Fundraising

At Perseid School, we are incredibly fortunate to work with a number of organisations that support and donate to our fundraising efforts. Here are a few recent initiatives that we have been supported on. 

 Immersive Sensory Learning Studio at Perseid Lower School

We want our new sensory learning studio to inspire learning with specialist equipment that can support the development of skills for all our pupils, and especially those with complex and profound learning difficulties. Our continuous efforts to maintain the high standards that are necessary to enable our pupils to flourish is at the heart of why we require a new sensory studio.

What is an Immersive Sensory Learning Studio and why is it needed at Perseid? 

This is a vital part of our curriculum offer. Sensory learning studios offer our pupils a safe learning space in which they can develop areas of visual skill such as visual awareness, visual acuity, tracking and visual fixation. Pupils can stimulate senses in a controlled manner and develop their choice making, cause and effect, independence, regulation and relaxation, something which pupils with complex learning profiles can find overwhelming in busy environments. Having access to an immersive environment will support pupil engagement, skill development and learning, in a fun, purposeful way.

Our current sensory learning studio has been established for a long time and is now in need of a revamp to ensure it is immersive, fully interactive and above all fit for purpose for a pupil population who have increasingly complex learning profiles.

Why is it needed now?

So that learning can continue in an immersive, enriching, purpose built environment to meet the complex sensory needs of our pupils.

Why is it important to us? 

At Perseid, we pride ourselves on the achievements of our pupils, the expertise of our staff, our outstanding facilities and our reputation as a centre of excellence. We want our new sensory studio to inspire learning through the use of specialist equipment to support skills development for all pupils on site. Our continuous efforts to maintain high standards that enable our pupils to flourish is at the heart of this campaign.

How will the funds be used?

We will use the funds raised to undertake a complete revamp of our existing sensory learning studio. The new design will be engaging,  vibrant, exciting and innovative, with equipment which is easy to set up, control and operate by the teacher. This will also enable the teacher to engineer new learning experiences based on the learning styles of the children. It will be a visually uncluttered, easy to use space fully focused on pupil learning. The room will be low maintenance to ensure learning time is maximised. There will be strong links to curriculum subjects. The funds raised will enable us to purchase the control systems, lighting, sound, projection, systems set up and training to ensure the room can be effectively and safely used by staff and pupils.

How much do we want to raise?

The cost of the current proposal is just under £40,000.The funds will support the control systems, lighting, sound, projection, systems set up and training to ensure it can be effectively and safely used by staff and pupils. The provider we would like to work with is Clarity in Sound, Light and Vision Limited.

Perseid School is currently fundraising £152,000 for the development of Outdoor Wellbeing Facilities for both Lower and Upper campus playgrounds. 

All elements of the Outdoor Wellbeing Facilities are essential to pupils, in order to encourage and enhance their sensory awareness, provide opportunities to enhance their communication skills, enrich their lives, support wellbeing and emotional regulation and to support them achieving their potential.

Plans include the installation of three additional wellbeing areas in currently underutilised parts of the playground at Upper School, including Phase 1, a scooter park with jumps, Phase 2, a seating area with climbing wall and Phase 3, a fully functional outdoor classroom and yoga area.

At Lower School, plans include to install a woodland/forest wellbeing area, to include a bark path, fire pit and log seats, environmental pergola, bird boxes, bug hotel and butterfly garden and insect log wall.

Over the Summer holidays 2022, the first phase of the Wellbeing Areas were developed at Upper School. The Scooter Park has been possible thanks to Banstead Downs Golf Club who ‘adopted’ our school as their charity of the year, going on to raise in excess of £13,500. We feel incredibly fortunate that our pupils now have this amazing area to explore and develop their outdoor adventure skills and are incredibly grateful for their support. 

For more information about our plans and fundraising efforts, please download the Fundraising Pack.

Trees for Cities and the Edible Classroom

The Edible Classroom is part of the Trees for Cities initiative, which aims to transform areas of school grounds into educational, natural outdoor spaces. In particular, the Edible Playground will turn an under-used area of the school site into an outdoor classroom, with a focus on gardening, growing and eating healthy food in a multi-sensory and engaging way. It will be built by the charity Edible Playgrounds, which as well as focusing on healthy living aims to combat Nature Deficit Disorder by offering exciting opportunities to spend time outside.

Our Edible Classroom has been designed specifically with our school and the needs of our pupils in mind. The designers worked closely with the senior leadership team and LOTC subject leader to ensure that the garden is a motivating and engaging space, accessible for all. It includes an outdoor classroom area, complete with wooden tables and chairs at different heights to accommodate all pupils across the Lower School as well as ensuring our wheelchair users can sit with their peers. The tables include built-in trays so pupils can touch and explore the soil as well as plant and pot seeds. There are raised garden beds at different heights for growing vegetables and herbs, and fruit trees to provide multi-sensory experiences and a greenhouse with accessible trays to promote pupil independence in storing and collecting gardening tools, as well as a compost and an exciting wormery.

None of this development would be possible without the support of our Friends of Perseid Association and Maclear House, Kings College London. We are incredibly grateful for their donations and ongoing support.

Christmas Card Competition 

Maclear House at Kings College Wimbledon have supported Perseid Upper School for a number of years as their chosen charity and we are incredibly grateful for their ongoing support and generosity. This year, Maclear House and Perseid School worked together to craft beautiful Christmas cards, which will be sold at the Kings College London Christmas Fair and proceeds raised returning back to our school.

Friends of Perseid

Friends of Perseid is a registered charity, allowing us to receive donations and gifts from companies and other charities for the charity itself and the school. The help and support provides life-enhancing benefits for our pupils who have long term complex learning disabilities and healthcare needs.

The Charity was established in 1988 to provide extras for pupils, outside the statutory responsibility such as funding outings and specialist equipment. In addition to running raffles and fundraising events, FOPS have undertaken successful capital appeals in the past:

• In 1994, £30,000 was raised to equip a multi-sensory room.
• In 2000, £160,000 was raised to develop the hydrotherapy facility on the current Lower School site.
• In 2011, £95,000 was raised for the Sensory Room, Drama Studio sound and lighting equipment, camp-out area and Sensory Walkway, prior to its opening.
• In 2015, £100,000 was raised to improve the Lower School outdoor learning areas.

For more information, visit our FOPS page on our website.

If you would like to donate, you can do so via our JustGiving Page.