Inside are all the trappings of a modern classroom: an interactive whiteboard, colourful displays on the walls and groups of desks.

Youngsters aged from the very young to teenagers are getting on with their schoolwork with teachers one-on-one or in small groups.

Aaron Chadderton, six, is concentrating hard on sticking pictures of scoops of different coloured ice cream onto three cones in a task designed to promote numeracy.

But this is no ordinary classroom.

Some pupils may be back at their usual school the next day, but for others the schoolroom is to become a familiar place.

They are the in-patients who are likely to become regular visitors while they are in hospital.

The schoolroom at Jimmy's caters for young patients who are in hospital for a considerable amount of time, as well as those who come in regularly for treatment such as kidney dialysis.

For a place dealing with some very sick youngsters, the surroundings are surprisingly non-medical.

Even those youngsters who look very ill do their best to get on with their work, despite possibly being on a drip or using a wheelchair.

It's this sense of normality which staff work hard to create and which can be invaluable in helping the children cope with the trauma of illness.

Katie Cass, teaching and learning manager at the St James's Hospital schoolroom, said: "It's really important to keep a routine.

"If they know they are doing what their friends are doing at school, it keeps them positive and gives them something else to concentrate on."

The St James's schoolroom is part of the Hospital and Home Teaching Service, which is provided by Education Leeds and managed by the city's East Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre.

Four sites make up the service, including the schoolrooms at St James's Hospital and Leeds General Infirmary.

The Inclusive Learning Team at Little Woodhouse Hall works with young people from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service while the Grafton Learning Centre in Meanwood teaches small groups of poorly youngsters who are no longer hospital in-patients but cannot return to their regular schools.

Other children and young people receive home teaching as part of the service too.

"We regard the service as being highly successful," said Brian Hogg, quality assurance, inclusion and involvement specialist for Education Leeds.
"We take a very personalised and very individualised approach to learning. It's most important that we engage closely with schools and work in partnership with them to maintain some continuity of education."

Depending on how long they are due to be in hospital, young people can start their lessons from the first day of their stay.

Teachers from the Hospital and Home Teaching Service work with the child's school and a Personal Education Plan is drawn up with objectives for them to achieve.

They are assessed as they are taught and then when they leave hospital, teachers work with the school to explain what work has been completed.
Children from five up to 16 and beyond attend classes in hospital, while some have even sat exams like GCSEs in the school rooms.

"Teaching can take place in the school rooms, at the bedside or in an appropriate area of the ward," Penny Woodhead, head of the Hospital and Home Teaching Service, explained.


"We have specialist teachers for primary age and for curriculum areas at secondary level."

She added that the schoolrooms are kitted out with IT equipment and resources as in any classroom, and teaching concentrates on the core curriculum.

Learning mentors are also an important part of the team and schoolroom staff liaise with medics to discuss whether a child's treatment may make them too ill to do any work.

The educational benefits of the hospital classrooms are clear.
Children, especially if they are very ill, may spend weeks or months in hospital and can potentially miss hours of crucial schooling.

Having teaching in hospital means that, as much as possible, this is minimised.

But there are other benefits too, as well as maintaining an element of normal life for a young person dealing with a major upheaval.

Katie Cass added: "It's really important for parents because they know they can go and have a break.

"They can just have some time to themselves and when the children come back they have got something to talk about."

She said they deliberately made the schoolroom very different to the ward environment so young patients knew they were there for education.

"We've had really great support from Education Leeds in making sure our IT facilities are current," she added. "It's such a valuable resource and really a part of their recovery and recuperation."


Rachel Hollis, senior sister on the children's and young people's cancer ward at St James's, has seen how the teaching helps her young patients.

"It has got huge benefits," she said. "With the children's and young people's cancer ward, children can be in hospital for long periods of time and it's really important for them to keep some sort of normality.

For children education is a crucial part of normality.

"If you are having treatment over weeks and months it's really important because most children with cancer will be cured so they will need to go back to school.

"One of the most important things Katie and her colleagues do is maintain links with the child's own school so they can maintain that education and development while they are ill."

This is crucial for Jake Jarvis during the time he is away from Selby High School.

Jake, 13, was first admitted to York District Hospital with Crohn's disease and then transferred to Leeds. In the schoolroom he was working on a poster promoting healthy eating.

He said: "It's great. I thought it would be a little room. It's more fun than normal school."

For Jake's family it is also important. About 50 cards have already arrived from schoolmates who have been told he is ill and his dad Paul said going to the schoolroom was a welcome diversion.

"He enjoys it and it gives him a bit of distraction from his medicines. There are only so many computer games you can do," he said.

Ongoing work to develop the service provided by the Hospital and Home Teaching Service is underway and the scheme has also been praised by education chiefs.

Chris Edwards, chief executive of Education Leeds, said: "The Hospital and Home Teaching Service is an excellent example of how we can help to overcome barriers to learning and ensure our young people continue their education even when they are physically or medically unable to attend their school.

"It is a brilliant service which has a hugely positive impact on the lives of the young people who use it. It allows them to learn, keep in touch with their friends and relax in a purpose-built environment which helps them on their road to recovery."

Councillor Richard Harker, executive board member for learning on Leeds City Council, added: "We want every young person in the city to have access to education, regardless of their circumstance.

"The dedicated and enthusiastic teachers and assistants are a key part of the Hospital and Home Teaching Service's successes. They make learning interesting and relevant during often difficult times and are a vital addition to the young person's care while they are away from the traditional classroom."

l For more information about the Hospital and Home Teaching Service, contact 0113 2930323.