Day-To-Day Life

Working alongside each other is an important basis of much of our work. We try to make the day-to-day running of the house communities and the care of the land and grounds part of everyone’s responsibility and involvement. Most new co-workers will have a group of one to three pupils in their house whom they will relate to more closely. With the help of either your house co-ordinator or a more experienced co-worker, you will learn to help, encourage and educate your group on matters of personal hygiene, care of possessions, interests, recreational activities and participation in the daily routine. In some cases the child may need total care.

Usually there are one or two pupils sharing a room and one co-worker is responsible for them (waking them up, helping them into their clothes, bringing them to school, playing games, etc.). Some children have their own room and need a single co-worker’s help for their care all the time. But there are always people around who can offer their help or with whom you can take turns. You can also just arrange with other co-workers and their group, if they wish to join your group when you go for walks or play games.

Our day is divided into three main parts:

Morning; In the morning the pupils go to school; some co-workers help in classes, some with therapies and others with domestic tasks in the house. Each house organises such matters individually. Each house has its own identity arising from the adults and pupils within it, and each will be organised in a slightly different fashion from other houses.

Afternoon; The pupils come home for lunch at 12.30 p.m. Lunch is followed by a rest hour during which some co-workers may have an hour or so free. At 3.15 p.m. the afternoon activities and classes begin. Some of the pupils will return to school for further lessons. For others there will be gardening, workshops and walks. The afternoon program is dependent on the child's needs and abilities. The Schools celebrate the Christian festivals through pageant and play, during the course of the year everyone takes part in rehearsals. These rehearsals too are usually in the afternoon. When there are no rehearsals the time before the evening meal is usually free for various activities.

Evening; After supper the programme varies according to the pupils and is organised from their houses.

All co-workers have one day off per week and can usually find an hour or so to themselves during each day. Such arrangements must be agreed with the house co-ordinator in accordance with the needs of the house community. Personal preferences and experiences are obviously taken into account when arranging a timetable but an underlying strength of the co-worker group is the wish to serve the needs of those we care for and of the environment. Working in Camphill is more a way of life, so that living with the pupils and sharing their interests often blurs the distinction between free time and what is work. It is a common wish that we live in a community where each works towards a common aim to help each other\'s potential, and awaken a sense of responsibility and interest in the world and for each other.

Meet the Pupils

In our Schools you will meet pupils with a wide range of disabilities; various degrees of the Autistic Spectrum; Down’s Syndrome; Angelman’s Syndrome; Foetal-alcohol Syndrome and other Syndromes; Hyperactivity; epilepsy and delayed physical and emotional development and learning difficulties. Many have poor communication skills and some display challenging behaviour.