The Strings Club holiday camps are welcoming, happy places for children with SEN. The positive feedback we've received from parents of children with special education needs has been so rewarding for staff to see, as they all strive to ensure every child has a wonderful experience.

This week we had the following message from the mother of a boy who attend our holiday camp in London: "We are delighted with how well he managed at your club yesterday. Thank you for being willing to listen about what makes a difference and acting on it. Not all summer clubs are able to make activities inclusive of neurodivergent children and give them an opportunity to shine. He is very much looking forward to joining you again tomorrow."

We have seen a rise in numbers of kids who are SEN or being referred coming to our holiday camps. "Being prepared and welcoming to children who are SEN is something we are really passionate about at The Strings Club," says director Amy Cunningham.

How The Strings Club is prepared and well-suited for children with SEN

Training

Everyone who works at The Strings Club camps attend online pre-holiday camp training and that includes SEN awareness training. Many of our team members are Special Education Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) who usually work at a school and have qualifications.

Leyna Bansal is our new SENCO, and she leads the training at The Strings Club.

We asked Leyna how she feels, working for an organisation that takes these steps to make sure all children have a wonderful camp experience?

"As a qualified primary school teacher, I was really impressed with how The Strings Club not only cater to, but welcome children from neurodiverse backgrounds. The Strings Club is always thriving to improve their practice in order to engage and include children with additional needs, whether that is through the use of visual timetables and flashcards to communicate, as well as adapting and differentiating activities and workshops in order for them to be accessible to ALL children.

One moment that really stood out to me was with a little boy at our Islington camp who is awaiting an ADHD diagnosis. His mum shared some of the helpful strategies used at his school. We immediately put those in place — including looking out for certain key words he used to indicate when he needed a break to draw, which is one of the activities that helps him to self-regulate and calm. Over the course of the week, we saw a real difference. With the right support and understanding, he began to thrive, felt accepted and appreciated, began engaging more confidently and enjoyed his time at camp. Moments like that really highlight the power of a nurturing, inclusive environment — and why inclusivity matters so much."

Communication with Parents

We ask parents to complete as much information as possible before camps begin, regarding their child's SEN so we can make sure all children feel at home and we are prepared to cater for their individual needs.

When booking a camp parents are asked to provide this information, which we then disseminate to the necessary staff.

These details are all checked by a staff member at our head office and if more information is needed the parents are phoned to discuss this further, before the camp begins - a personal touch that other camps don't do. We also send an email on the Friday to say we can't wait to see you next week and remind parents if your child has been referred make sure you've sent us the requested info.

We send out daily newsletters to keep parents informed of what's going on every day at the camps and an easy flow of communication with The Strings Club can put parents at ease knowing they can reach out with any concerns.

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Attention to detail at camps

We stock our camps with supplies that help with SEN. Objects like sand timers and fidget toys are available to help kids feel calmer. Sand timers help kids be aware of when an activity will be ending and stay calm when they transition into something new.

We also use visual timetables to help children know how the whole day will progress, simply by looking at the pictures in the timeline.

Staff know to create 'now and next' visuals - on a wipe-off board, or piece of paper, to quickly illustrate to children what they are doing now and what is coming next. SEN children can sometimes find verbal instructions difficult so visuals are really helpful.

Feedback from a parent of child who attended our camp and is founder of an online community for neurodivergent youths:

Kirsten Jack is founder of Uncommon, a community that runs after-school clubs, psycho-educational courses and mentoring for neurodivergent young people who may be struggling with school, or may find in-person clubs challenging but who want to find new friends and have fun!

Her child attended The Strings Club holiday camp and she was impressed: “As a neurodivergent parent who works with hundreds of autistic and ADHD young people and having experienced The Strings Club camp first-hand I can honestly say it’s a great experience.

The holiday camps are thoughtfully designed where neurodivergent kids can feel safe and have fun! From their detailed timetable, creative ethos to caring staff and all-importantly low staff ratios they’ve done a fantastic job of creating a space where neurodivergent kids can thrive."

Kirsten explained the hallmarks of a good camp for SEN kids, that I felt from our experience The Strings Club exemplified:

- Low staff ratios - ensuring that there are extra hands and the chance for staff to spend some one on one time if a child needs help finding their feet.

(Our staff to child ratio is 8:1 - this is an extraordinary ratio for a holiday camp.)

- An understanding of sensory needs - both for having some quiet time, but also in creating experiences that bring sensory joy as so many neurodivergent kids love the intensity of music , as a space that celebrates music and sound, it felt clear that The Strings Club had this in spades!

- Clear structure - string club super helpful detailed timetable reduced or removed any under certainty anxiety which neurodivergent kids often struggle with. Making the timetable appealing and visual was helpful too!

- Celebrating creativity - From a young age many neurodivergent kids start creating their own fanatic worlds and writing super complex stories or songs, so having a space where this creativity embraced is amazing!

🤗 We are thrilled with all the glowing feedback of our SEN care, from parents, children and our staff!

We'd love for you to join us. Check out our menu of holiday camps and find one nearest you to book today. All locations and camp details can be found on our website HERE.

Note If a child has 1:1 SEN care at school or goes to a specialist school they will need to have their SEN facilitator with them to attend The Strings Club as we are not a specialist SEN camp. We are happy to chat about any child's needs at our camp and it if it suitable for them, so please contact us by email or phone. We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully seeing you at an upcoming camp to join in the musical joy!