'Friends of'
The Friends of The Collett School Registered charity no: 1157000
Supporting Our SEND Schools To Support Our Pupils
Chair of Trustees: Ruth Patil (c/o admin@bluetangerine.herts.sch.uk)
The Friends of St Luke's School: Registered charity no.: 1106427
Supporting Our SEND Schools To Support Our Pupils
Chair of Trustees: Ruth Patil (c/o admin@bluetangerine.herts.sch.uk)
Our Vision: Our Vision is a world where people with learning disabilities and mental health difficulties thrive.
Our Mission: To enable activities that promote the work of the schools, raise funds and in doing so, work with our communities to break down barriers for children with SEND
Our Ethos: We look after ourselves, each other, our learning and our environment.
Achievements of The Friends of The Blue Tangerine
The Positive Impact of Fundraising
Mental health and Special Educational Needs; these hidden disabilities often lead to inequality and in many instances prejudice. Much of the negativity surrounding our children is due to a lack of understanding and, we tend to fear and avoid what we do not understand.
Our children want to belong to the communities they exist in. By offering an innovative and inspired education with an 'I can' attitude, we prepare our children for the mainstream world; increasing independence and resilience to celebrate their uniqueness and abilities.
By reaching out, we build better understanding and links with our communities. Come into our schools and see for yourself the amazing pupils and staff. With the amazing support over the years we have managed to provide many desperately needed resources and facilities. Some have been very difficult to achieve as they are so very badly needed but do not appeal to many who understand funding a trampoline but not necessarily the equally important fixing of broken steps.
This is a list of a few of our achievements, but far from an exhaustive list, you will see how diverse our needs really are and continue to be!
Mobile café – transferable life and work-related learning skills – going out into the community
Disabled access at Collett – our children can now walk or wheel into the front entrance of their own school!
New Toilets and Hygiene Rooms
LED lighting – good for the environment, invaluable for our children’s sensory needs
Therapy equipment – invaluable and life changing please come and visit us to it in action
Resources for Maths, Literacy, Art, PE etc
Playground equipment
IT – essential for everyone these days but for our children a means of communication and a window to independence
Audio Visual IT (Collett and St Lukes' now have screens the children can see and interact with in our school halls.)
Classrooms – yes, we have had to build our own classrooms to accommodate the children!
Chairs, tables – we have a mismatch of donated furniture around the schools but it is a badge we wear proudly, it shows the community support and adds a real homely warmth, which enhances our children’s learning experience.
Play equipment and outdoor resources – for many of our children the school is their window on the world and many breakthroughs have been achieved whilst working and playing outside
Indoor Play Equipment, such as our indoor play activity room donated by Gosling, Welwyn Garden City.
Minibuses
Decorating and general maintenance
Medical room
Storage containers – because all our cupboards have had to be used to create therapy rooms!
Cookers, washing machines, toasters, kettles – life skills and providing breakfast for those who arrive not having had any!
Animal housing, accommodation and food, such as this beautiful aviary by Little Thatch Company
Refurbishing our Library
Sensory spaces outdoors and internally
Servicing equipment
Mending broken things; windows, IT equipment, doors, plumbing and so much more!!!
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped us so far!