At Blomfield Special School Central Campus in Whangārei, ākonga lead the way in a café initiative that nurtures and celebrates their potential.

Ako Café at Blomfield Special School Central Campus provides real-life learning opportunities for ākonga – teaching everything from practical barista, food preparation, and interpersonal skills, to gardening and woodwork.

The student-led café, which opens for an hour every Wednesday, has become a permanent fixture at the school since starting in 2022.

Ākonga handle everything. That includes shopping, food preparation and cooking, making coffees on the barista coffee machine, taking orders, and delivering food to tables. Planning and preparation starts on Tuesdays and learning opportunities linked to the café are woven across the rest of the week.

All food and drink items cost two dollars and the profits go towards a special day out for ākonga at the end of the year.

Café staff members are barista trained and pass these skills on to ākonga, as well as making sure operations run smoothly.

Celebrating potential

In a truly collaborative and cross-curricular effort, students have also worked alongside hard materials teacher Caleb Piggott. They created cutting boards, a money box, food covers, and a café sign.

Caleb says the success of the café has been its recognition and celebration of the potential of ākonga.

“I think of our students as not having special needs but of special abilities.”

This year will see the installation of vegetable gardens which will connect students with the produce they use in Ako and promote a holistic approach to wellbeing.

To date ākonga have raked the soil and built raised garden beds. The next steps are for planting and weeding to kick off.

Healthy Active Learning

The initiative been supported along the way by the Healthy Active Learning team at Sport Northland who say it is a living example of the school’s mantra ‘Discover Potential’.

“Ako Café’s commitment to teaching life skills, promoting physical activity, and fostering healthy eating is bringing to life the values of Healthy Active Learning by creating a supportive environment where tamariki not only realise their potential but thrive mentally and physically,” says Sport Northland kaimahi Ashleigh Ellis.

Principal Sally Wilkinson expresses her joy at the opportunities Ako Café has brought ākonga and is excited to see it develop into the future.

She says the initiative has not only strengthened bonds between students and staff but has also created valuable job opportunities for graduates.

Her advice for anyone considering a similar initiative: “Start small and manageable.”

This article was originally published in the Education Gazette, 15 May 2024.