We’ve been helping pupils at Crowdys Hill School in Swindon learn about graphic design, website development and content creation.
See? Told you we weren’t actually evil…
The aim was to provide a series of specialist sessions for pupils aged 16-19 with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND), offering them an opportunity to develop skills and confidence for the future.
Crowdys Hill School aims to break down barriers and does not limit its ambition for pupils’ achievement. From Reception Year to the sixth form, staff have high expectations of pupils who experience a coherent curriculum that builds the life skills they need to succeed in adulthood.
Pupils benefit from a wealth of activities outside the classroom that help expand their interests and develop independence, and the sessions organised by Evil Empire have helped to further enhance the school’s offering.
The sessions were hosted at The Platform Project, another Swindon-based initiative which works alongside local authorities, education institutions and employers to bridge the gap between education and employment.
The programme gave Crowdys Hill School pupils experience of a different working environment and the opportunity to connect with another organisation supporting the town’s young people.
Laurie Kyle from design agency Giddy Octopus and our very own web guru, Rich Macarthur, delivered sessions for the students alongside New College Swindon’s Esports Faculty.
Rich delivered a workshop covering web design, coding and apps, and pupils also helped to him build a live website.
Our fearless Leader, Sara Witham, said, “Working with young people in our communities should be in the DNA of every business. We firmly believe that every successful business should be helping to teach, inspire and motivate future generations, helping them to reach their full potential, regardless of circumstances.
“We’re delighted to have run these sessions for Crowdys Hill School, and I can’t thank Richard, Laurie, Hannah and Kate enough for giving up their time supporting Swindon and Wiltshire’s young people to achieve great things.”
Amanda Hancock, SEN Job Coach at Crowdys Hill School, added, “We’re extremely grateful to New College, Giddy Octopus and Stackful for facilitating these brilliant sessions for our pupils, and to Evil Empire for organising the event and the Platform Project for the space.
“Every young person needs opportunities to develop new skills and learn about a diverse range of topics, and this is a great example of a community partnership coming together to offer our pupils more.
“It was a superbly planned morning. Each workshop had the students fully engaged throughout and the talks and the activities suited the students’ needs perfectly.”
If you would like a session like this for Year 10 & 11 pupils at your school, or if you are a local business that would like to provide a workshop, please do get in touch with The Platform Project.
