Murron & Francis
Strong and lasting friendships are forged at LVS Hassocks. Murron and Francis, currently in Year 8, became friends at the beginning of Year 7 and can be found happily chatting away about their many shared interests.
On the first day of school, Murron spotted Francis with a pack of Pokémon cards and saw the opportunity to make friends. “We both love Pokémon,” says Murron, adding: “I’ve made lots of good friends here.”
Murron and Francis also share a love of drawing. Francis likes creating comic-book characters, while Murron illustrates the stories she writes with pictures.
“Everyone here is very supportive and I like the fact that people are autistic like me.”
Both Murron’s and Francis’s enthusiasm for all things creative are fully supported at school, and while both enjoy the art classes, Murron has also developed a love of music, learning to play the keyboard.
“Art and English are my favourite subjects,” says Francis. “I’ve been drawing characters for my comic books since Year 3 and it’s something I love doing.” Since joining LVS Hassocks, he has also discovered that he likes cooking in Food Tech, especially when they made chocolate chip cookies and brownies.
While Francis isn’t a fan of playing sport, especially if it means going outside in the rain, he does enjoy the freestyle football sessions, which are run weekly as part of the school’s lunchtime football club.
“The teachers here are extremely different to the teachers I had at my previous school,” says Francis. “Everyone here is very supportive and I like the fact that people are autistic like me. I particularly like the fact that my teachers understand me and the things I’m really into, like Godzilla and Pokémon.”
The Sensory Room is a space both Murron and Francis appreciate having access to. “It’s a good place to go when I feel dysregulated,” explains Murron. “I found in my last school that I was getting blamed for lots of things, whereas here I feel understood. I don’t like making anyone upset.”
Along with her love of art and music, Murron also enjoys the horticultural area. “I like to see the animals. I’m thinking that when I get older I’d like to work in an animal shelter. I would like to try and help cats – I have a special bond with cats.”
While there aren’t any cats at LVS Hassocks, there are chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits. “The chickens are very funny and I get to walk Billy the bunny,” she says, adding happily that she is thoroughly enjoying being at LVS Hassocks. “This school is a million times better than my last. At my old school, the teacher used to call the table I sat at ‘the needy’ table, because we needed more help than the others in the class.”
There’s no shortage of people to nurture and support the students at LVS Hassocks, with the small class sizes and a LSA available to help during lessons. “Rachel [the Principal] is amazing too. She helps us a lot,” adds Murron.
And, it’s good to know that along with the enjoyable lessons, great friendships and opportunities to do the things they love, the tasty food in the canteen is given top marks. Francis says: “The food here is very good, especially the pizza. Pizza is my favourite food. I love it here.”