Oxfordshire horse charity HEROS helps SEN students

A charity for retired racehorses has turned to teaching students who struggle at school.

HEROS, based at a stud farm in Oxfordshire, opened a forest school for students with special education needs (SEN) last month.

It has been educating young people at the farm, on topics including horse care, since 2015 but it is now hoping to expand.

The charity has a £1m fundraising campaign for a new education suite.

It hopes the money will allow it to double the number of students it can teach.

The charity, near Fawley, started rehabilitating retired racehorses but realised the animals could have a positive impact on young people who were struggling.

Chief executive Grace Muir believes there are similarities between ex-racehorses and students who find traditional education challenging.

She said: "Students who aren't coping in mainstream education are very similar.

"All horses that are bred to race are not necessarily racehorses, they're not all successful, and a lot of children don't fit in the mould that we have created, which is the classroom."

The recently-introduced forest school was set up as an alternative provision for SEN students.

Lead tutor Alex Burdett said: "Quite recently there was a young student who has not accessed education for a long time, in a school environment and he said he loved the peace and quiet.

"One of our aims is just to get students attending regularly. If they can find the motivation to do that then hopefully what we offer will help."

HEROS Education offers a variety of courses from alternative provision for young people aged 11-16, through to diplomas and traineeships to Level 2 and Level 3 apprenticeships.

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