Oaklands School - a community centred around activity and movement!
Oaklands School provides a significantly adapted and supportive learning environment for students with profound and multiple learning disabilities and often associated health care needs, aged 3 to 18 years old. Based in the north-west of Edinburgh, Scotland, students at Oaklands benefit from on-site multi-disciplinary therapy and medical teams in addition to education staff.
The school vision is to "Support our children to dream big, go far and unlock their potential, with a range of enriching experiences".
Team Oaklands
Oaklands is a wonderful school full of amazing children and young people and fantastically committed and giving staff. Students are allocated to one of eight classes that are named after tree species. The school community spirit is strong, with educational staff, NHS therapy and health staff and students all collaboratively part of one Team Oaklands.
At Oaklands School every student has an individualised education plan. Supported by a multi-disciplinary team, subjects are taught across the curriculum and teaching is adapted to suit the individual needs of the students. The collaborative team approach to education provides students with appropriate activities in a safe, exciting, stimulating and challenging environment. Staff focus on attainment and achievement, delivering a wide range of opportunities, designed to support students to reach their full potential.
The Importance of Movement
Staying active is a very important part of life at Oaklands School. Students have regular opportunities to take part in activity through Physical Education, Rebound Therapy, Swimming, Boccia, Circuits, Curling, Playground gym games, and a large number of adapted bikes are also available in the school.
Since 2003, Oaklands has been using the MOVE programme. MOVE is an activity based programme which utilises the knowledge of education staff, therapists and families to teach students the skills of sitting, standing, walking and transferring to the best of thier ability. Oaklands first achieved MOVE Centre of excellence status in 2012, and was re-accredited in 2016 and 2020. A dedicated MOVE team in school ensure that movement is integrated into the school day for every student, and dedicated MOVE co-ordinators ensure appropriate goal setting and achievment motivation.
Read more about MOVE in our blog, 'What is the MOVE Programme?'
Journey to Innowalk Pro
Despite the school's strong ethos of encouraging students to stay as physically active as possible, historically there were undeniably less opportunities for some of the students with more complex physical disabilities to achieve this.
In 2017, the therapy team discovered Innowalk PRO, a device they saw as a potential solution to allow some of their more complex students to move more. They arranged for a student to try it out at the initial demo, with his mum there to see him in action. The team were all extremely impressed with the immediate effect on circulation for the student - after 15 minutes use of the Innowalk Pro, his feet felt warmer to touch than usual, plus he loved the experience! This prompted the therapy team to take on both sizes of Innowalk Pro for a four-week trial.
It became clear to the whole school team during the trial that they neeed to fundraise to purchase 2 Innowalk PROs, one in each size, which would allow all of their students to access more regular movement opportunities.
Following a strong, successful fundraising campaign by the whole school, Oaklands received their Innowalk PROs in December 2017.
The Innowalks are used regularly by students within their own classroom setting, with pupil support assistants trained to move the Innowalks between classes using the transport solution, and to adjust the Innowalk settings for each individual student. This allows both staff and students to participate in all class activities and to take part in inclusive activity without missing out on the typical school day.
Leon, a student at Oaklands
re-discovered the joy of movement with Innowalk PRO following his hip surgery.
Read his story here.