A thriving special needs school in Chester has splashed out on much-needed equipment for its pupils thanks to a generous donation from a fast-growing local law firm.

Dorin Park School, in Upton, caters for young people aged from four to 19 from across Cheshire West, Chester and Flintshire with a range of complex needs so they were very grateful for the £400 from Swayne Johnson who have an office in nearby Tattenhall and branches in Mold, Ruthin, Denbigh, St Asaph and Llandudno.

The money has been invested in a range of special needs equipment tailored for the pupils, many of whom are non-verbal, and which range from special subdued lighting for chill-out rooms to educational play equipment and sand timers.

The timers are especially useful, according to Assistant Headteacher Stephanie Williams who said: “For many of our pupils the concept of time is difficult – you might say I’ll only be two minutes but they can’t relate to that.

“With the sand timers they know and can see exactly how long there is to go and that’s very important.

“Some pupils are very sensitive to noise and have to wear ear-defenders and we also have chill-out rooms if pupils need somewhere to just regulate their emotions because when they’re feeling calm that they can best take in education.

“We have a very high teacher to pupil ratio of three staff members to 10 pupils and we follow an informal curriculum with a large part of that devoted to play and leisure activities and very much hands-on.”

The donation came from the Swayne Johnson Charitable Trust, which was set up by the 175-year-old company to support local charities, organisations and good causes across North Wales and Cheshire.

Swayne Johnson Associate Yvonne Hughes, who specialises in working with vulnerable people and in helping them and their families make the right decisions for their futures, said: “People often assume that all these things are covered by normal school funding but often they are not.

“Schools like Dorin Park do have additional requirements and equipment has to be replaced and without support they would have to use their reserves.

“The Parent Teacher Association is very active in fund-raising to cover those things not in the ordinary school budget but there are many other things the school also needs, particularly the sensory items.

“So we hope that we have been able to help them provide some of those extra things that can enhance the learning experience for the children, many of whom have high sensory needs, teach them life skills and help them regulate their emotions.”

Teacher Chloe Shea added: “It’s really beneficial for the school and especially the pupils to receive a donation like this to supply such a range of learning products to teach them skills to help them be more independent and to communicate.

“We take them on trips to supermarket, do travel training with walks to the park and learning how to cross roads.

“When you see the amazing progress they make it is so rewarding as a teacher.”

Swayne Johnson Managing Director Lynette Viney-Passig said: “The work that is done at Dorin Park School by their dedicated staff is amazing and we’re delighted to have been able to help them with the wonderful service they provide.

“At Swayne Johnson it is very important to us to be involved in the communities where we work and I know our staff who have visited the school have been very impressed.

“We always like to get involved in the communities where we operate and play a part in supporting them through our Swayne Johnson Charitable Trust which covers North Wales and Cheshire. It has helped many recipients and we are always happy to receive new enquiries.”

For more on Swayne Johnson including details of the Charitable Trust go to http://www.swaynejohnson.com/