• attending the 'Alive to Enterprise Business Week', to listen to motivating speakers such as successful entrepreneurs and famous personalities and to learn how they had succeeded in life.
• gaining a nationally recognised 'Welcome Host' certificate on completion of a two day training course for tourism which further develops inter-personal skills.
• working through a 'Transition Teams' project, aimed at helping pupils bridge the transition from school to work. S6 pupils investigate a job, create a report - often oral - and present it to other pupils, staff, parents and employers. The presentation evening represents an enormous achievement for the pupils concerned, especially when one considers the nature of their special educational needs. Addressing an audience is no mean feat! (see picture E)
• learning more in S5 and S6 about the different skills involved in running their own business by setting up their own company through Young Enterprise Scotland, producing items of high quality and selling to customers.
• developing further links with industry by pupils going out to visit different types of businesses. Pupils learn about production lines and Health and Safety at Work. (see picture F)

While staff had been quietly confident about these developments from the beginning, pupil and parent enthusiasm grew greatly with experience as the quotations below show:

"I really enjoyed work experience - everyone was so nice".
S5 pupil

"I had great reservations about my son going out to work experience but it turned out to be a great boost to his confidence, thanks to the planning and suppport that went into it".
Parent

Pupils also represent Merkland School at National Conferences such as 'Scotland the Brand' - Scotland's identity in the year 2010.

Pupils regularly participate in national, regional and local tournaments in the following sports - swimming, football, athletics, badminton, basketball, gymnastics and golf. Representatives from the school have also competed internationally as part of the U.K. Special Olympics Team. Participating widely in events and ventures raises pupil self esteem, widens horizons and promotes what we hope will be life-long positive attitudes to health and fitness.

How are we doing?

Obstacles along the way
It has not all been plain sailing. We have had to overcome difficulties such as:

• the impact of a culture of low expectations, externally and even within our own community initially
• finding the huge time commitment for crucial collaboration
• trying to engage in shared intensive staff development opportunities
• identifying and acquiring appropriate support/resources
• avoiding a 'deficit model' in relation to our pupils yet acknowledging and accommodating the reality that communication and medical difficulties can in themselves create real obstacles on the way to fuller participation
• overcoming apprehensions in all 'partners', whether internally in pupils, parents and staff, or externally in the wider community.

How do we know how we are doing and what are the gains?
Regular monitoring of all activities is essential. It ensures that carefully planned stepping stones into the community at large allow pupils to achieve success and feel valued members of society. Minor difficulties are picked up before they become larger and lead to 'failure' or a crisis. In Merkland School we have found that the key to success is collaboration at every level. Where that can be ensured we have found that pupil participation and engagement in the wider community intrinsically facilitates and actively promotes the following :

• increased justified personal confidence
• feelings of value and self worth - positive self-esteem
• raised standards of attainment
• preparation for life beyond school
• development of skills required for the world of work

Reciprocally the wider community gains from partnership projects with the pupils of Merkland School by helping to remove the environmental, structural and, perhaps especially among their mainstream peers, attitudinal barriers to increased inclusion.

"They might have an epileptic fit and I might panic".
Mainstream senior pupil (before joint programme)

"Yes, I think I have benefited in a lot of ways from working in this partnership project because you now understand they have feelings and intelligence also".
Mainstream pupil (after school link project)

Community involvement of our pupils has undoubtedly raised awareness of the capabilities of pupils with special educational needs. Finally, although building collaboration and ensuring on-going liaison is time-consuming, it also ensures that good practice is shared among staff of educational establishments and of other agencies.

Could we do better?

Are we doing enough?
We regularly reflect on this issue with staff, school board, PTA and the pupils themselves, reminding ourselves that, as a school, we must always ensure an appropriate and balanced curriculum for each pupil. The consensus of opinion is that, we are, as far as our resources will allow, maximising inclusive opportunities for our pupils and facilitating their inclusion within the wider community of Merkland School. Our contributions are valuable and valued.

Enabling a better future?
Since the passing of the Standards in Scotland's Schools Act 2000, enrolment in any special school or unit must now be justified in relation to a child's best interest. Serious consideration has already been given to this clause by establishments like ours that offer separate special provision. We are confident that what we are doing now in the classrooms of Merkland, throughout the school and in the community, does exemplify good practice.

Merkland School is a participant in phase 3 of the New Community Schools Pilot Programme. 'Engagement with the Wider Community' is one of the given essential characteristics of a successful participant school. The funding available through this initiative will provide impetus to achieve further wider community involvement in a meaningful, measured and sustainable way.

In line with the Beattie Report recommendations we intend to review the effectiveness of transition arrangements and begin the preparations for post-school education and training earlier. As part of our school development planning process we may wish to consider the use of key workers, peer mentors and written transition profiles as ways of raising expectation for young people with SEN and of ensuring that more opportunities are available for them.

Merkland School is as committed as the Scottish Executive to promoting and developing an inclusive society where every person has the opportunity to develop their skills and to participate in society to the fullest possible extent.