A residential school for pupils with special needs has developed an innovative digital photography project to keep parents, students and teachers in closer touch. Parents of pupils at Purbeck View School in Swanage, Dorset are e-mailed “fly on the wall” pictures of their child’s day.

“The photographs make what we do more accessible and transparent to parents,” says headteacher Sue Goulding. “We’ve found them far more effective than video. Some of the pictures are only a couple of hours old when parents receive them.”

Sue Goulding says that the school has always had good telephone and written contact with parents, “but the photography gives them immediate communication with their child and makes them feel more involved”.

As a security measure, photos are e-mailed direct to parents rather than posted on the internet. But the scheme, which began as a pilot project with post-16 pupils, has been so successful it is now being extended throughout the school. “We feel the better and closer relationships we have with parents, the better progress students are going to make. The three-way process is vital to what we do at Purbeck View,” says Sue Goulding.

Giles Hamilton-Fletcher, an assistant team leader at Purbeck View, regularly uses digital photography to give Sheila and John Windsor an instant record of the day of their son Jonny, aged 16 (on the right in the picture with his friend Jennie). They were unable to be at his last birthday party at the school, but that same evening were e-mailed a set of pictures.

“The biggest difference is feeling Jonny’s not quite so far away. The pictures make us feel much more part of his world,” says John Windsor. “It was wonderful to see pictures of Jonny interacting with other children. It’s so unusual for people with autism to want to do this.”

During school vacations, Sheila Windsor keeps Jonny’s teachers up to date with his progress by e-mailing pictures of his progress at home. In term time she keeps him in touch with home by e-mailing photos of his brothers and sisters to him. The digital photography has other applications. In addition to being mounted for display around the school, the photographs make a record of students’ skills that is far more graphic and colourful than a series of checklists. The pictures are further used to provide step-by-step evidence of achievement and personal progress for accredited courses such as ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network).

Further details from Sue Goulding, tel: 01929 422760.