Hi there!
In case you’re wondering what might have happened to One For All, as it has been almost a year since our last diary entry, don’t panic we are still around and as busy as ever! In fact, we can’t believe another academic year is over – doesn’t time fly! Since our last assembly at Fernwood Junior School in September 2005, One For All have come of age, with each of us celebrating our 21st birthday’s, which meant lots of partying for all of us! It’s hard to believe we are all adults now and our school years are a distant memory – One For All have been up and running since Christmas 2002 and have been running independently, without the support of the Whizz Kidz children’s charity, since summer 2003 – It feels like yesterday, yet we have achieved so much and thankfully we are still going strong! Don’t worry, our school years may be some time ago now, but we are still doing all we can to keep our finger on the pulse of the education system today. There is just the small matter of our own education to complete first!
After recovering from the hectic two month period of partying and Christmas, the second semester of university came to us all with a vengeance in January 2006 and has only just finished. The website has been a bit neglected as the easy-going first year is no more, because we are no longer relaxed freshers! Maresa and Lindsey embarked upon their second year of university in September (when the work really starts to count towards the final degree) and the stress hit Lucy as she began her final year! She has taken a back seat this year and left things in the capable hands of Lindsey and Maresa, although she is never far behind, keeping tabs on the group. In fact, as promised, in a bid to keep up to date with the education system, while in Hull Lucy has been gaining weekly work experience in the music and special needs department of an inner-city
mainstream secondary school, in an attempt to understand the teaching profession and promote inclusive practice in a different region to our own – for further details see the article ‘Banging the Drum for Inclusion’ in the featured items section of the website!
Meanwhile, Lindsey and Maresa have been keeping One For All going and were given an exciting new opportunity in April to apply and diversify the inclusive services of One For All, when they delivered a day of interactive workshops to the Nottingham Housing Association (see the workshop case study section for details). Feedback was very positive, so it just goes to show that the inclusive message is the same in any setting and One For All are ready to adapt to any situation. Here’s hoping we have long and productive relations with the Housing Association in the future!
And now… we are pleased to say that we have all come out of the exam period in one piece, so all we can do is wait for the results and hope for the best – fingers crossed! With the summer upon us it is time once again to sit back, relax, take stock of another year and prepare for the next one. Lucy and Lindsey both jetted off to warmer climates for their holidays and it is also time for One For All to take a well earned group day out – not forgetting all the excitement of the world cup – Come on England!!!
Also, in July it will be Lucy’s turn to graduate (at last!) while our friend and long-term One For All supporter Jo is marrying fiancé Stuart, so congratulations to you both (time for us to go out and buy a hat!) There are plenty more celebrations to be had, but before we know it, September will come around again and it will be time to get back to the grind stone! Maresa and Lindsey will return to university (Lindsey in that all important final year) and Lucy will begin the bumpy road to becoming a music teacher, as she begins a secondary music P.G.C.E at Nottingham Trent University. That should help to give One For All an even closer insight into education and hopefully give us the chance to spread the word of inclusion to all those shy secondary schools out there who have not yet contacted us – go on give us a try! Here’s hoping the new term brings lots of new opportunities for One For All and all our clients, old and new!
