When speaking to Maureen Mathieson, it’s wonderful to hear the energy and enthusiasm in her voice as she speaks of Oaklands School where she serves as headmistress.

Where to begin

It was in August 2006 that Maureen first came to Oaklands. She’d come from a diverse background that included amongst other things; mainstream education, special education and a stint working with the Scottish government. All this made her an ideal candidate for running a school whose pupils all have severe and complex disabilities.

 An overview of Oaklands

She got stuck in at once and oversaw the school’s move into premises better suited to 21st century education, “we moved out of a very old and slightly tired building and into a state of the art purpose built school”. A hydrotherapy pool, soft play room, multi –sensory room and dedicated arts, music and drama rooms; these are just some of the facilities that Oaklands gained out of the move.

Since settling into Oaklands, Maureen proved instrumental in setting up a close partnership with Craigroyston School, a mainstream school in their area. The partnership allows them to exchange information, have their pupils mix and generally allow each to compliment the education of the other.

Furthermore, Maureen’s hard work and dedication have earned Oaklands an award from the City of Edinburgh council for their involvement with MOVE (Movement for Learning Life). This initiative is intended to help children and young adults with severe disabilities gain more independence, be it in terms of mobility, learning or growing in confidence. The CEO of the MOVE partnership, Nigel Carter, was extremely impressed by Oaklands’ adoption of its practices. For her part, Maureen is adamant that MOVE was never to be a side project; “MOVE is a core part of our ethos and is constantly on our minds” she says proudly.

The impression I get from Maureen is that she isn’t one for half measures. If it’s going to be done, she wants it to be done to the best possible outcome. She essentially confirms this when she describes their partnership with Craigroyston school. “It is important that our pupils engage meaningfully” she tells me, “I wouldn’t engage with another school if they looked upon it as simply ticking a box”. As it is, Maureen is very proud that her pupils “engage meaningfully with their mainstream peers” and tells me that the partnership is very much a two way system.

What of day to day lessons?

Of her pupils, Maureen tells me that many of them are non-verbal and that a significant number are wheelchair users. As such, the school relies strongly on the expertise of its teachers and therapists who work together as a team. Either one of the two can leap into the driving seat, depending on the situation and the pupil. And it’s never a case of one being subordinate to the other.

Curious, I ask her about what methods they have at their disposal to work with children who are so severely disabled. She explains that one of the greatest assets the teachers have lie in their knowing the child so well that they can interpret and understand their behaviour and reactions. “Many of the non-verbal children can pick up very fast on a joke” she explains. The expertly trained staff are highly skilled at producing the best results in every child, and each child’s needs and progress are assessed regularly to ensure their continued progress.

From a personal perspective

To the question “what do you enjoy most about your job?” Maureen pauses. “That’s a tough one” she concedes. But ultimately she tells me that the satisfaction for her lies in working with a wide variety of people (she praised the parents, with whom Oaklands has an excellent relationship) and the joy of watching the children move forward and seeing them in the community. “That’s very rewarding”.