A NEW sensory garden has been designed and built at Droitwich Spa High School to combat students’ increasing mental health challenges following post-pandemic isolation.
Designed and built with input from students themselves, the garden is the latest addition to The Link – a dedicated facility created to support young people struggling with anxiety and school avoidance.
The garden has a range of features to stimulate students’ senses ranging from relaxing furniture, water features and bundles of herbs.
The space also features a geodome among the trees and encourages biodiversity through bird-feeders, bird baths and plans for a wildflower garden.
Students have praised the impact. Amber, who helped with the garden, said: “It’s helped me with my studies and made me more comfortable talking to new people.”
“The Link is a home where everyone is accepted and understood. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Funding for the garden came from a Wychavon Social Mobility Grant and a Worcestershire County Council’s Public Health grant.
Kim Jones, the school’s co-ordinator for vulnerable learners who has led The Link project, expressed her thanks to co-headteachers Gemma Lloyd Davies and Claire Moss for their support for the project.
She said: “Like many schools since the pandemic, we’ve seen anxiety and school avoidance reach unprecedented levels.
“We knew we had to re-engage students struggling with their mental health and create an intervention that offered a clear, supportive pathway back into education.”
The garden complements The Link, a pioneering scheme launched in response to the growing mental health challenges faced by students post-pandemic.
Housed in a repurposed caretaker’s bungalow, The Link offers a nurturing, alternative environment with three colour-themed zones to maintain a sense of school identity.
Through consultation and observation, the school identified key barriers to attendance, including sensory overload, fear of academic failure, and separation anxiety.
This year, The Link supported 20 students, including seven in Year 11. All sat exams in English, Maths and Science, with some also completing qualifications in Art, Child Development, and Health and Social Care.
Visit www.wychavon.gov.uk/community-and-living/social-mobility and https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/health-and-wellbeing/healthy-children-and-young-people/wellbeing-grants-educational-settings for more information on the grants.
