Clive Lawrence, executive head at St Giles School – the city’s only special primary school – says that he is ‘extremely grateful’ to the support the school has received from Derby County Community Trust.

Mr Lawrence singled out sports coaches Zack Yates and Andy Bromyard, who have been helping with craft sessions, playing board games with pupils and helping out at lunch time.

He said: “The Trust put out an offer of help and support to special schools in the city during what would normally have been the Easter school holidays. We jumped as this fantastic offer, as their coaches are familiar with our staff and pupils.”

However, St Giles School – the city’s only special primary school – has been offering an alternative care provision for families with very exceptional circumstances and those whose parents or carers are frontline key workers.

For the majority of pupils who usually attend St Giles, the school continue to follow the government advice of, where it is much safer for children to be at home, then they are provided with home-learning resources by staff who continue to work hard behind the scenes.

Mr Lawrence added: “As a school we have worked with Derby County Community Trust for some years now, mainly as part of our PE lessons and to promote healthy living activities. “I am always extremely grateful to Derby County Community Trust for providing our school with two sports coaches during a time of challenge and uncertainty for the school and the country as a whole.

“Zack and Andy were truly exceptional; they went above and beyond their duties to help support our pupils who really need to access care provision at this difficult time. This is either because their parents are frontline key workers or for other very exceptional circumstances.

“Due to our pupils having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Zack and Andy were very flexible and accommodating, often supporting children beyond sports coaching sessions.

“The staff at St Giles have overwhelmingly praised them both for their efforts and our pupils really enjoyed having them around.”

St Giles regularly access provisions made available by Derby County Community Trust (DCCT), which was named the EFL’s Midlands Community Club of the Year 2020 in March.

In 2017 and again in 2018, several members of the St Giles School staff– Clive Lawrence, Rob Sherwood, Karen Toulson, Laura Taylor and Beth Rogers, plus pupils Callum Harrison, Declan Taylor and Daniel Flood – visited Kenya with the Trust, to see what life is like in the Rhonda slum areas of Nakuru.

This was a highly-ambitious project for the school and the Trust, with leaders at St Giles doing everything they can to make it possible, and to give children with Special Educational Needs an experience of a lifetime.

The pupils spent time in a local school while members of staff volunteered their services in what was described as an “eye-opening” and “uplifting” experience. During the Coronavirus pandemic, DCCT have made all of their resources available to primary school pupils free of charge.

Lauren Asquith, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager of Derby County Community Trust, said: “We are honoured to have supported St Giles through an extremely difficult period. It is so important for Derby County Community Trust to support our community.

“We are so glad to have provided two coaches with specific SEND experience to make a difference to staff, pupils and the families at St Giles.”