24 Mar BURSARY BOOST HELPS COLCHESTER SCHOOL CREATE MINDFULNESS CABIN FOR STUDENTS
A primary school in Great Bromley Village, Colchester, has received a £700 bursary donation from Cala Homes, which will be put towards supporting the school’s additional needs department.
Established in 1863, St George’s Church of England School has focused on providing additional support for students’ mental and physical wellbeing during the pandemic.
After the school received the additional funds from Cala Homes’ Community Bursary initiative, St George’s has been able to part-fund the creation of a new cabin where children will participate in counselling sessions.
Headteacher Rebecca Keitch explained how grateful the school was after it was chosen to receive the bursary donation.
She said: “We are an inclusive school, welcoming children across all backgrounds and those with neuro-diverse conditions. This means some pupils have additional and complex needs, including children who require regular physiotherapy, counselling, or autistic pupils with specific sensory needs.
“We wanted to create a welcoming space where these children’s needs can be met, away from the hustle and bustle of the main school building. We use every available space within the school building itself, but it is very difficult to create the quiet, calm environment these pupils require.
“Counselling, for example, currently must take place in the staffroom and when a pupil needs physiotherapy, they use the ICT Suite – which is less than ideal.
“The funding from Cala will help us to deliver a standalone cabin in which children can receive the therapy they need in the best environment possible. The cost varies hugely, depending on size and complexity, but this bursary boost will go a long way towards meeting these costs, and enables us to fundraise for the remainder in a timelier fashion.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to Cala for considering our application!” she added.
Glenn Copper, Sales and Marketing Director for Cala Homes, North Home Counties, said:
“We understand how difficult it can be for schools to receive the right funding for their students, and especially for those with additional needs.
“We know how much the bursary donation will mean to the additional needs department at St George’s and we’re happy to hear the money is going towards something so meaningful. We always love to hear about how our funding has helped across the communities we build in.”
Cala’s Community Bursary initiative invites charities, voluntary organisations, and community groups to apply for a share of funding from Cala, with more than £400,000 donated to support more than 400 projects since 2017.
