Sowle Centre provides for children with special needs

Non-profit organisation, Sowle Centre, opened their doors to children who suffer from Down’s Syndrome or other special educational needs, but still require an education.

The centre is based in Benoni Small Farms and is registered as an Independent Combined School offering classes from Grade One to Grade 12.

The aim of Sowle is to train and develop learners to become functioning, independent members of society.

Sowle comprises of three classrooms – each of which accommodates 12 learners, one qualified teacher and two assistant teachers.

Each classroom is divided into specific learning areas with numerous assigned resources in order to compliment the learning objectives.

The centre is also a member of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA), which means they are free within the boundaries of the South African Education Act, to provide the necessary curriculum as determined by learners’ needs.

The centre bases their curriculum on the English Early Years’ Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS) .

The areas of learning and development are made up of the following:

• Personal, social and emotional development

• Communication, language and literacy

• Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy

• Knowledge and understanding of the world

• Physical development

• Creative development

The centre also offers occupational and speech therapy.

However, because the centre is not government-dependent, they are in need of funding from the community as they accept children who cannot afford to pay school fees and those children rely on sponsors to fund their education.

For more information about the Sowle Centre, contact the office on 011 963 3476 or email admin@sowlecentre.co.za

Their webpage is www.sowlecentre.co.za