Copyright bbc
Thirteen-year-old Iris is one such student. She is dyslexic and finds school extremely stressful. Funded by her local authority, via an educational health care plan, Iris attends Enemy of Boredom twice a week, where her love of art and video gaming is met with professional-level training that is working towards a recognised vocational qualification. "Before this I'd never touched (the computer design application) Pixel Art in my life," said Iris, describing Enemy of Boredom as "a big safe space where you can rest and do Pixel Art and coding". Her mum, Rosie, said despite being classified as a student with special educational needs, Iris's secondary school did not have the resources or capabilities to give her what she needed. "Iris wasn't completing any work and she was hiding under her desk at school with her hands over her ears," she said. "She started getting stressed, suffering induced nosebleeds, and she would end every day with crying."
