The Sweetest Thing

A secondary school in Kettering is leading the way in changing attitudes towards disability after setting up and running a profitable sweet shop business.

‘The Shop’ was set up three years ago and provides children from Wren Spinney Community Special School with the opportunity to experience working life, helping them to develop a range of life skills.

The project was the brain child of head teacher, Debbie Withers, who came up with the idea after spotting an empty shop in Kettering.  Debbie comments: “We wanted to change people’s perceptions and enable our young people to take their rightful place in the local community.”

“Setting up the shop was the perfect opportunity to let the children solve problems.  We asked them: ‘What do we need?’  It was several weeks before one of them said chairs were a good idea.  Up to then, we all sat on the floor.”

Changing Attitudes

The youngsters, who have difficulty coping with change, carry out a range of tasks, from shop floor selling to packaging and accountancy.  Working in the shop, going out in to the local community to pay the shop’s profits in to the bank or to buy their lunch at the bakers gives them confidence, teaches them how to deal with situations that are changeable and prepares them for work.

On the fight against negative attitudes towards disability, Debbie adds: “The reaction from customers has been brilliant.  Hopefully the more people learn about us – that our youngsters are people first, the opportunities for behaving negatively will lessen.”

Three years later the shop is now turning a profit and selling over 383 different kinds of confectionary.  Following the success of the project supporters are hopeful the business model could now be rolled out across the country.  Meanwhile Ms Withers is already looking into setting up the school’s second business: a hairdressers with crèche attached.