 | The unit was formed in 1983 when Commonweal, along with the other Junior High and Senior High schools in Swindon went through an amalgamation process in to 11 - 16 comprehensive schools. |
| The Headteacher at that time was Mike Salt. |
| The first teacher in-charge of the unit was Hazel Russ. |
| Hazel retired in 1996. |
| I took over as teacher with overall responsibility in September '96. I have been Head of Special Needs at Commonweal since 1981. |
| There are 16 pupils attached to the unit. |
| They are funded by Swindon, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire LEA's. |
| The pupils are totally integrated within the educational and social life of this school of 1,100 pupils. |
| Some of the pupils in the unit take part in physiotherapy sessions, riding for the disabled, hydrotherapy and modified P.E. sessions. |
| As a group we also attend the South Western Regional Games for the disabled at Yeovil, and the National Games for the disabled at Stoke Mandeville. |
| Every other year the staff and pupils in the unit raise about £6,000 to go on a weeks adventure holiday. In July 1999 this will be to the Stackpole Centre in Wales. |
| Outside of school many of the pupils in the unit belong to PATHFINDERS, a local group for physically impaired youngsters. Three of the support staff in the unit are founder members of PATHFINDERS. They organise a wide range of social and sporting activities - they managed to raise over £10,000 to take members skiing in Austria with the Disabled Ski Club of Great Britain in February. |
