Letter to School

Colin and Helen Barrie

Cicada Holidays

Rua da Batalha 386, Gerico

Ferreira do Zezere

2240-511

Portugal

Dear Headteacher and Governors,

I am writing to you to tell you about the unique opportunities that a holiday with Cicada Holidays can offer to families with children who have additional educational needs.

The benefits of travel and the learning opportunities it affords, are well documented. However, for families with children who have additional needs the prospect of travel abroad is often too much to contemplate. The need for routine, the comforts of home, the uncertainty of how to travel, the crowds of people in a resort and what to do when you finally get to the destination, this all means it just more comfortable to stay at home.

Cicada Holidays offers assisted holidays to families in central Portugal. We help plan how to get to Portugal, we take care of transport in Portugal, provide exclusive use of our accommodation, we plan excursions and activities based on knowledge we have gained about the family before the holiday. We act as cooks, cleaners and tour guides and most importantly, childcare assistants. Without this assistance most of the families that join us would not be able to have a holiday abroad.

Unfortunately, we are only two people with a single property and as a result we can only help a limited number of families each year. If we were to only offer school holiday dates, we would only help six families each year. We have searched and while some companies will offer the use of equipment, some may offer “quiet” or “autism friendly” weeks in their calendar, we are the only people who offer the practical assistance that families need. As such we ask for you to consider that a holiday with us is a unique learning opportunity and allow families to have an agreed holiday during term time.

In this way we believe we can double (or more) the number of families we can help each year.

If there is a need for further justification it may help to know that we both have experience of working in a SEND school with about 40 years of experience between us, Colin as a teacher and Helen as a teaching assistant. During our holidays we have engaged children in daily phonics, reading, numeracy work, children have learned about local customs, learned some basic language skills and some of the local history of central Portugal. Most importantly for us is seeing the personal and social skills develop clearly over just a 1-week holiday. The children grow in confidence, learn new skills and broaden their world. If you can go to an airport and get on a plane to Portugal, then a bus into town becomes much more accessible.

Finally, it is our aim to provide much needed help and respite to families who are under constant stress. We offer the opportunity for a whole family to have a holiday where we take the strain and allow parents to rest and/or spend quality time with other family members. We allow families to make memories together, as a whole family. This is a unique opportunity for the families that holiday with us.

We thank you for your consideration

Regards

Colin and Helen Barrie

Cicada Holidays

www.cicadaholidays.co.uk