Local housebuilder, Barratt David Wilson Homes, recently donated a selection of specialist sensory equipment to Haven Nook School, a Special Educational Needs school in Canterbury. The school is located in close proximity to the housebuilder’s ‘The Woodlands’ and ‘Saxon Fields’ developments in Broad Oak and Thanington respectively.
A blog post published by the University of Warwick’s Centre for Lifelong Learning recently revealed that sensory play improves communication, highlighting the importance of engaging sensory experiences and ‘play-based interventions in supporting social communication and emotional regulation for primary-aged students with special educational needs (SEN).’
The Canterbury-based school, Haven Nook, works with neurodivergent pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs through providing individualised provisional plans for each pupil enrolled at the school – ranging from support from their licenced Speech and Language Therapist, Live Thrive Practitioners, therapeutic support and targeted screening for Dyslexia and other specific learning needs.
In a move to uplift the school’s ethos, local housebuilder Barratt David Wilson Kent donated a range of sensory play equipment. From a Pilates ball to be used for physical therapy interventions and emotional regulation, to numerous bean bag seats to create designated and welcoming safe spaces for heightened pupils to decompress – the housebuilder has aimed to deliver necessary and equipment that the staff at Haven Nook School have personally requested.
Natalie Perry, Sales and Marketing Director at Barratt David Wilson Kent, commented: “We visited Haven Nook’s sensory room at Maypole Farm earlier in the year to see how we can work and support them. After seeing how important the sensory room is for the school, we knew that we wanted to aid this in whatever way we could. So, after our visit, we got in touch with the staff at Haven Nook to ask them if we could get involved, and they sent over a wish list of resources for their sensory room. We look forward to working with Haven Nook over the course of the year in their key focus areas such as outdoor play and sustainability.”
A member of the Haven Nook teaching staff added: “We really appreciate the support of Barratt David Wilson Kent in sourcing and donating resources for our pupils to use. The equipment is sure to be well loved additions to our existing supplies and I cannot wait to see the items be used for sensory learning interventions and exploration-through-play. We’re excited to extend our partnership with Barratt David Wilson Kent throughout the year and work together to support these pupils as much as possible.”
