Swim share and CPD exchange
In exchange for providing our pool and staff free of charge to swimmers from Parkwood, we are offered training on Special Needs and Leadership development work free of charge from them. It is fantastic!
Aims
To engage with a community focussed on Special Needs provision for the mutual benfit of each community.
Background
This project came out of a personal contact between the schools being exploited at a time when our school development strand was to develop our community work .
Resources
Pool, swim staff, Principal's status as Leading Head
Impact
Our relationship with Parkwood has become much more balanced and very much two way in that in exchange for lending staff and facilites for their students to swim here we in turn have benfitted from quality specialist training on "Team teach" (approach to safe restraint) and autism and the Leadership team is benefitting from leadership development work free of charge from Parkwood principal Nick White. It has been very exciting. We can also attend externally provided training at Parkwood (Safeguarding). They will get input and advice about their planned EY expansion
Pupil Involvement
Multi-age teaching is a feature of Parkwood's provision so their swimmers are a class who are confident to travel and enjoy learning to swim in the pool.
The swim exchange involves none of our pupils. The benefit to our pupils comes through the training that is offered us to develop our understanding of special needs and thereby our provision.
Frequency
It is ongoing. It will continue until such time as it is not needed.