Putting enjoyment into the lunch break. Enhancing effective practice at Ferndale School.

Abstract

Ferndale School is a special school catering for students in the Ongoing and Reviewable Resourcing Schemes (ORRS). We sought to explore how a sense of well-being and belonging for students could be fostered during the lunch break at the base school. Students' need for close supervision during lunch hour meant that staff found it hard to successfully engage the students in activities during this time. Parent and staff surveys and video footage were used to identify the changes to be made, and allowed the research team to monitor the resulting changes in the area of student participation. Worthwhile outcomes were identified for children, teachers, and the whole school.