A special needs school in Bucks has adopted a tortoise to help students develop their communication skills. 

Amreet Sangha, Environmental Studies teacher at Alfriston School in Beaconsfield, which caters for girls aged between 11 and 18 with a wide range of educational needs and learning disabilities, said bringing a tortoise into her classroom has helped students to express themselves and get out of their comfort zones. 

A cleaner at Alfriston found the tortoise, who the students have named Rafy after a character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in the school garden at the beginning of June. 

Amreet initially helped to spread word that it had been found on local Facebook groups and around the neighbourhood, but since no one came forward to claim the tortoise, he has become unofficially adopted by the school.

“He spent some time at home with me and then I took him to the vets with one of our students. It just grew from there and now we have a whole vivarium for him to live in and he’s become a much-loved presence in the school.

“He’ll live in his vivarium most of the time, but we’ll take him out at lunch and breaktimes and he’ll be roaming around the school gardens looking for weeds and grass.

She added: “He’s quite fast moving for a tortoise and though he wasn’t in the best shape before he came to us, now he’s healthy he’s always looking for food and wanting to interact with people.”

Amreet said that having an animal presence in the classroom is especially important for students at Alfriston, because a crucial element of the academy school's curriculum is focused on equipping them with the skills needed to succeed socially and professionally in their later life.

Alfriston already has a chicken pen in its grounds, though it is currently undergoing a redesign after a fox break-in, and there are also plans for an animal pen to house pygmy goats in order to further facilitate hands-on learning.

While Rafy the tortoise is clearly making a splash in his new role as classroom assistant, Alfriston's capacity for nurturing growth and practical learning for their students isn't limited to their newest animal recruit.

At the first Buckinghamshire School Awards last week, the school won the Inspiring Futures Awards and they are also working alongside the Berkshire College of Agriculture to help students expand their future career prospects. 

Amreet has played a vital part in the school's ongoing success, taking responsibilty for the animal pens and school gardens alongside developing the Environmental Studies curriculum. 

She said: "We're very lucky. It does feel like a magical little corner of the world here, and Rafy just adds to that. He's encouraging students to go outside at breaktimes and helping them learn to connect with and care for one another."