SENCology

An Optimus Education blog

Category Archives: Inclusive learning for SEN


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Using history to support children with SEND

Miranda Galloway, from local social enterprise Dig Discover Enjoy, explains how engaging with archaeology can encourage pupils with SEN to be creative and learn new skills.

Our mission is to enable people to get involved in archaeology and heritage.

Example of home-made Roman plates

Getting creative with Roman plates

We realised early that our public engagement work offers so much, sometimes the fact that we promote archaeology is almost irrelevant – it’s doing something that is engaging people and communities that is important.

Making a simple ‘Egyptian necklace’ (from cut up multi-coloured plastic straws and wool) can give a child a huge sense of achievement. We’re also big believers in letting children handle real archaeology rather than it being stuck behind glass in a museum, after all it’s their history and heritage.

One of our most popular games is ‘What’s in the box?’ (simply a shoe box full of finds) which asks people to use only one sense – touch – and their imagination.

How to host a workshop

Knowing that one of his students with autism had an interest in archaeology led Gareth Morewood, SENCo, to ask for our support in working with the student and his pupil premium grant (PPG) achievement mentor.

This was to form part of a formal plan to re-engage the student in school life and improve his attendance.

Without any details about the student (skills, literacy levels, communication levels etc.), we designed workshops that we hoped would be flexible enough to be successful. We decided on a mix of activities – reading together, discussion, word searches, imagining, designing, and creating.

The creating aspect used different media including clay, paper, paint and food.

Examples of Roman food

The pupils tried eating some Roman food

The first workshop was an introduction to archaeology where we looked at real finds dating from different eras and how a young person might get involved. I then asked the student about his favourite historical eras and designed the remainder of the workshops based on his interests

Our workshops were varied and included:

  • the Vikings and their runic alphabet
  • the Aztecs and their food and art
  • the story of the Trojan Horse
  • ancient Greek pottery
  • Roman food and drink.

We explored, discussed and created, chatting informally as we went and found conversations ebbed and flowed naturally.

The focus on creating was a new experience and we had freedom to design our own creations with just a nod to the original.

Cardboard Trojan horse models

The pupils could build their own Trojan horse

In reflecting on this work, I wondered whether comparisons could be drawn with a well-constructed Education, Health and Care Plan. Our workshops were all about what the student could do rather than their labelled need or disability, they were created with the student at the centre, based on their requirements and moved at a pace that was right for them.

We are very proud of the workshops we designed and what the student achieved both in terms of engaging in each session and producing a finished product from the creative process.

Feedback

The feedback on the workshop series from the PPG achievement mentor was very positive; the sessions had supported the aims of building the students confidence, self-esteem and building positive relationships.

The student said that the workshops were fun, enjoyable and informative.

What did I learn overall?

  • To let the student lead the way during the session, don’t rush them.
  • There is great value in asking what they want to explore.
  • Time spent on detailed research, planning and preparation was worth it every time.
  • Don’t try and cook four Roman dishes AND a drink at the same time ever again – too much pressure! I was a swan on the surface but…
  • There’s no harm in quiet moments, they let creativity in.
  • The creative process is a positive distraction for the brain and provides a sense of achievement at the end of the session.
  • Schools shouldn’t be afraid of trying something different to engage their students – archaeology is not on the curriculum but we used a lot of skills that are, with a positive outcome.
  • Most importantly – we had fun!

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Ensuring a smooth transition – a parental perspective

The process of transition happens to all pupils a few times during their school life. Debby Elley reflects on good practice for schools when welcoming pupils with SEND into their community.

TRANSITION:  The word is enough to make parents of autistic pupils quake in their boots. Transition means change. Change, to an autistic child, is an anxiety-provoking beast that can only be tamed by the use of some careful preparation heavily disguised as no-big-deal-whatsoever.

The softly-cushioned world of primary school seems to go on for so many years that it seems transition is always a long way off. In Year 4, it was suddenly on the horizon and by Year 5, I realised that my son Bobby’s cossetted primary existence would soon be giving way to the Big Wide World.

Download Priestnall School's parent and carers booklet

Download Priestnall School’s parent and carers booklet

Choosing a school

Choosing a school, much like choosing a house, relies on gut instinct. I implore anyone who thinks that gut decisions aren’t sound to think again. Instinct is simply millions of small decisions being made faster than you can imagine. When I toured Priestnall, my instinct said, ‘Look no further.’ There was plenty of reasoned judgement, too, but in the end my gut had the final say.

There were some nervous months during which I’d made my wishes known but had to wait for the nod. In the meantime, we joined the rest of the Priestnall potentials for a general open evening.

An inclusive environment

If you only go to specialist gatherings, you can’t possibly get a feel for how inclusive an environment is, so the open evening did us a lot of good. The first thing I noticed (and I noticed it good) was how polite and welcoming the other pupils were. I noticed in particular how they didn’t bat an eyelid when Bobby walked straight up to them and asked what college they were in, flapping his arms excitedly as he did.

There was no exchange of smirking glances – protective parental radar is very sensitive to such vibes.  I had a cosy feeling that he’d be safe from bullies here. Not that he’d notice a bully if one fell on him. Bobby’s got a great way of laughing at himself that dispenses the need for anyone else to take the mickey.

The point is that to safely settle into a new place, autistic kids need to be free from any sort of ridicule. This requires the school to be like a piece of seaside rock, with a culture of acceptance and tolerance twisting its way through every level. It’s very evident from the start if this is the case. It comes from the experiences and attitudes of senior management. It also depends on whether the school is run to make genuine inclusion work, as opposed to inadvertently causing little ghettos of SEN students. Other factors include the time, effort and resources dedicated to SEN. In this respect, our prospective school plays a blinder at every turn.

Having a flexible attitude

More than all of this, though, it’s a flexible attitude that counts. This has been the single most important factor in Bobby’s primary schooling and will continue to be of utmost importance as he grows into the millionaire You Tuber that he hopes to become.

Reassuring parents that their autistic child will be treated flexibly is so important. When the school’s general mailing about Year 7’s forthcoming residential trip arrived on my doorstep, my unease (Residential? OMG he hasn’t got through the door yet…) was immediately dispelled by the deputy head of curriculum support, who reassured me in soothing tones that they would bend over backwards to ensure that Bobby’s individual needs would be met.

Making the transition easier

The latest social event was Ancient Egyptian themed

The latest social event was Ancient Egyptian themed

After my son had been offered a place at Priestnall, we enrolled him in a programme of transition events organised by Stockport’s ASD Partnership. There were additional visits to the school as well as after-school clubs for autistic mainstream pupils to help them understand the changes ahead of them. Bobby was initially reluctant to attend them, but my trusty ‘five minutes and you’re out if you don’t like it’ rule paid dividends. These sessions have proved really successful.

Back at school, a dedicated curriculum support morning for parents of SEN kids was in my ever-increasing diary of events. The school hall had been set up to engage the youngsters, with games tables and even the resident tortoises.

Current students with special needs shared their positive experiences and there was a really warm welcome from every staff member.

The poor Power Rangers had an unexpected fate

The poor Power Rangers had an unexpected fate

My own experience is that this attitude is exceptional. On a visit to another school, I’d had the impression that my son would simply be tolerated. They spoke in foreboding tones about problems that lay ahead. I don’t ask for blithe optimism but frankly this sort of negativity didn’t bode well for their ability to intercept an issue in a sympathetic way. It made my heart sink.

In contrast, my chosen school’s over riding message of flexibility was just the thing to make my heart do a little happy dance. It’s not all going to be plain sailing but you need to know that you’ve got a school team that you can happily work with. As a school, getting the initial message right for anxious parents is a must.

That’s the first hurdle well and truly cleared.

Debby is the co-editor of AuKids magazine, a positive parenting magazine for parents of children with autism. AuKids magazine won Specialist Magazine of the Year at this year’s Prolific North Awards

Priestnall school has now gone a step further to help pupils and parents gain a better understanding of the school by producing a Curriculum Support Faculty Information Booklet for Parents and Carers.