1 March 2011 - Impact of Family Learning

I wish to share this valuable testament received by SCOLA's Family Learning Team, which shows the extent of the impact that family learning makes and the skills and expertise of SCOLA's tutors.

"I just wanted to write to say thank you so, so much for the courses you put on for families. They are excellent...outstanding in fact. My son, who is diagnosed with ASD (Autism) has been so blessed and privileged to be able to attend cookery and pottery and the teachers have been very patient and understanding and he has enjoyed the courses very much. He just about engaged with another child at the Wandle Valley cookery course last term and then last Wednesday at St Paul's I saw him interacting (not verbally yet) with another child who wanted to get his attention. It was so good to see this. Also, at cookery he has touched different textures (like in kneading bread etc)...normally he won't tolerate different textures/touch things...for years he wouldn't even hold his own sandwich and he still abhors shampoos and soaps and won't have creams on him etc. So it has been so good for him to touch some different textures and he actually enjoys participating which shows how it has helped his confidence, because normally he would just stand back and not participate in things. He has even tried most of the foods after cooking them, and even found he liked a couple of things he would normally not touch! Even some of the foods he didn't like the taste/texture of, we were so pleased to see him try a very small mouthful of.

So these cookery classes are doing him the world of good. And the pottery class is absolutely wonderful for him too, because he has started to make things out of clay...which means he's touching it and also creating his own piece of work...something I never thought he would do...and he is really enjoying it...so much so that he's talking about it daily and saying "I love pottery. It is my favourite"...it is very rare to hear him express this kind of emotion and enjoy something so much. He keeps asking what we will do at the next session and talking about the objects he has made and asking if we like them and wanting to hear that there are still some more sessions left etc. It is so good and such a relief to see him feeling confident about something and enjoying it so much. It has also been a very welcome relief to hear him talk of something other than bus numbers!

I would just like to say again how good the teachers have been (Fay at Pottery and Polly and Debbie, the cookery teachers), so patient, understanding and encouraging. We are so grateful to be able to do these excellent courses and want to thank whoever sets them up. We are so thankful to SCOLA for running them. We have been very blessed. THANK YOU!"

Saboohi Famili
Principal