BIRMINGHAMTHEBLUECOATSCHOOL1722

We are delighted to unveil our brand new sensory room, ‘The Snug’, which has been generously part-funded by The Friends of The Blue Coat School. 

The Snug is situated in the St Martin’s building (Pre-Prep). However, it will be available for the whole school to use from Nursery through to Year 6.

Flowery background in our Sensory Room with bean bags underneath.
A photograph of one of the light features in the Sensory Room.

Sensory Beings

Our day is full of sensory experiences, from the first feeling of the day’s weather when we step out of the front door to the euphoric feeling of getting into bed after a long day. 

Therefore, it goes without saying that the environment in which learning takes place has a significant impact on the participation of children. This is heightened for those children with disabilities or sensory processing disorders. 

The room will be used in a multitude of ways including for 1:1 sessions, by the Speech and Language Therapist, for small group sessions such as a pastoral group and the space will also be available for teachers to book for groups of pupils during lessons. 

A young boy plays with the lego feature found in the Sensory Room
A boy and girl sit talking and smiling amidst the fun of the BCS Sensory Room
A young girl touches the bubble tube in our Sensory Room.

Pastoral Care

Use of The Snug will be informed by the expertise of the Learning Success Team to ensure it is meeting the needs of pupils in the most effective and beneficial way for their learning and experience at School. Particularly for 1:1 sessions, these will be informed by observations of the child’s alertness during the School day for example, or their participation in different activities. The ultimate aim of the sensory room is to promote self-regulation, self-care and resilience.

The Snug will also be a dedicated space each morning where pupils who may be having a difficult start to the day, can visit for a calm space to adjust their mindset to being at school. 

As with the Lighthouse (pastoral room in the Prep building), use of The Snug will always be under adult supervision for both safety reasons and to ensure they get purposeful benefits from using the equipment in there. 

 

What’s Inside The Snug

The Snug features a variety of specialist equipment supplied by Creative Activity including:

  • An interactive ball bubble tube
  • Interactive wall panels with infinity mirrors
  • Interactive colour wall
  • Honeycomb tactile wall panel
  • Liquid floor tiles
  • Rainbow Bumpas with vibrations
  • Laser star projector on the ceiling
  • LED projector with five different calming effect wheels
  • Rainbow wall mirrors
  • Bean bags
  • A SENse Mini which can be transported into classrooms
The colourful floor feature found in the BCS Sensory Room
Interactive wall panels used by all pupils in the Sensory Room.
A picture showing fidget toys and a bubble tube inside our Sensory Room

Mrs Ashman, Director of Learning Success at The Blue Coat School, said:

 

This is a fantastic addition to our facilities which will enable the needs of pupils who require a calm, regulating space during the busy school day to be met. Pupils with a spectrum of needs will benefit from this sensory room, from those who need access to sensory interventions regularly, to those who need additional support during anxious periods such as exams and assessment.

 

Exceptional Educational Provision

The National Council for Special Education promotes a continuum of educational provision which is inclusive for all pupils. Equipping staff with the knowledge of special educational needs is one step, but without giving them the resources to deliver this facet of education effectively to a child, is equivalent to asking them to teach geometry without using a protractor. Having access to sensory resources exponentially enriches the capacity of teachers to meet the learning needs of their pupils, especially those with sensory needs. 

As adults, we can make decisions about sensory stimulation, or sensory breaks, without consultation and sometimes without even consciously deciding to do so. Some people find playing with Blu Tac useful to hold concentration or generate ideas, some people will put headphones on if they have an extended piece of writing to do and some people will work from a quiet, secluded location if they have something important to do. All of these are tactics to increase or decrease sensory stimulation. 

Unlike adults, who can make these decisions independently and usually without challenge from others, children need interventions to help identify what strategies to implement, when and for how long. 

Having access to specialist sensory equipment at School enables pupils to access impactful interventions quickly and easily, minimising their time away from the classroom and maximising their productivity when they are in it. 

The Blue Coat School has an exceptional academic reputation, proven by unrivalled senior school results year-on-year. The sensory room is another step forward in facilitating accessible education which elevates every child’s potential for academic achievement. 

A boy in Reception plays with the ink floor tiles as part of his time in The Snug, The Blue Coat School's Sensory Room
A young girl plays with one of the fidget toys in the Sensory Room.

Visit The Snug

All BCS parents are invited to come and have a look at The Snug, in St Martin’s between 8am – 8.45am on Friday 17 May.

Thank you once again to The Friends, and the whole parent community who contribute to The Friends’ funding through membership and attending events such as film nights, the Christmas Fayre and second hand uniform sales.