The historic special education centre from Vila-real has begun its get-togethers with Villarreal’s U19s team

CPEE La Panderola has returned to Endavant Igualtat with great enthusiasm after a brief period away from the programme. The special education centre from Vila-real has welcomed its new companions for the first time, the U19 (Juvenil A) players, after rejoining this enriching mentoring project promoted by the Yellow Submarine.

Throughout the season, Pepe Reina’s team and the pupils from the centre will share unique and very special moments thanks to the scheduled activities and get-togethers, which will take place both at the historic educational centre and at the Yellow Submarine’s training facilities.

The beginning of a beautiful story

The first meeting between both groups was a fantastic experience. Villarreal player Mauro Roca spoke very positively about the get-together: “We did lots of activities and they showed us what they do here. We took photos, planted different seeds and learned a lot from them.”

Regarding the expectations for this special relationship, the Castellón-born forward foresees an enjoyable and educational journey: “We hope to have a lot of fun with the boys and girls from the centre, turn these get-togethers into entertaining moments and try to learn a lot from them.”

From the centre, CPEE La Panderola headteacher María Amelia Florencia expressed her excitement about this new adventure: “It’s a fantastic initiative that we collaborated with a few years ago, but had to interrupt due to the characteristics of our students. It’s very important for us because it helps with coexistence and normalising functional diversity. Spending time with people who can enjoy our activities and games, and doing sport together, is very positive for our pupils.”

The excellent work of La Panderola

CPEE La Panderola is a special education school located in Vila-real. The centre runs an Educational Compensation Programme, which involves a different approach to teaching and learning. Cultural diversity is part of everyday life at the school, as different cultures and ethnicities from all over the world coexist.

The school caters for students aged between three and 24, although most of the pupils are aged 12 or 13 and above. “We used to have more younger children, but now primary schools generally have sufficient resources to meet those needs. As a result, our students are now mainly in secondary education, ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and Basic Vocational Training Programmes,” the headteacher explained.