A few weeks ago we approached Ishtar Ali at Ancora Interiors and asked her whether she could create us some 3D images of our therapeutic classroom. We had big ideas and with big ideas comes big furniture (haha) and we wanted to see what it would look like!
This is a sneak peek of what to expect but you can see that we have removed all plastic tables and chairs, old wooden draws, pegs, and even the old flooring. After 4 years of delivering CPD training, writing articles, and talking about therapeutic classrooms, we wanted to have full creative control over a classroom to show you what a therapeutic classroom can be!
The room will go against the ‘norm’ in so many ways including having no backboards! A therapeutic classroom is not just about being calming and looking good. It is about ensuring that mental health and wellbeing is embedded into the ethos of the school and the spaces that the school provides to the children.
Increasing numbers of children are struggling with high levels of stress, adverse experiences, and the impact of social media and technology and that is impacting their ability to flourish in school. The government is keen to ensure all schools embed a whole school approach to mental health. We are here to show you exactly what that looks like because the truth is, conventional classrooms actually disrupt learning and can often trigger insecure attachment style behaviours, lack of concentration and low self-esteem. There are so many things ‘Wrong’ with classrooms today and this project will visually unpick those and help you create a space that is purposeful and inspires creative, confident learners!
A HUGE thank you to Ishtar for helping bring our vision to life!
Further Information and Resources
- You can follow Shahana on Twitter @Shahana_tpc
- Read Shahana’s ‘Chronicles of a therapeutic classroom series’ on Headteacher Update here:
He said yes! September 2021: https://bit.ly/2WqD9F3
The vision forms: October 2021: https://bit.ly/3mXs8Wb - Find more of Shahana’s best practice tips for school leaders on Headteacher Update here – https://www.headteacher-update.com/search-results/shahana-knight/81/1/
