Think Tank Moved to Pastures New

The Stockley Park Think Tank has moved on to pastures new. Following much thought, Stockley Park Estates Company Ltd (SPECL) has donated the office pod to a school for children with special needs.

Located on the banks of one of the business estate’s picturesque lakes, the Think Tank provided a peaceful meeting space for occupiers of Stockley Park.

The pod, which was installed in 2016, was coming towards the end of its planned life span at Stockley Park, and upon learning of the needs of Bensham Manor School, SPECL felt it was a great opportunity to pass the Think Tank on.

Bensham Manor School is a large secondary special needs school for children with moderate learning difficulties from ages 11-16 years.  The school is based in Croydon and works closely with parents and carers to ensure the provision of educational needs for students is met. Statements of extra educational needs include; autism, complex needs, speech, language, and communication difficulties. The school’s aim is to recognise and respond to the individual needs of students and provide them with a relevant and challenging curriculum.

The Think Tank is now being used by students as a safe space for one-to-one reflection on both good and bad choices the young people have made as well as being a comfortable and confidential space for the students to talk about their feelings.

SPECL is pleased to have been able to provide the space for Bensham Manor School students:

“We are proud to have been in a position to be able to donate the Think Tank to Bensham Manor School. When we heard about the school’s requirement for extra space and how the pod would be utilized, it was clear the Think Tank was going to a good cause.”

• Claire Watson, Lifestyle Manager, Stockley Park

“The pod allows me to think about my choices in a small area noise free where I can think and reflect on the choices I have made if they are good choices then I can think about how to make it better next time and if it’s reflection on a bad choice I can think how not to do that next time. I wish the pod was blue! Bensham Blue!”

• Tommy, Year 7 student

“The Pod is a great addition to Benhsam. It allows the children to reflect on choices that they have made and why they made the choices they did and how to improve or make better choices. It’s been a huge success during break time and lunch time. We have also used it as a one to one space to help children calm down with an adult and talk about their feelings. The pod is excellent. We will be adding quotes and posters in and around the pod to make this a safe space.”

• Fiona Robinson, Head Teacher, Bensham Manor School

SPECL hopes the Bensham Manor School students and staff enjoy using the Think Tank and find it beneficial for their wellbeing.