22nd November 2016 We don’t believe in naughty children ……. by Ruth Adams

This was the headline of an article in The Times yesterday which caught my eye. It followed several conversations with parents this week, whose children are all struggling with school The general consensus with all of them was that there was a lack of understanding about the effects early trauma had on the children by school staff.

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The article is about Gloucester House, a school like no other. It takes 19 pupils between 6 and 12, all of whom have complex needs and who have often been the victims of extreme neglect. The head, Nell Nicholson believes ‘different futures can be created’ for children who have been expelled from previous school several times over and their time at Gloucester House is their last chance saloon.

The article is heart-warming and for those of us who believe that every child should be able to access the right education for their needs, it illustrates beautifully that there is a solution out there.

The school recently opened its doors to film maker Peter Beard who spent three months getting to know the children and then after February half-term began filming them. The result is a 3-part documentary which begins on 23 November at 10pm on Channel 4 called ‘Kids on the Edge – Last Chance School’. TV cameras followed three of the children and ‘it offers and unflinching insight into the extremes of education’.

Ultimately this school is a place of hope. So many struggling parents need this.

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