SEND students to run school charity shop

A special school has opened a charity shop to help students learn gain work experience, life skills and improve their career prospects.

St Anne's School and Sixth Form College in Hessle, East Yorkshire, cares for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged between two and 19.

Alongside staff and volunteers, students will work at the shop, on Prestongate, to raise money for the school.

Headteacher Hendi Longman said: "Our pupils are incredible human beings and their resilience, their determination, their confidence is unmatched. I think it's about time people saw that for themselves. That's why we're here."

The shop, which is situated on a main retail street in Hessle, will open Tuesday to Saturday between 10:00 and 14:00 GMT.

Pupils will gain experience stacking shelves, organising stock, operating the till and serving customers, teachers said.

Officials said the money raised from sales would be used to fund education and activities such as off-site visits and residentials at the school.

Longman said one of the reasons they decided to open the shop was due to there being "very few opportunities" for children with SEND.

"I think sometimes that is through a lack of understanding, a lack of knowledge. Sometimes people hear additional needs and think 'they won't be able to do this, they won't be able to do that'."

She added St Anne's wanted to prove "very much the opposite".

Longman added: "It's about getting out there and just showing everyone, as well as showing themselves, what they are capable of.

"Hopefully people in the community will see that and realise they could have a little job at their business."

Sixth-form student Sonny, 17, said: "It could help me by getting a qualification and a job.

"I'm very happy about that."

St Anne's School and Sixth Form College has worked with local employer Sewell Group to create a work experience programme for students.

The organisation has launched a toolkit to help other employers do the same as part of the Hull and East Riding SEND Employment Forum.

Bethany Dennett, community investment strategist at Sewell Group, said: "We're trying to showcase how talented these young people are, and how much they can contribute to our economy.

"These placements genuinely change these young people's lives and not only just for the person but for their family as well and the school or college they attend."

East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has encouraged employers and businesses to provide similar placements to young people.

Councillor Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education said: "We know that by providing experiences of the workplace to young people with SEND, it offers significant, tangible, and often overlooked benefits to companies."

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