This week, we were delighted to take part in Ealing SEND Hub’s ‘Working Outdoors & Employability’ scheme, a 5-week programme for Ealing SEN students led by Business Education Events CIC (BEE) and supported by business volunteers from the local community. The sessions, which can last between one and three hours, are running from Tuesday 16th September to Monday 13th October. Taking part in this programme is one of the many ways in which Greener Ealing Limited supports our local community, which is one of our core values.
Experiencing live working environments
Working with 13 students from Belvue and two students from John Chilton, the aim of the programme is for these students with special educational needs to experience a ‘live’ working environment and interact with someone who is not their teacher, parent, or carer. Last year’s session with Greener Ealing was a great success with a visit to the park to clear up litter and another session planting at Greenford. This year, Springhallow Post-16 kindly agreed to host us so we could use their garden for the session.
Greener Ealing has a longstanding relationship with Springhallow School fostered by John Carpenter, Greener Ealing’s grounds maintenance supervisor, and Katie Morley, deputy head of Springhallow, which began in 2021 when we helped renovate the school’s outside areas, creating a communal garden, including a sensory area and several raised vegetable beds made from sleepers.
Getting stuck in with the Grounds Maintenance crew
For Week 1 of the Working Outdoors & Employability programme, the students were joined by volunteers from Greener Ealing’s Grounds Maintenance team – John Carpenter, Evelina Barauska, Matthew Taylor, Daniel Ghutin and Wassila Mezaoui – who were on hand to demonstrate and supervise tasks in the Springhallow Post-16 school garden. The team also answered questions from students about their jobs and what it’s like to work outdoors.
Working in small groups, the students had the opportunity to try out a variety of Grounds Maintenance tasks – weeding the flower beds and learning about the plants growing there, raking and gathering up grass cuttings, litter picking and moving logs in the large wheelbarrows. They learned how to use different equipment and why wearing the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is so important. Everyone got stuck in with great enthusiasm and the session ended with a special treat – a visit from the ice cream van with ice cream for everyone! Well done to all the students and thank you for your hard work.
Welcome feedback
“I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks once again for the incredible support you provided to the students from Belvue and John Chilton Special schools today. The students had an absolutely wonderful experience, and the teachers were so impressed by the care and attention you all showed. Your sensitivity and patience made such a difference, helping every student to take part, contribute, and enjoy themselves. It was truly inspiring to see how engaged and enthusiastic they were throughout the session. Thank you for your ongoing support and for making today so special for everyone involved.”
Karen O’Connor – Director, Business Education Events CIC (BEE)
About BEE
Business Education Events (BEE) CIC is a Community Interest Company that works with young people. BEE bridges the gap between the world of work and education by inviting professionals to events/sessions they organise in schools. They are working with four SEN Schools in Ealing: St Ann’s, John Chilton, Springhallow, and Belvue on the Ealing Send Hub programme which has been running for 4 academic years, and every 6 weeks they focus on a different theme.
To learn more about how BEE helps young people access the career opportunities and networks in life that will enable them to succeed, visit https://www.businesseducationevents.com/