Ford Responds To Kelvedon Special Needs School Plea For Transit Minibus

Doucecroft School in Kelvedon, which offers a specialist service for students with autism, have collected the keys to a new Ford Transit 15-seat Minibus. With help from Ford, the school was able to purchase the new vehicle for its further education department.

The school currently provides for 36 youngsters with autism, whose ages range from three to 19 years. The Further Education department nearby caters for 16-19 years old students. About a year ago, the school was subject to a special measures report from OFSTED but today, in this its 25th year, the school has made so many improvements that it has already received two favourable visit from Her Majesty's Inspectors and is hoping that the next visit will result in a date being fixed to remove it from special measures.

"Being able to offer our students the opportunity to take part in leisure activities such as scout groups and camps, trampolining, horse riding, swimming and giving the students the chance of mixing with the local community, is very important in a school where social skills are one of the key elements of our teaching," said Clive.

"The money we have saved in the purchase of this bus means that we can buy other specialist items we need such as computer software with pictures rather than words and new playground equipment," he added.

All Ford Transit Minibuses, 12-, 15- and 17- seat, have three-point lap and diagonal inertia reel seatbelts. These seats, and their fixings, are tested to meet strict standards. The Ford Transit Minibus is tested to perform to twice the normal commercial test standard. A host of other safety features available includes driver and outer front passenger airbags, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, passenger grab handle and step illumination.