THE mayor of Holsworthy has described a visit to a local school for young people with additional learning needs as a ‘real eye opener’.

Cllr Jon Hutchings was invited to meet the students and staff of Highgate Hill House School in Whitstone.

All of the students under the care of the school have Education, Health and Care Plans in place, better known by their acronym EHCP.

The majority of the students at the school have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), previously known by either ‘autism’ or ‘asperger’s syndrome’.

Cllr Hutchings said after the visit: “I was invited to Highgate Hill House School to meet the learners and staff. The learners have EHCP’s (Education, Health and Care Plans) mostly with autism as their primary needs and many of the younger ones have little to no verbal communication.

“It was a real eye opener for me. I was given a tour by Simon Mathers and one of the learners joined us and became my ‘security’ for the visit.”

With his personal student ‘security’ in place and a warm welcome upon the arrival at the school, Cllr Hutchings described what happened during the tour, including the questions asked of him by some of the curious students of the school, who were also enamoured with his appearance in full mayoral robes, complete with chain.

Cllr Hutchings continued: “We visited all the classes and met with learners and teachers. Lots of questions asked by the learners were about what I did as the mayor. The most asked question was ‘What car did I drive?’ along with ‘How much was I paid for being the mayor?

“They were a little surprised when I said it was a voluntary role. Several of the youngsters (and teachers) asked if they could try on the mayoral chain, while lots of pictures were taken to share with their families.”

During the visit, Cllr Hutchings also met a student who was preparing for her BTEC cookery exam - and was invited to try a sample of the young lady’s culinary skills first hand.

Students were also inspired by Cllr Hutchings’ description of his time in the Royal Navy, with some of them expressing a wish to follow a similar career pathway once their time at school comes to an end.

The mayor added: “One of the learners was preparing for her BTEC cookery exam and I got to try some of her cooking. They were very nice cheese straws. I also shared some of my experiences in the Royal Navy with some of those who would like to join the forces in the future.”

Effusive with praise to the school, he described it as an ‘educational experience’, continuing: “A really nice and educational morning for me meeting with some really nice youngsters.

“My total respect goes out to the teachers who help those with learning difficulties get an education many of us take for granted in a regular school environment. Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome.”