Meeting Pupil Needs at Mulberry School for Girls

Miller Asset 24, Miller Construction’s Facilities Management arm, has been working closely with Mulberry School for Girls over the past year to identify and put in place, solutions which allow a pupil suffering from Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) to continue with her education at the school.

XP is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder of DNA repair in which the ability to repair damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light is deficient.  Unless XP sufferers are protected from sunlight and other UV rays, their skin and eyes may become severely damaged.

The pupil joined Mulberry School in the Summer of 2011 and it is anticipated she will continue her studies at the school for the next five years.  Miller Asset 24 has been consulting with the Local Authority, Mulberry School for Girls representatives, NHS medical experts, the pupil and her family to establish an appropriate and safe environment to enable her to continue with her education at the school whilst reducing the possibility of potential exclusions from normal activities with her friends and peers.

UV film and LED lighting has been introduced into the school in specific classrooms and areas which allow the pupil to move around the school as freely as possible.  Miller Asset 24 recommended that the lighting needed to be changed from fluorescent to LED lighting and that anti-glare film and external solar controls be introduced, resulting in a 99% reduction of UV transmissions.

The successful implementation of such measures has so far enabled the pupil to enjoy a sustained level of education and school life experiences which would otherwise not have been possible.