Our school is equipped with ten classrooms, for students from 4 – 18 years. Each classroom has access to appropriate technologies to use with the students such as interactive white boards, switches, laptops, ipads, touch screen monitors.
General Purpose Room
We have a General Purpose Room in the school, where we take part in our Home Economics and Physical Education lessons. The students can also use this room with their class teachers for discos, physical exercise, shows, weekly Cruinniú, visiting performers, etc.
Multi-Sensory Room
We have a multi sensory room that has soft areas for the children to lay down and roll around, rocking chairs, waterfall lights, bubble lamp, glowing egg, light up dome and a projector of calming images that glow across a wall. In here, the students can explore, relax and listen to calming music.
Movement Area
We know how important physical activity and OT input is to our students, to help them to regulate and be ready for learning (to calm if arousal levels are too high or to awaken the senses if arousal levels are too low). With this in mind, we have cleared space on our ‘long corridor’ to create a ‘movement area’ with mats, exercise balls, peanut balls and ideas for offering sensory input, always guided by our OT colleagues.
Sensory Garden
Outside our school, we have a beautiful Sensory Garden. In our garden, we have sandboxes, planting boxes, toys, chimes and a soft play area. These are accessible to students in and out of chairs. We are planning some improvement work in the Garden at end Feb. 2020.
We are also hoping to add some installations that will look nice and will help us to remember those who have died at our school.
Swing Garden – James Browne’s Garden
We have a swing to the rear of our school with some beautiful flowers planted around which is very appealing to the senses. The swing can be used by all students who are in a chair or ambulant. We always think of James in this garden as he did so much to develop it and make it an attractive space for our students.
Calm Room
We have added a ‘Calm Room’ to our amenities at school as a way of supporting our students to feel sensorially regulated. It still needs work but we have consulted with students, parents and staff on how to make it work so we are glad to have input from all.
Sensory Pod
We wish to acquire a Sensory Pod for our students. See details at www.sensorypod.ie We feel that a Sensory Pod would be highly beneficial to lots of our students. If a company wishes to sponsor it, their logo can be emblazoned on the outside of this attractive installation. Contact the Principal for details.
