On Wed 4th June '25 members heard from Shaun O’Loughlin and Meredith Barclay from the Berry Street School, an independent specialist school.

They spoke about the school, its students and the staff who support those students to prepare for their future. Berry Street School provides an alternative and flexible pathway for students who are highly vulnerable. Its mission is to provide students with high quality education which enables them to thrive, achieve, and belong on to their pathway of choice.

The school’s curriculum is individualised, highly structured and applied, and students are well supported by teachers and support staff, which includes wellbeing teachers, a psychologist and allied health professionals.

Shaun and Meredith spoke about the importance of understanding the individual needs of students. They described some of the challenges experienced by students and staff, and the sense of reward that comes from their work at the school.