FROM massage creams to arts, crafts and little treats for parents, teachers at Hazelwood School have come up with a personal way to keep in touch with their pupils.

The school, in Bellahouston, is for children and young people with hearing and visual impairment and complex needs.

So staff have been creating individual sensory boxes that they will hand deliver to families.

They plan to reach almost all of the school's 60 pupils with 30 boxes ready to go out today.

Colette Gowing, depute headteacher, said: "For our pupils it's not really about giving lessons plans so we wanted to come up with something that would be very practical and meaningful for our children.

"I took the idea of sensory boxes and put it to staff who started coming up with different things they felt children would like and we decided we would like to make it more bespoke.

"For our sensory impaired children we came up with things that would cater to the specific scents or sounds they like."

Glasgow Times:

For the children who are hearing impaired, a teacher has recorded a message for them in British Sign Language and that will be sent out to parents to show to the pupils.

Boxes contain plants and trees from the charity project Into The Woods for children to grow at home.

Some boxes have massage cream and the school's therapist has developed a series of exercises to go with it.

Parents can choose a box that's crafts and sensory filled or just sensory filled.

Glasgow Times:

Every box contains a hand written note from the head teacher and a photograph of the child the box is for on the lid.

There are little bags of luxury chocolates as a treat for the parents too.

Colette added: "It's been great because our staff who have been shielding at home have also been able to get involved and that's been a way for them to keep in touch.

"We've also added all these wee touches so we hope that when they receive their boxes they'll be really pleased."

Some of the school's pupils also have serious health needs and so are unable to leave home at all.

Glasgow Times:

Hazelwood's nurse is now making home visits to these families while the school has allowed parents to take equipment home with them.

"Some of our families have had the shielding letter telling them not to go out at all and they are finding that incredibly difficult, it's very, very challenging for them.

"And for our teachers it is a very emotional time because the lockdown happened so suddenly and there wasn't time to say proper goodbyes to everyone.

"Our school is for children aged three to 18 and for some of our leavers this year, they had been at Hazelwood since the age of three.

"So to leave abruptly after all that time and not know if you'll be returning is very difficult.

"They had two days notice that that was them and they wouldn't be back.

Glasgow Times:

"So it was a scary and anxious time.

"And we wanted to do something to show our families we are thinking of them even while the school is shut and that we're still working for them."