20 MARCH 2026
Children, young people, and teams across WG recently marked Neurodiversity Celebration Week, celebrating inclusivity and strengths across their communities. Here is a glimpse of what some of our schools got up to.
At Ashbrooke School, the week was a fun and inclusive celebration focused on the belief that everyone can succeed. Pupils engaged in creative taskmaster-style challenges, including building landmarks, problem-solving tasks, and teamwork activities. They also welcomed inspirational guest speakers , including staff from the University of Sunderland, a former pupil now studying a Sports Science degree, and representatives from the Foundation of Light and Willmott Dixon, who shared their personal neurodivergent experiences and career journeys.
Dovetree School’s celebrations marked the event with a series of creative, reflective, and collaborative activities. Pupils decorated puzzle pieces to reflect their personalities, took part in a class quiz, helped create a whole-school neurodiversity display, and completed group challenges. The week concluded with a fun day, where pupils explored 21 famous neurodivergent people from history and the present day.
Over at Lakeside School, the team reinforced their commitment to being a neuro-affirming environment where the strengths and talents of pupils are actively recognised. The Project Club, led by the Therapy Team, developed an online game to help pupils learn about and celebrate autism, with pupils taking on roles such as designers, creators, and publicists.
Lavender Lodge School focused on celebrating the unique ways pupils think, learn, and experience the world. Through inclusive and sensory-rich activities, the week promoted emotional safety, communication, and belonging, with daily themes exploring identity, friendships, and individual strengths to ensure everyone could participate in ways that suited them.
At Oversands School, the focus was on movement and how being active can support sensory needs, helping pupils develop understanding of vestibular and proprioceptive regulation to build confidence and self-awareness. The week began with an assembly introducing neurodiversity and its importance, followed by activities including a mobile climbing wall and a whole-school running event.
