Moate CS TY students unveil sensory area in school grounds

On the 2^nd of April we welcomed Councillor Michael O’Brien to our school to open our outdoor sensory area, as well as Shaun Greville from the NCSE to unveil our new outdoor sensory area. Also present were all transition years as well as school staff, who were very helpful throughout our YSI journey.

The main aim of the day, World Autism Day 2019, was to officially unveil our new outdoor sensory area. Shaun Greville gave an excellent presentation on what it would be like to have autism and Councillor Michael O’Brien followed this up with a few words on the school’s impressive actions towards an autism-friendly community. Our class wants people to realise that those who are different don’t have to be hidden away, they don’t have to isolate themselves from society, and that if they are given the opportunity to stand up and show the world what they have to offer, truly amazing things can happen. As P.T Barnum said, “No-one ever made a difference by being like everyone else”. Our class made the structure throughout the year, and its aim is to give students with ASD somewhere comforting to go when they are feeling overwhelmed. A lot of work has been put into this, and it has been made using mostly recycled materials.

We at Moate Community School want to thank Councillor Michael O’Brien and Shaun Greville for taking the time to speak to us about this issue, and we hope that our new sensory area will make a positive difference in our school.