The signs are a changing!

 

 

One of our fundamental aims at Kings Copse Oasis to to provide our pupils with a fully inclusive educational experience, and an important feature of this this allowing pupils as much independence in and around school as is reasonably possible. To promote equal access the school is undergoing an update to the signs that populate our doors and walls to include braille.

 

 

 Phase one is now complete with tactile signs being placed in all 'standard' areas of the school, ranging from disabled toilet signs to a main entrance sign. Phase two, which will hopefully be completed by the summer, is for specific/individual areas of the school such as 'The Oasis' or 'The Haven'.

 

For our partially sighted and our registered blind pupils as well as any VI visitors to the school, we are now becoming even more accessible. Our sighted pupils have been equally interested in the signs, especially the braille, with lots of discussion in the corridors.

 

Our thanks goes to all those children who took part in the 'Read4RNIB' day back in the Autumn, and of course to all those parents, friends and family who sponsored them. We were allowed by RNIB to retain 10% of the money raised to develop our own resources and tactile signage has been on our development plan for a couple of years, held back by the cost. So once again...

 

THANK YOU!

 

 

 

New Brailler is 'awesome!'

We have a very happy braillist in Year 1 because he has a new brailler. But not just any brailler, it is the new Perkins 'Smart' Brailler.

When asked did he like his new brailler, the reply was, "It's awesome!"

So why is it awesome?

The new Smart brailler has a small computer attached to it which will read the braille as it is typed, letter by letter, then read the word when spaced, then read the whole sentence once a full stop is used. It also has a digital display showing either the braille or letters used.

It has a USB port to connect to a computer or printer where it will translate brailled work into a word document.

For our Year 1 braillist the Smart brailler is the 'best', and he has produced some fantastic work using this great tool.

 

 

This is just one instance of using modern technology to aid curricular access for our VI pupils. However it is not just about having nice shiny new things. An important part of our work is evaluating the effectiveness of new technology. We have been using iPad's in the classroom for coming up to a year now, and are about to engage with Winchester University in looking at how these are used by our VI pupils to access learning in the classroom....of wherever we are...in the hall for assembly or out and about on as visit.

 

 

Visual Impairment Awareness Mornings

“The chief handicap of the blind is not blindness, but the attitude of seeing people towards them.”

 

An essential part of our work in a VI Resource is the development of our mainstream sighted pupils understanding of what having a visual impairment is like.

Why are our eyes so important?

 

What do we see with them?

 

 

To this end we aim to deliver VI Awareness sessions to the whole school early on during the academic year.

 

 

The sessions are delivered in partneship with 'Open Sight', a local VI charity.

 

 

A number of activities are presented to the children to challenge their perceptions of sight loss.

 

 

For many children it is through practical hands on activities that they begin to develop some empathy to having either no vision...

 

 

...or using a Visual Impairment Simulation on the iPad, for reduced vision.

 

 

An important part of the experience is not only what is it like, but also how could I help. All the children recieve brief training on how to be a sighted guide.

Then they get to give it a go, with a blindfolded friend!

 

 

 

Another area that recieves great interest from the pupils is braille.

The children are given an introduction to braille code and how it works. They then try using the code to write their name or messages to each other.

 



This work can be followed up by pupils by joining the school's 'Braille Club' which meets weekly.

 

 

Finally, we ensure the children are made aware of eye health issues ranging from protecting our eyes from the sun to eating a healthy diet.

By ensuring our pupils have an understanding of Visual Impairments, we step closer to our aim of full inclusivity. For the VI pupil, their freinds and peers are an essential element to their education, not just socially but in the classroom during lessons. For their sighted friends, it is good to know how  vision is affected and how they can help their VI freind succeed.

 

Thank You to all at Open Sight who help us to deliver this training every year, in particular Jenny, Terry & Julie. 

 

 



Firework In-Reach

Last year for Bonfire Night we made a mess in the Oasis with paint. This year we thought making a mess in the kitchen might be fun...and tasty!

 

Our plan was to make firework biscuits, decorated with colourful and tactile 'things' (all edible).

 

 



 

Giving children with a visual impairment hands-on real-life experiences is an important element to their education and development. Opportunities to practice living skills not only provides the children a broader educational experience...

 



..but also encourages social interaction.

 



The children's cooperation and collaboration produced some brilliant results.

 



All of the children were incredibly focused and thoroughly enjoyed getting stuck in!

 



Parent participation was compulsory!

 



For our Reg. blind pupils the tactile experience of handling, rolling and shaping the biscuit dough was really fun and stimulated some good vocabulary.

 

 

 

For our partially sighted participants the chance to spend time making their biscuits 'just right' was used well.

 

 

Providing the children with a structured work-place with clearly organised resources, combined with adult support meant that a brilliant afternoon was spent making very tasty biscuit...all of which were taken home....

 

Thank you to all of our participants, parents, visitors and guests. We will hopefully see you in December for our Christmas Celebration.

 

 

 

 

VIP Club Visit to Barnfields

On Wednesday 6th November the staff and children of Kings Copse Oasis braved the elements to visit 'Barnfields' which is a part of Manor Country Park.

  This was our once a term adventure out from school to visit somewhere interesting and stimulating to the senses, and where better than a wet and windy park full of puddles! 



There was lots of puddle jumping and splashing. The sensation of the mud underfoot caused lots of giggles.

A good 'trek' into the woods, exploring sweet chestnuts, wild mushrooms (no touching), oak leaves and 'Which tree is a Beech?', was followed by an exploration of the activity park.

The group sensation of swinging back and forth caused great laughter and challenged the children to be in control of their balance, whether sitting or standing.

 The park had a 'Trim-trail' which these two children were determined to complete...

 ...oops...one foot down...

But they got there in the end, with a tiny bit of help.

 Some of the Park's musical instruments were played well with a stick...

...or an umbrella!

The 'Bucket Swing' was the favourite attraction....when shared with a friend...

 ...a few friends...

 ...or just about everyone!!!

 

The children and staff all returned to Kings Copse very muddy and tired.

We had a great time :)

 It is through providing guided first hand experiences that we widen our children's knowledge and understanding of the world around them. They also provide a brilliant opportunity to foster and encourage friendships and VI peer relationships.