Bristol Works and Avon Fire Service: Supporting SEND Learners

Bristol Works has had the privilege of collaborating with Avon Fire and Rescue Service to deliver engaging and informative sessions for SEND students across Bristol and the local area. This collaboration has focused on adapting and tailoring educational experiences to give students the opportunity to explore the diverse roles within the fire service in a meaningful way. 

Avon Fire and Rescue Service with the support of Bristol Works adapted each of their sessions to suit the individual learning needs of students from a range of schools including Northstar 240, New Fosseway, Blaise High School, St Matthias, and Knowle DGE. The sessions covered a broad range of topics, from understanding what a firefighter’s job truly entails, to the types of incidents they respond to, the equipment they use, and the demands of their role. We discovered the various specialisms of different fire stations and had the opportunity to hear from firefighters about the challenges they’ve faced and how they’ve overcome barriers to achieve their goals. Their stories taught us the important lesson of never giving up on what you want to achieve.  

But the experience didn’t stop there! We also had the opportunity to tour the stations, and the students were encouraged to get involved in practical activities, including being challenged to put on full firefighter gear within the 90-second time limit and working as a team to operate the fire hoses. In addition, students discovered the wide range of other roles that support the fire service, such as cleaners, cooks, call handlers, and mechanics, giving them a comprehensive view of the various careers within the fire service.  

Feedback from participating schools has been incredibly positive. Students and teachers fed back that it was helpful and inspiring to hear about the range of roles available, and how they all paly an important role to keep the fire stations running.  One teacher commented that the “students have been excited to engage with real-world responsibilities and to ask questions about the roles they learned about”. Whilst Jacq, Youth intervention lead with Avon Frie and Rescue, said “the students were so engaged and willing to take on anything we threw at them. They really were a joy to have on station.” 

Students not only gained new knowledge but also developed important skills, such as teamwork and problem-solving. The practical, interactive nature of the sessions, paired with the chance to explore different career paths, has sparked curiosity and inspired many students to think about future opportunities in public service. Thank you to Avon Fire and Rescue Service, especially Jacq and Greg, for providing these fantastic opportunities and well done to all the students for such active participation!