A primary school teacher says she will shave off her hair in an attempt to raise funds for a new resource for children with special needs.

Ali Wyatt teaches in the specialist resource provision unit at Langafel C of E Primary School, in Longfield, and hopes to raise £15,000 for a therapeutic swing room for her pupils.

Mrs Wyatt has 25 years of experience with special needs children, including those with autism, and says sessions in the room will help them self-regulate, improve their balance and develop important motor skills, and calm them down.

She had the idea after seeing the improvement in her pupils at a previous school she worked at.

She said: "I love my job with a passion, the children are amazing characters that achieve so much daily.

"I want to raise money to create and fit out a therapeutic swing room inside our school. All of the children at Langafel will be able to access the room if the need is there.

"Therapeutic swings offer vestibular stimulation to individuals with sensory processing disorders and other special needs.

"The gentle back-and-forth motion of the swing soothes, improves balance and develops important motor skills.

"The swing can also be used to place a child in a variety of positions such as sitting, laying or hanging on the underneath bolster.

"Its swing helps to soothe and calm a child, whether they are overstimulated or seeking out more input to feel regulated."

The 53-year-old, from Gravesend, created a fundraiser last week and had raised £1,680.

It will keep running until the goal is reached but Mrs Wyatt has already scheduled her new haircut on February 24 during a school assembly.

She said: "I'll chop it all off anyway, as long as we reach a fair percentage of the target. I'm not worried about it, to be honest. After all, hair just grows back, doesn't it?"

The money will be used to purchase the swings but also renovate an entire spare room at the school, including strengthening the roof to support the swings and new equipment.

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Catherine Maynard, head teacher at Langafel, said: "Inclusion is at our heart and we are passionate that being able to provide a therapeutic swing room will hugely benefit so many of our children.

"We are very proud of how hard our staff work to meet our vision and fully support Mrs Wyatt’s amazing fundraising event.

"We know the children will learn such a valuable lesson watching one of their teacher’s have her head shaved to raise money for the therapeutic swing room which will soothe, develop balance, aid concentration and strengthen motor skills."

Mary Bobby, whose son is one of Mrs Wyatt's pupils, added: "I am so proud to call Ali Wyatt my little boy's teacher. She is so caring and devoted to all the children and is a true inspiration.

"She really goes above and beyond for her students."