Introduction

Last Up-dated:

24 Januar 2008

Ochil Tower is a Camphill Community, which forms the foundation for Curative Education provided for children in the school.

The aims and objectives of the Camphill Communities are based on the philosophical, educational and social principles of Rudolf Steiner (1861 1925), as elaborated by Karl König (1902 1966) who founded the Camphill Movement in 1940 in Aberdeen. Camphill Communities have been established in many countries throughout the world.

These aims and objectives are realised:

1. in a form of community life, which recognises the universality of the human spirit as an essential element in its formation and working. Expression is given to this in the celebration of festivals, concern for the environment and mutual care.
2. in developing shared living situations which recognise the needs of individuals. The "staff/client" relationship is replaced by mutual relationships based on sharing daily life in all its manifold aspects, including the preparation and sharing of meals, caring for the household and surroundings, creating social events, and so on.
3. in operating financially so that there is a flexible relationship between work and payment for work done. Some receive salaries, others have their financial needs met on an individual and co-operative basis.

The Mission Statement and the aims and objectives have marked implications for all aspects of life in a Camphill Community.

The above aspects will be dealt with in detail in the remaining part of the Policy Statement.

Camphill Communities are involved in a variety of social, cultural and land based activities, ranging from working with very young children with additional support needs to people having reached old age, land based ventures practising bio-dynamic agriculture and gardening, supporting Camphill specific training initiatives, therapeutic and medical work, etc..

Ochil Tower is one of five Camphill Schools in Britain and Northern Ireland. Camphill Schools provide Curative Education for children and young people. Curative Education is a multi-disciplinary professional activity, dedicated to the care, educational and therapeutic needs of young people with additional support needs.

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Ochil Tower is a small residential School, which was founded in 1966 by C. R. Lewers and established as a Camphill School in 1972.

The school offers day placements, weekly and fortnightly boarding arrangements. This arrangement allows us to tailor the individual provision to the needs and gives the possibility for the pupils to develop and maintain ongoing contact with their parents.

Most of the pupils live within a 50 miles radius.

Ochil Tower offers curative education to a wide group of children with additional support needs.

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Aims and Objectives

Holistic

To provide an educationally rich environment which meets the individual needs of the children in a flexible and holistic manner.

Working Together

To work closely together with parents and professionals, to share experience and knowledge: to recognise a common attitude towards the needs and potential of the children.

Recognition

To recognise each child, who happens to have additional support needs, as having an eternal individuality, and the same spiritual and physical needs, as his fellow human beings.

To help, heal and educate children through creating harmonious surroundings, where beauty, truth and goodness are striven for.

To enrich the children's lives with the experiences of the course of the year, marked by the Christian festivals.

To provide education from childhood through adolescence to adulthood.

To develop the whole range of each individual child’s ability allowing the unfolding of his/her full potential.

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Specific Aims And Objectives

These can be grouped broadly into the five categories listed below. They are neither sequential nor mutually exclusive; indeed they overlap and interweave with each other. Nevertheless, they do represent distinct areas of pedagogical working.

Physical Development

1. To instil a sense of ‘body image’, appropriate to each pupil
2. To help the pupil master co-ordination of gross and fine motor skills
3. To encourage the pupil’s creative expression through movement

1. To encourage self awareness and foster self esteem
2. To teach life skills so that the pupil can be led towards independence.
3. To instil a sense of purpose so that the pupil may begin to exercise initiative and motivation in life.
4. To extend the pupil’s possibilities of self-expression

1. To develop in the pupil an ethos of awareness, sensitivity and tolerance towards other people.
2. To guide each pupil to form and maintain warm and caring interpersonal relationships in a variety of contexts (e.g. family, co-workers, peers).
3. To lead the pupil to participate and co-operate in groups and to learn to act out of a sense of community.
4. To develop the pupil’s communication skills

1. To teach a full understanding of the world and of himself so that the pupil can make sense of his environment and of his own place within that environment.
2. To assist in the development of the three areas of thinking, feeling and willing.
3. a. Thinking, i.e. by cultivating the child's power of reasoning, problem solving, information handling, literacy, numeracy, etc.
4. b. Feeling, i.e. by cultivating the powers of imagination, creativity, aesthetic experience, interest, empathy, etc.
5. c. Willing, i.e. by cultivating the powers of motivation, commitment, concentration, perseverance, etc.
6. 3) To teach the pupil practical skills.

1. To promote a healthy questioning and consideration of all aspects of life so that the pupil learns to exercise his or her own personal judgement.
2. To enrich the life experience of the pupil through a common daily practice of Christian Festivals. Although our celebrations are essentially Christian, the young people are also encouraged to understand and appreciate other cultures and religions.
3. To instil a sense of personal responsibility for the wider community in the pupil, i.e. to awaken the pupil's social conscience and enable him or her to direct his actions accordingly.

Partnership

Partnership with a wide range of individuals and organisations is essential if a young person is to benefit fully from his or her placement at Ochil Tower. A school like Ochil Tower can only ever meet part of the overall needs of a child but through appropriate links with parents, other professionals, organisations and departments and the wider community, a joint comprehensive service can be offered.

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