Special relationship with tesa works well for Walnuts School

The Walnuts School at Hazeley, a community residential school for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders, has forged a special relationship with Milton Keynes based manufacturing giant tesa UK to provide work experience for its senior learners, as part of the company’s commitment to a worldwide United Nations “Global Compact” initiative.

The vast majority of The Walnuts School pupils are from the Milton Keynes area and tesa has been working with senior sixth form tutor Della Wheal for two years, providing workplace experience for two or more students at a time.

The pupils work in the packing and separation department for a limited number of hours one morning a week. There they acquire the social skills and interactions which are so difficult for many autistic youngsters.

tesa is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers and marketers of adhesive tapes but its size has not proved a barrier to offering a welcoming environment for the pupils.

Della Wheal says the company has been able to provide a friendly, focused and supportive atmosphere which is just what her students need and not always easy to find. “tesa has been the most successful of our work placements and we really appreciate the special relationship we have been able to establish. At the end of the first year the pupils asked if they could say a proper goodbye and tesa put on a farewell lunch for them.”

tesa UK’s Managing Director Steve Plastow says that working with the pupils from The Walnuts School has been both enjoyable and rewarding for his staff.

“We wanted to do something for a local group which would not only help them but also enrich the lives of our own people. Seeing the progress that the Walnuts School pupils have made has opened our eyes to the possibilities for autistic youngsters and taught us all more about how to form and develop relationships. The students have become immensely popular members of our team.

A central theme in our company policy is something we call tesacohesion®, and the importance of people is a mainstay of that approach.”

Students in their final year at the school go to tesa’s Milton Keynes offices with a member of school staff, doing a meaningful job in separating and packaging the company’s products for shipment. Their hours of work are built up gradually, making the adjustment to the workplace as supportive as possible.

By the end of Year 1, the youngsters who went in as the “first draft” had not only acquired the necessary social skills, but were enjoying the work and the friendship of their colleagues.

Della feels that the broader objectives of the programme are paramount, involving real-life skills such as time management and communication which the pupils can only get through this type of experience. “Self-sufficiency within a controlled safe environment is our objective”, she says.

The pupils’ progress is monitored both at tesa and with regular reviews at the school. tesa and The Walnuts School are committed to a long-term relationship and Steve Plastow believes this is the right approach. “We’ve decided to concentrate our efforts exclusively with the Walnuts School to make sure that it works well and to provide the continuity that’s important to both partners”, he comments.

Della Wheal continues “tesa has been able to provide a very special environment. Not all work placements do succeed; sometime pupils do become anxious and disoriented. tesa is the most successful because it is so relaxed, friendly and purposeful. Their ethos is just what we were looking for”.

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