A new educational initiative is being developed by an Ipswich-based organisation to include material that represents young people with special education needs.

The Raedwald Trust, in Spring Road, is working to develop a bespoke curriculum for pupils in alternative provision schools and working in partnership with Greenfields Education.

The trust's CEO said it was important young people saw representation of themselves in literature and art and aim to include a range of books for pupils to read.

Books will also reflect issues such as climate change and discrimination.

Laura Meadows, director of Greenfields, said: “This reading curriculum is completely unique – we don’t know of another that has been written specifically to serve the alternative provision community.

Ipswich Star: The Raewald Trust is working in partnership with Greenfields Education to offer diverse reading for pupils in Alternative Provision settingsThe Raewald Trust is working in partnership with Greenfields Education to offer diverse reading for pupils in Alternative Provision settings (Image: Greenfields Education)

"To foster a lifelong love of reading or just to get someone interested in books you must provide literature that speaks to people’s lived experiences."

Angela Ransby, CEO of the Raedwald Trust, said: “The young people we work with often have very different perspectives and lived experiences than others at mainstream schools.

“It is critical young people are able to see representations of themselves in art and literature.”