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A very special school


St Christopher’s Special School in Wrexham makes every effort to give all its students a good start in life. Head Teacher Maxine Pittaway explains why her school is special in a very different sense.


Should we call St Christopher’s a special school? We offer a specialised programme to children and young people who have additional needs – but we are just St Christopher’s School. Our children are like other children and our education, though slightly different, is an education that would be suitable for all children.


St Christopher’s moved to its present site in 2000 and Wrexham local education authority (LEA) adopted the principle of one large special school catering for a wide range of pupils with additional needs.


We have some 240 pupils aged six to 19 years. We offer two specialised programmes – Unlocking Potential of the Special School (a Welsh Assembly Government initiative) and the Curriculum Enrichment Programme (part of our 14-19 local learning partnership). These programmes see mainstream students educated at St Christopher’s or attending day release college placements with our students, coordinated and organised by our school.


Getting down to business


St Christopher’s is different from many schools as we have a number of enterprise activities taking place. The businesses we have set up include a Millennium eco centre, hair and beauty salon, café, car valeting, fairtrade shop, log and woodcraft business, retail charity shop and furniture recycling shop, all helping to focus the curriculum and give pupils valuable life skills.


Our Millennium eco centre is open to every school in Wrexham as an environmental base. It also caters for over 100 adults with severe learning disabilities, who attend for part-week sessions.


Qualifications for all


We offer a range of opportunities so that everyone at our school can gain awards. These include OCN unit accreditation, Asdan levels 1 and 2, entry level and GCSE qualifications, NVQ levels 1 and 2 and City and Guilds levels 1 and 2. From this September the Welsh baccalaureate at foundation level, pre- and post-16, will also be available.


A holistic approach


St Christopher’s caters for the whole child, addressing emotional and social needs. We have a thriving school council and eco school council that have been recognised by the Welsh Assembly Government as examples of good practice.


We encourage our pupils aged 16-plus to volunteer to help others. We have been fortunate to receive certification from Millennium Volunteers, a national initiative supporting and encouraging young people’s involvement in voluntary work.


We also run a range of out-of-school-hours activities, with different clubs every day of the week.


Staff support


Staff training is extensive. All staff are trained in workplace first aid, disengagement, manual handling and, for drivers, Midas minibus driving. We also offer the graduate teacher programme, which allows staff to qualify as teachers while they work.


Working with local partners and other interested bodies lies at the heart of the school’s improvement.


So, what are the challenges?...


Funding With a supportive LEA and community backing, funding issues have not prevented us from raising standards or providing a quality education – as outlined in our most recent Estyn report. I would, however, welcome a review of the allocation of funding for special schools so that funding throughout Wales would be equal.


Time Like all head teachers, I feel constantly under pressure. My life revolves round meeting deadlines and the need to attend meetings, which frequently take place at the end of a long day.


Training I fear that in the next few years we will have a problem throughout Wales with finding specially trained staff, particularly in


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