For Saskia, the idea of opening her own school especially for children who are irritability-sensitive began with her own children. “My daughter has Asperger’s and is highly gifted. She was forced to go to regular education and was very unhappy there. For my youngest son, who has autism, I wanted things to be different.”
And so she decided to take matters into her own hands and develop a form of learning herself that suits children like her son Tom. Since 5 September, she has started Valeo Primary School in Eindhoven. Saskia: “Everyone is allowed to just be themselves here. So there is no one who will say: you have to be quiet, you have to sit still, you have to listen and we all do the same.”
“Some parents lie awake for nights because their child cannot go to school
Saskia Moesman, founder Valeo
Since setting up her school, Saskia has been getting many emails from parents who are deeply unhappy. “When a child is unhappy, it affects the whole family. Some parents lie awake for nights because their child cannot go to school. Their child doesn’t actually fit into society.”
The solution, according to Saskia, is to offer education that actually prepares children to participate in society, but in their own way. “The great thing here is that we actually have extra time to practice social skills with the children, so they know how to react to situations that are really going to occur in their later lives.”
Teacher Charissa Kerkhof already taught in regular education. There are currently three children in the class and there is room for up to six. Charissa: “This is very different, though. It is quieter in the classroom, but the work itself is no less intensive. Each child gets the attention they need and after the lessons I always make a plan per child for the next lesson.” That way, the children get exactly what they need.
“Ideally, I wish it were free”
Saskia Moesman, founder Valeo
Valeo primary school is a private primary school. That means parents pay a large part of the costs. Through sponsorship, it has managed to get the costs down and the tuition fee for the 7-12 year-old group comes to about 499 euros per month. “Ideally, I wish it were free and that all children could be taught this way,” Saskia informs.
A group with preschoolers will also start at the end of November and it is also planned to have a high school class. That way, children can stay at this school until secondary school.
Source: Studio040
Translated by Simge Taşdemir
https://studio040.nl/nieuws/artikel/saskia-begint-zelf-een-school-voor-prikkelgevoelige-kinderen
