School: Mainstream and Proud

I go to mainstream school, and I'm the only child there with cerebral palsy. If that sounds lonely, it's the opposite — we honestly believe I have the most inclusive school, teachers and friends in the country, and this post is partly a thank-you to them.

Being included, properly

Inclusion at my school isn't a poster on a wall. It's the practical stuff: a lunch-tray attachment for my walking frame so I can collect my own lunch like everyone else. Scooter training arranged so I could take part on my own mobility scooter, with an instructor who explained I could do exactly the same things, just with different methods. School swimming lessons where staff made sure I had exactly the same experience as my friends. Teachers who stayed late so I could practise a surprise.

And my friends? They pick grass out of my wheels at running club, invite me to every party, and cheer the loudest when I do something new. At sports events they chant my name. I'm a lucky boy 💚.

The big moments

• My parent assembly, where I chose to stand for nearly the full 40 minutes with just my walking stick, joining in all the dance moves and singing. Mummy was a blubbering mess of happy tears.
• Walking independently across the school hall — in front of 120 kids and all the staff — to collect a well-done sticker from my head teacher, then turning round and walking back. The applause was deafening and even some teachers had watery eyes.
• School residentials. I look forward to them all year: camp fires, hot chocolate, top bunks (don't tell Daddy), low ropes, bouldering, and sleeping in the boys' dorms — which I declared the best bit, and which Mummy found very stressful because of my epilepsy. It behaved 🙈.
• Nativities and assemblies — from a video cameo the year I was in hospital after surgery, to playing a shepherd with lines I was told to "project to the audience". Assignment: followed 🤣.

The honest bit: learning is harder for me

Reading, writing and numbers don't come easily. My prematurity, my working memory and my fine motor skills all play a part — at six I could only write the letter H. Handwriting is still tough, so school lets me find my own ways.

Last year we also found out why some of it felt SO familiar to Mummy: I've inherited her dyslexia (along with her cheeky personality). The assessment with the amazing Dyslexia Sparks was actually fun — lots of games — and the diagnosis changed nothing about what I can learn, just how I learn it. I get to do some of my work on a computer now, which I think is awesome 🤩.

I work with a tutor who makes learning fun, I try super hard, and parents evening after parents evening tells the same story: still behind my peers, still catching up, making real progress. I've gone from one letter to writing my name unprompted, certificates, house points and Star of the Day ⭐️ (that one was for a PowerPoint presentation about hatching chickens, which is peak me).

For other families

If you're choosing between mainstream and specialist settings, every child is different — but our experience says the right mainstream school, with the right attitude, can move mountains. Look for the school that says "let's figure out how" instead of "we're not sure we can" 👍🏼