Snowsports are a tremendously effective way to give young people with special educational needs or physical disabilities, or both, an opportunity to develop their capabilities.
Not simply to enjoy themselves in the moment but far more importantly to have a real lasting sense of achievement and stretch their own expectations of themselves. Snowsports can make a huge different to their lives in many ways such as improving gross motor skills, resilience, self-esteem, social skills, mental health, concentration and problem solving.
Our SEND Fund aims to give these opportunities to as many young people as possible. Primarily we do this through schools and young people organisations with the skills and knowledge to ensure that our grants deliver great rewards. Some are also in inner-city and disadvantaged communities. Some manage to take their students into Europe to the snow for holidays. There are many more who could do the same if they could raise the funds. We have been able to support some, but we would like to be able to help many more.
Using our long experience and expertise we have conceived and created SkiVenture, an innovative snowsports programme for UK SEN schools in collaborative partnership with specialist consultancy Senski. It’s three stage programme runs over two academic years to provide SEN schools with a guidance framework for developing the core life skills and wellbeing of their young people. SkiVenture has already been supported by Sport England. We will support schools using the SkiVenture programme with grants as a major focus in the coming years.
The SEND schools and colleges we helped have young people with the full range of needs and disabilities including autism, downs syndrome, behavioural and social difficulties, dyslexia and comprehension, ADHD, physical co-ordination and paraplegia.
Grant - Swanwick School & Sports College
