The Aptitude Trust was established in September 2005 and gained charitable status in July 2006. It was formed as a result of a group of people observing that the current education system, in the form of the National Curriculum, is unable to suit every child all the time. It was observed that there are many techniques in place to deal with children with long-term special needs but it was noticeable that children, whose lives are temporarily compromised by grief or post-trauma, were not able to access the curriculum as other children can. A decision was made to go to the farthest extreme of a child's experience to see what could be learned and this led to the first project, Education Guidelines for the Life-Limited Child.
The Trust focuses, in particular, on the child as an individual, especially where the broad national curriculum appears inappropriate to his or her needs. The ultimate vision of the Trust is that all children are taught in an environment, which caters for individual differences in learning needs, where they will benefit from and enjoy their time in school and, in the spirit of the word 'Aptitude', maximising their natural abilities; The aims of the Trust are to:
Facilitate focused and informed research into educational styles suitable to children identified with specific need. This will make a significant, positive and lasting impact on the way in which children enjoy and benefit from their learning within their existing school environment.
Provide bursaries where necessary to children benefiting from and providing evidence towards our research.
Disseminate the research conclusions in partnerships with appropriate academic institutions.
Work with and deliver training to teachers and other professionals and support staff.
Mentor and Friend The Most Revd. Dr. Rowan Williams,
