New Siblands and the Community

New Siblands plays an important part in the community of Thornbury and the surrounding area. The relationship between this school and the people who surround it has grown over many years of careful development. The community is vital to the school as it provides a context and a meaning for all we do. Residents appear to value its 'Special School' and value the perception of equality of opportunity and individual difference.

We use the community as a central resource of concrete learning experiences. The school provides a focus for charitable endeavour and learning and training for others as well as a place to invest time and effort.

Pupils use the Leisure Centre facilities as an important part of the physical education programme, the Library as an important part of their literacy work, the local shops as a means of learning essential living skills and practical mathematics. The town has a rich history, and through this the children can learn this form of knowledge. The combination of town and rural life provides an excellent setting in which the pupils can acquire an understanding of simple geographical concepts. Partnerships with local schools enable the children to interact with pupils in mainstream education and learn personal and social skills in a normal social context.

We have strong links with local colleges which benefits our older pupils in the transition to a different stage of life and the local community provides a context where they develop an understanding of the world of work and relationship with the environment.

The local music festival gives us an opportunity to play a functional part in a community activity, and the local art competitions provide an opportunity for creativity.

At Key Stage 3 and 4 we teach French as a means of teaching them about the wider European Community in an attempt to bring pupils to an understanding that other countries exist, that they speak different languages which reflect different cultures.