Pioneer School caters for children and young people with Severe and Complex Learning difficulties between the ages of 3 to 19. This covers a wide range of needs, but learning difficulty is the primary area of need. However, many of the pupils also have associated problems, such as physical disabilities (including sensory impairment), communication difficulties, difficulties with social interactions or autism, which further compound the difficulties they experience.
The school were looking to add a specialised swing to their outdoor resources and Matchroom Foundation were happy to make up the deficit to the amount the School had so far raised, to get the swing built and installed.
Mum at the school, Clare Kirby said “We wanted to get a Wheelchair Swing at the school so all our children could enjoy this experience. However like most specialised equipment the swing was expensive, costing thousands of pounds to purchase and install.
Being a Severe Special Needs School means we are small and only have 125 pupils ageing from 3 to 19, this has quite an impact on fundraising for us as we don’t have access to the large number of parents like a typical school.
Matchroom made it possible for us to get access to this swing much sooner than we ever could of fundraising alone. It took well over a year just to raise half of the money so when Matchroom said they would kindly donate the rest it was more than gratefully received. We can’t thank you enough. Children from all ages and abilities have gained so much from this and will continue to for many years to come. Thank you from all of us at Pioneer School.”