Students and teachers were ‘energised, engaged, and inspired’, by a visit from education charity I Can & I Am, which works with thousands of young people across the South of England delivering workshops that focus on inflating the young participants’ ‘balloons of self-belief'.

 

The charity spent two days with the pupils at Melksham House, in Melksham, which opened in September 2025. Melksham House is an Independent special needs school for students with internalised social, emotional or mental health needs.

In total, 28 pupils joined small-group sessions on board I Can & I Am’s double-decker buses, beginning with cooking a pizza downstairs to foster a sense of togetherness and achievement, before moving upstairs for a workshop.

Darren John, Assistant Head Teacher at Melksham House School, said: “The buzz across the whole school was truly amazing during I Can & I Am’s visit. Both pupils and staff were energised, engaged, and inspired. The team’s sessions were pitched perfectly to meet the individual needs of our students. This includes a range of special educational needs and those experiencing challenges related to emotionally based school avoidance. The activities were exceptionally well planned and delivered.

 

“What stood out most was the care, connection, and sense of safety each member of the I Can & I Am team created for our young people. Every student who stepped onto their bus felt valued and supported. For us, as a new school, that is a huge achievement and fully aligns with our ethos of ‘no barriers, only potential’. Building trust with the children and young people so they feel safe to engage and learn is at the core of what we do and we are very grateful to the team who made a meaningful impact in such a short space of time. We look forward to future visits from them.”

 

Darren was familiar with I Can & I Am’s work from his previous school and arranged for a visit from the charity soon after moving to the new specialist school. It was founded in 2015 by former teacher and inspirational speaker James Shone after he lost his sight due to a brain tumour in 2012. Now, every year, I Can & I Am travels to hundreds of primary, secondary, private, and SEND schools in the region on two double-decker buses to nurture self-belief in young people by equipping them with practical tools that foster personal growth, a sense of belonging and resilience. A third bus is in the process of being refurbished to keep up with demand from schools.

 

Rebecca Burton, CEO of I Can & I Am, says: “It was a very rewarding experience to work with the teachers and incredible young people at Melksham House School. We adapt the sessions as necessary depending on each class and individual and how they are that day, and the team know what is needed almost instinctively.

 

“Magic happens very quickly on the bus, there is something very special about the expert team and the environment they manage to create. We see, time and again, how the young participants share and achieve things they didn’t think they were capable of and it is always wonderful for us and the school staff to witness.”