mainstream learning too difficult. We've been told that the only school locally that could cater for my stepdaughter should her cognitive skills worsen would be a hospital school.

[simonethebeaver]

Sorry, Otta. I didn't mean to repeat you. For some reason my brain only absorbed your second and third point on first reading.

Chloe, you might want to talk to the Special Educational Needs team at Southwark about this rather than approaching individual schools. They might have ideas. But just wanted to add, there aren't many kids in wheelchairs around that don't have fairly complex needs and to me, your thinking sounds a bit outdated! I don't mean to criticise what sounds like a very well meaning idea but I think you need to do some research.

[scareyt]

Hi, there is also the Michael Tippett School in Herne Hill that comes under Lambeth.

[Pugwash]

Are the PHAB clubs still around ( Physically Disabled and Able Bodied)?

I agree with others who have posted, most schools are integrated now with children of various levels of disability being catered for in the main stream. Sedgehill School Catford used to have a hearing Impaired Unit. Is Brent Knoll School in Forest Hill/Sydenham still around?

If you are interested in secondary age pupils - I suggest you talk to the Special Needs Coordinators at loal secondary schools i. e Charter, Kingsdale, Harris boys and girls, even JAGS, ALLeyns and Dulwich College. In Wimbledon on the Southfields side, there is Linden Lodge school for visual impairment

[Otta]

Brent knoll is still going.

Linden Lodge is an example of a traditional visual impairment school, which now caters more for VI plus LD.

[alice]

Don't be put off by the negativity here - if you can offer, say 4-6 tennis coaching sessions to a school - special schools will be interested - there's also an organisation called contact-a-family - with a local southwark branch - they do sessions for children with/ without disabilities.

[Otta]

I don't think anyone has meant to be negative Alice.

[alice]

youre right Otta - the negativity is not 'meant' in the normal sense because for some its so ingrained and comes so naturally, almost automatically without awareness - actually using the word negativity was me being polite - its more like patronising puesdo political correctness - read back most of the above posts -

[prickle]

Alice, I've read through the posts as you suggested and don't detect negativity or patronising pseudo political correctness. In fact I feel much better informed about the special needs provision in this area!

[Otta]

alice Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> youre right Otta - the negativity is not 'meant'

> in the normal sense because for some its so

> ingrained and comes so naturally, almost

> automatically without awareness - actually using

> the word negativity was me being polite - its more

> like patronising puesdo political correctness -

> read back most of the above posts -

What exactly are you talking about? I'm genuinely not sure what has offended you.

[simonethebeaver]

Thanks, alice.

[bluesuperted]

Yikes I'm also confused as to what was patronising about the above posts. Genuinely confused.

[gibbo2468]

Hi, The government has just invested alot of money in 'short breaks' for children with disabilities, short breaks can be many things, but accessible leisure activities would definitely qualify. You could contact the local authority Disabled Children's Team and find out who their short break commissioner is, they may offer small grants to set up a course of lessons for children to have as their allocated short break. Alternatively families with disabled children may receive direct payments which they may want to use to pay for some sessions in holidays or at weekends if you were to set something up privately. They may also have a parent network you could ask for your information to be sent to.

If you PM me i can give you some more info about the Local Authority i work for and how it works there.

[MsMaz]

You might want to contact Glyn Davies of Southwarks' Schools Sports Partnership. They offer some special needs sports sesions for children with a wide range of disabilities, through special and mainstream schools. Glyn's email is:

[email protected]

[Chloe Carserides]

Hi guys,

Again thank you for ALL your feedback!

I'm 19 and just recently got into coaching children with disabilities so I do apologize for not knowing all of the information but that is exactly why I've posted this message, so I can get as much advice and guidance as possible.

For some of you that said I need to do more research, that is exactly what I'm doing. That is why I posted this question in the first place. This is all part of my research...

All your help has been fantastic and I will take it on board.

Thanks again!

Chloe

[simonethebeaver]

There is a voluntary organisation promoted by Southwark Council (I see in my bible, 'Your Disabled Child'!) called the Otter Canoe Club, which provides sporting opportunities for children with disabilities. It's based in Sydenham. You might want to give them a call-David Slack or Celia Broughton, 0208 778 4235. I'm sure they'd welcome you and also have ideas.