Listening, learning, loving it!: the pupils

It’s impossible not to get caught up in the excitement and sense of pride radiating off Jayden as he shares an achievement he received earlier in the day.

“I’ve actually just got a certificate this morning for Top Runner!”

It’s also impossible to not be impressed by the ambition of Xander whose life goal is to “help the world and make it a better place.”

So, how do you unlock potential like this?

There’s not one single or linear answer, especially given the number of unique characteristics and life experiences we carry with us. At Erskine Waterfront Campus each child is met as an individual and, in line with the school ethos, enters into a relationship of respect and trust through staff listening to and hearing the child’s voice.

 “To be honest, in any other school they would tell me how loud my voice is!” laughed Jayden “They don’t need to listen to me here because I’m listening to them. It’s basically a normal conversation. That’s what’s good about here.”

Through a varied curriculum including outdoor sports such as sailing, climbing and go-karting, the pupils are offered opportunities to build resilience and self-confidence and, with regular progress checks, staff adapt any learning needs so that each child makes the best possible progress.

Both pupils agreed wholeheartedly that the school listened to them:

“It's just that normal conversations are just like amazing! Everything's so bright and upbeat. Everything so funny, nice, happy. It's so everything you like. I'm quite smart y’know. So yeah, it's kind of cleared my mind a bit more to be prepared and get ready to go to the high school and it's a mainstream one again. So it's incredible!”