A special school in Southfields is becoming a national pioneer in education for the visually impaired.

It’s often said the blind have an almost supernatural sense of smell, touch and sound.

Whether that be true or not, it’s certainly important for blind children to develop these skills so they can learn about the environment around them.

Linden Lodge school in Southfields is now recognised nationally as a pioneer of education for the visually impaired, and has top-quality facilities to match.

“80 per cent of learning is visual,” says headteacher Roger Legate. “Your ability to access the wider world is hugely diminished. We look to remove the barriers.

“It’s about providing our children with a stimulating, caring and friendly learning environment which maximises the children’s education.”

The school, for ages three to 19, is an old manor house in Princes Way, formerly occupied by the wealthy Blackwell family.

Designed by the famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 1920s, the building and its extensive grounds provide a safe haven for the children.

Its proudest feature are the gardens, which are specially designed for the visually impaired.

Plants have been carefully chosen to be tactile or to give off different aromas, and in some parts children are able to operate water features, bird sounds and bubble machines.

“Our gardens are exceptional,” Mr Legate explains. “It’s so all young people in the school can have access to a sensory al fresco experience.”

Linden Lodge’s 122 children have a range of other needs, such as autism, learning disabilities or physical disability.

They are drawn from 29 different local authorities across the south east of England, and 47 of them are boarders.

Those who are wheelchair-bound can guide themselves around the school using magnetic tracks built for them, while various therapy pools help them build on their movement.

The staffing team is vast - 185 in total - meaning there is more than one member of staff per child.

There is also a 20-strong team of health professionals, including physiotherapists and speech therapists.

Several weeks ago the school was asked to share its experience with others as a designated national support school.

For these children, the performing arts can be a key mode of self-expression, and the school’s expertise in this field won it an arts mark gold award from the Arts Council.

Staff also pride themselves on their provision for sports, having won a pentathlon tournament for London schools.

They may even have a rising star in their midst, 15-year-old David Hart, who hopes to train for the Paralympics.

A volunteer at the school once said the fun atmosphere made it seem more like a holiday camp, although of course the real object is learning and acquiring life skills.

Students follow an adapted version of the national curriculum, and many go on to special colleges to learn practical skills for their adult lives.

“They’re remarkably happy and very good humoured,” Mr Legate explains. “They work so very hard to do things as well as they possibly can.”

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