Students Jack and Victoria have been putting their all important mobility skills into practise, and have completed a great piece of work which focuses on how they each navigate their way around school and campus in a wheelchair.
They have put together detailed written instructions – with Jack focusing on how he gets around during the school day to each of his lessons, whilst Victoria concentrates on making her way around the school campus to the different houses and facilities such as the Fit4Purpose gym and swimming pool.
The work completed by Jack and Victoria is great news for our mobility department too, as their hope is to create a library of student reports such as these which can be shared with any new students who are in a wheelchair.
Below is Jack’s week, day by day, detailing how he is getting to each of his timetabled lessons! Click on each tab to read through.
We will start in room 8, which is a maths room belonging to Mr Brooks. Exiting Mr Brooks’ room we are heading to drama. We turn right out of the room to the end of the corridor to a small landing which has ILS down to your right, or stairs up to I.T straight in front of you. We are going to take the left glass door through to the LRC entrance. This door leads us into another small corridor which has 3 student toilets on your right. The entrance to the LRC is on your left. We are going to go straight through the first set of double glass doors. These doors are quite heavy and make a distinct sucking sound when they close. After the first door you will find yourself in a small vestibule. Go straight through the next door and you’re out of the building,
Then you go round the outside of the school via the ramp on your left which then snakes to the right. At this point you will be facing surgery/the canteen. Before you reach that building turn right along the path and follow the ramp up to the art department. The doors to art and drama require a code which is the same as the front door. Although the door feels light, if you let it slam behind you, it makes a very loud bang!
After closing this door you will find yourself in art and drama. In the middle of this area is an art display which is a set of large shelves showcasing some of the student’s work. This area also has a water fountain on the right hand wall. To get into drama bear left and then enter the drama studio through the right hand door. The drama studio is spacious and echoey. Around 2 sides of the drama studio are built in cupboards containing props for productions. This lesson is with Mrs Jones.
After drama it’s time for ADL. So back out of drama into the corridor and straight ahead and it’s a short walk up the ILS corridor to room 10 to see Mrs Williams. Her room is the second one on the right.
After ADL it’s break time. To get back to room 8 it’s back round on yourself the way you came. Round the outside of the building, up the ramp by the LRC and through the three doors and then turn right up the maths corridor. Room 8 will be on your left.
After finishing break it’s back to the drama department exactly the same way as before, back into room 13 for period 3 – another drama lesson.
Next is period 4 and a study lesson in the bottom of the LRC with Mrs Smith. So, back on yourself as if you were going back to the form room but at the top of the ramp enter the bottom half of the LRC using a different code on the door keypad. Mrs Smith and I sit opposite Mrs Wright’s desk so past the chapel on your right then bear left to the corner table. The LRC is quiet as it is the library of the school.
After this study period it’s time for lunch in the canteen. Back out the LRC door you came into, down the ramp and turn right, down the slope and straight into the canteen.
Period 5 is BTEC science with Mr Stark. From the canteen follow the left hand path and the ramp back to the art corridor. After entering the door which makes a loud bang straight in front of you is the new glass elevator. This lift makes a mechanical noise and when it reaches the ground floor the lift says ‘ground floor’. Into this lift and up one floor by holding the button down. When you reach the science floor the lift says ‘level one’. Out of this lift turn right and you will be faced by a few different doors. On your left there are two toilet doors, the next it’s Mr Stark’s room, then a spare room and then opposite the toilets is the prep room. Into Mr Starks’s room which is usually quite warm! There is no carpet in this room so you can hear feet and chairs moving across the floor.
Last lesson on a Monday is Enhancement which is in Mr Silverwood’s old room, which is another hot room! So out of Mr Stark’s room on the left.
When the lift is working, period 4 will be in room 27 and period 6 will be in Mrs Holyoak’s room.
So that’s me done for the day. Back down in the lift and back to the hostel so past the art and drama doors, through the glass door, down the ramp and following to the front of the school towards the fountain and then down the path on the right, straight towards the sixth form hotel.
Again, we will start the day in room 8 which is my form room. Turning right out of my form room to go round to the LRC doors out of those two sets of doors round to the left to the main LRC doors. This takes me into the bottom of the library which is where I have ASDAN currently (once the main lift is working I would be up in room 30). This lesson is with Mrs Barter.
Back out of the main LRC doors round to the art and drama corridor past drama into the glass elevator and up the lift to Mr Stark’s room which is room 42 for period 2.
From there I come back down in the lift, past drama on the right back outside, all the way round to the LRC side doors in through the double doors then the single door then turn right back into the maths corridor and back to form in room 8 for break.
At 11.20 I turn right out of my form room to go back out the single door and double doors by the LRC round to the main door of the LRC and I stay in here until lunch time. The lesson is ASDAN again with Mrs Barter.
After this its back out the LRC doors, down the ramp and straight into the dinner hall for lunch.
After lunch it’s up to the main reception then up to the hub for study with Mrs Burton. From reception turn right down the main corridor, turn right past languages all the way down to the old elevator then up to floor 1. Turn right out of the lift down the sixth form corridor turn left at the junction, past Mr Hind’s and Dr Erry’s rooms on the left to the big blue room – the hub!
Period 6 I go down to the meeting room for my finance work experience role. So back down the way I came past reception on my left, past Mrs King’s room and the meeting room is next on my left. This is a big meeting room.
At the end of the day I go from school to Fit 4 Purpose for my physio session with Pete. Back out of the main reception doors then the way I would do this would be following the route from the fountain which would be on my left then I would veer off right when I was heading towards the swimming pool, which would be on my right.
Starting the day in room 8 we come out of my form room and turn right out of the single door and then out of the double doors then go round to the main entrance. Go through the heavy metal door then type in the code. The door buzzes open then turn right into reception. Mrs Jones meets me here to go off for mobility.
Once I am finished with my mobility lesson I will be back in reception where Miss Heywood will come and collect me and take me out the main door, through the heavy metal door and all the way around the outside to the art and drama door. Type the code into that door and then turn left then right into drama with Mrs Jones.
After that lesson I go out of drama, turn right, out the art and drama door round to the side of the LRC, through the double doors and then the single door, turn right then turn into my form room which is room 8 for break time.
At 11.20 period 3 I have Environmental Science. So I go out of my form room through the triple doors then round to the art and drama door. Past drama into the glass elevator up to science in Mr Stark’s room 42. Then for period 4 I go next door on the left hand side into room 43 to have study support with Miss Heywood.
After study support I exit down the glass elevator, out of art and drama to the canteen.
After lunch it’s back round to art and drama via the coded door and turn left into drama.
For period 6 I go out of drama, round to the LRC doors and into the LRC for study support with Miss Brown.
That’s my Wednesday done, so back to the hostel.
I start the day in room 8. I turn right out of my form room, go along to go out the single and then double doors and round to the art and drama doors. Enter the code for that door then go along to the glass elevator up to science. Turn left off the lift all the way along the science corridor. Along this corridor there are lots of different sounds including the whirring noise of the cooling fan of the IT department. At the end of the science corridor turn left then all the way to the end of the IT corridor to Mr Randall’s room 35 on my left.
After I.T we turn right out of room 35, back down the IT corridor and right then down the science corridor to the glass elevator and back down to art and drama. Out of art and drama and left then take a right down the ramp which leads you into one of the staff car parks. Bear right across the car park towards the footpath then right again. This means the football pitch is on your left. I then use the second ramp on my right and this leads up to the door into the multi gym. These doors need to be opened from inside because they are big, heavy fire doors. Then I go across the gym towards the equipment at the other end.
After P.E I go back out of the fire doors, back round past the football pitch to the LRC doors into the maths corridor then through the double doors, type the code in, then through the single door, turn right and then turn left into room 8 for break.
After break it’s back out of room 8, through the single door, through the double doors then left to the main LRC door. Into the LRC for study skills with Miss Brown.
Period 4 is back out of the main door, turn right, through the double doors, type the code in and then through the single door, right into the maths corridor and then left back into room 8. This is our time to catch up with any work that we’ve got or to relax and wind down ready for the afternoon.
After lunch Mrs Mitchell meets me in reception and then we go out the main door round to the main LRC door, type the code in, through that door and come and make ourselves comfy in there for mobility.
After this lesson Miss Heywood comes to meet me for study skills. We stay in the LRC.
Starting off in room 8 I exit left for period 1. Left out of room 8 past 1 door to room 6, which is study skills with Mrs Smith.
Then I turn right out of room 6, go all the way down the maths corridor turn left through the single door, through the double doors then round to drama.
After drama it’s left out of that door and then left out of the main doors and back to the double doors by the LRC. Type in the code then go through the single door and turn right and then left into room 8.
After break I’m going right out of my form room, through the single door, out the double doors, round to art and drama, down the corridor to the glass elevator, up the lift to room 42 which is Mr Stark’s room for Environmental Science.
Period 4 is study with Mrs Newman in the hub. From Mr Stark’s room turn right then left to a door which leads to the rickety bridge. The clue is in the name here, it’s not a very smooth ride! When we get to the end of that bridge there is another door that leads inside. Then bear left at a 45 degree angle to face the lift and then you press the button to call the lift. We know it’s there because it ‘dings’. Then it’s down to floor 1 where I come out the lift and then turn right. This is the sixth form corridor. This corridor is normally quite noisy because it has the common room and the sixth form study room. To get to the hub I go all the way down that corridor turn left at the junction into the music corridor. There are 2 classroom doors on your left and then the glass doors which lead to the main stairwell. The hub is room 27 next to the stairwell.
After lunch it’s back up to room 42. So from the dining room so all the way round to the art and drama doors, type in the code for those doors and then past drama into the glass elevator, back up to Mr Stark’s room.
After Environmental Science I take the exact same route I did from period 3 to period 4 for study skills with Miss Brown in the hub.
Next I have PHSE in room 38. From the hub I turn right down the sixth form corridor to the main lift. Up the lift to floor M, along the rickety bridge, down the science corridor past Dr Moody’s and Dr Sangster’s room on the I.T corridor to room 38.
After this it’s home time, so back to the hostel. So back down to the glass elevator then out the art and drama doors, round to Fit 4 Purpose then to the hostel.
N.B Due to the main lift being repaired half way through this document, I have been able to access classrooms that I wouldn’t be able to access without the lift such as the common room for break time where I can go and socialise with the other members of sixth form. I also do this because it makes it easier for me because from Tuesday to Friday most of my lessons are upstairs anyway so it just makes it easier for me to stay up there instead of going back down to room 8 all the time.
