Elian's Summer School Experience

Meet Elian

Elian is a 5 years old and lives in the Enfield borough of London.

He has SEND but he has not been assessed by the school, leaving him to struggle with learning and partaking in group activities. Elian has a strong family network and his parents were very concerned that  he had not been assessed for SEND by the school, despite it being evident in his behaviour. This has resulted in lack of support
for the family.

He takes a while to understand work and likes familiarity; he will only be at ease once he trusts the adults and/or children he is surrounded by.

During the first Covid-19 lockdown, Elian, like many others, was isolated from his peers, therefore it was felt that he would benefit from our summer camp to give him the opportunity to socialise and become familiar with other students in advance or returning to school, and also to add structure to his day.

Elian's experience of summer school

The family were very supportive and really wanted Elian to engage with the summer camp and the children. Mum is a critical worker so Elian was bought in by a close family member - he had a lot of affection towards her, taking a while to let her go.

When he first started the summer school, he would not talk to anyone or actively participate in activities, just observe.

However, the summer camp enabled Elian to reintegrate into a school-type environment and engage with fun and interactive activities. Over time, Elian opened up and was more willing to mix with peers and children from his school.

The activities aimed to replicate a normal school day providing structure, fun, physical activity and studying of maths, English and Science. Personal support was given to Elian on the programme to help with his studies, which he has fallen behind on, and our well-being mentor helped him develop coping strategies which have helped him immensely.

When giving instructions, he would only be willing to accept one instruction at a time so the service was adapted to meet his needs.

Positive effects felt by all

The consistent approach and regularity of the summer school enabled Elian to slowly ease himself back into a routine. Over the course of the weeks, he started to talk more, partake in activities more happily and engage with other children.

His family were surprised at the difference it had made on him and at how happy he was to come in to sessions.

He was very good at drama activities and expressed himself in a creative way. He spoke more than he did initially and even introduced his personal teddy bear to the group on the last few sessions. After the first 2 sessions, he was more at ease and all the other children were respectable of his needs which resulted in Elian enjoying himself.

Mum and dad were very complimentary and appreciated the support and intervention ahead of school starting.