The Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre is the first secondary setting in Wales to be awarded ADHD Friendly school status.

The Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre in Llanelli was the first secondary school in Wales to be awarded the prestigious ADHD Friendly School award by the ADHD Foundation for their work with young people with ADHD in the last academic year. Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre is proudly committed to supporting all of the young people within their school, whatever their particular needs, to improve their life chances through education.

The Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre has displayed an outstanding commitment to all of their students with ADHD. The school has an array of support structures and strategies to ensure that the students with ADHD and other special educational needs, can access the curriculum fully and are happy and achieving at school. In addition, thorough staff training has been provided by the ADHD Foundation.

All of the students learn about and celebrate Neurodiversity in their form lessons and through the use of displays around the centre. The school day and lessons are structured to provide significant opportunities for physical movement, including football and volleyball and movement breaks within lessons. Every classroom has an array of attentional tools that students can select for themselves to help them stay focused during lesson times. Helping young people to self-calm and regulate their emotions is central to the ethos of The Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre and their sensory room is central to this. One to one support, individualised support plans and access to opportunities in the Arts ensure that students can cope and can reach their potential. The Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre provides a much-needed calming environment for those students who sometimes find school a very anxious place. As the students travel from across Carmarthenshire to attend the centre, it can present challenges in engaging with parents and carers. The Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre have addressed this directly by providing parents and carers with much needed and valuable information about ADHD and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Colin Foley, the training director of the ADHD Foundation said, “It has been a privilege to work with the Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre. The staff have gone above and beyond to make their lessons and their school environment enjoyable, supportive and safe spaces for their students with ADHD and I’m glad that they are getting the recognition for this that they deserve.”

 Josie Chapman, the Centre Manager of the Carmarthenshire Secondary Teaching and Learning Centre said,

We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the ADHD Foundation and have learned a great deal about how best to support our students with ADHD. We are committed to providing an inclusive education for all students and as a result of our work with them and the recognition we have received, feel better able to do so. “

The ADHD Foundation, based in Liverpool, works in partnership with individuals, families, doctors, teachers and other agencies to improving emotional well-being, educational attainment, behaviour and life chances through better understanding and self-management of ADHD, ASD and related learning difficulties.