A special educational needs school in Warwick is combatting oversubscription on their campus by preparing to teach music lessons to pupils in a donated bus.
The bus, which used to seat almost 70 passengers and racked up 600,000 miles, was donated by Johnsons Coaches to The Evergreen School.
The space formerly used for music lessons had to be repurposed for other classes due to an increase in pupil numbers, the BBC reported. The ‘crazy’ idea was thought up by teacher Dawn Sauvage.
School reaches out to local community for help with the transformation
Director of Johnsons Coaches Peter Johnson said that the company loves ‘being part of the community.’
‘We’ve been here 100 years, it’s going to be fun to do as well, we’re going to have a laugh sorting it, and if the next Slash learns to play the guitar in this old bus I’ll think I’ve done my bit,’ he said.
The panels, seats, engine, and gear box were removed to make the bus safe. Now, the school have reached out to the local community for help transforming the vehicle into a functional classroom space. They have dubbed it the ‘Magic Bus Project.’
Sam Morle, assistant head teacher at Evergreen Special School, said: ‘Some of our children will never experience success in reading or writing or maths but they can all pick up a triangle, they can all tap a drum, they can all pick up a tambourine.
‘It’s really important, it’s calming for them, I’s therapeutic and we need a place for them to have it as part of their curriculum.’
What is The Evergreen School in Warwick?
The Evergreen School was formed in September 2020 after the joining of Ridgeway School and Round Oak School. Pupils at the school are aged 4 to 19 and are children and young people with Special Educational Needs.
In addition to their own academic and pastoral services, the school offers a purchasable outreach service for mainstream schools to help support students with Special Educational Needs.
In acknowledgment that there are ‘pressures on mainstream provision to meet the increasingly complex needs of the children and young people who do not have a place in specialist provision,’ the service helps staff to build upon their skills, knowledge, and expertise.