22 minute read
What’s new?
AAT optimises client ability to benefit from a bath
Aqua Liberty is a new concept in supported bathing. The base can be fitted with AAT’s vacuum posture cushions, which mould to support bathers. It features an easy-fit mechanism for securing the cushions in ANY bath. After use, it can be rolled up for easy storage, freeing the bath for use by other members of the household.
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Free trials and no obligation assessment can be arranged by telephoning 01978 821875, emailing sales@aatgb.com, or online: aatgb.com/aqua-liberty
Help looked-after and vulnerable children with Letterbox Club
Letterbox Club supports children aged 3-13 who are looked after, vulnerable or on the edge of care. For £135 per child registered, they will receive six separate packages, containing up to 14 books, ten maths games and other quality resources, designed to build confidence in reading and numeracy. Letterbox Club is managed by BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. All books are selected with vulnerable children in mind by a panel of experts. Letterbox Club can be purchased through the Pupil Premium Grant or the Pupil Premium Plus allocation. To learn more visit: https://senmagazine.team/Letterbox
Become a Foster Care Hero
Do you have room in your heart and in your home to change someone’s life? You need to be over 21, have a spare room and go through a few checks to make sure fostering is right for you. You don’t need special qualifications, and you’ll receive training, benefits and financial support. Fostering is one of the most rewarding things you can do, and Derbyshire County Council would love to talk to you about becoming one of their foster care heroes. Call 0800 083 77 44 or visit derbyshire.gov.uk/fostering for more information.
Stanley Black and Decker run technology workshop at Fairfield Farm College
Due to COVID-19, the team at Fairfield Farm College have had to think of additional ways of providing students with work experience opportunities. Fairfield Farm College have started working with Stanley Black and Decker on various careers related projects. Recently, the college were able to welcome a member of the Stanley-Security team to the college, to run a technology workshop for five students. In this workshop, students learnt about working in the technology sector and the different variety of jobs available. The students were then able to get hands on and learn about door access systems.
ffc.ac.uk
A new addition
Gretton School, a day and residential specialist school for students with autism (aged 5-19 years old), have recently recruited a special new furry staff member! Sherlock Bones joined the dedicated staff team in his new role: ‘School Therapy Dog’. His brother Basil recently joined Quorn Hall School - another school within the Cavendish Education group. Once fully up to speed with his duties, he will gradually join small class groups, spending time with students as a reading dog and for walk times on rota. Students will benefit from his company and he will help in reducing anxiety, promoting calm, reducing stress and making everyone smile with his delightful nature! Visit grettonschool.com to keep pupdated with Sherlock’s progress!
Henshaws College Students Deliver Braille Awareness Sessions
Two students at Henshaws Specialist College have recently developed and delivered their own Braille awareness course. Marnie and Hira who are both visually impaired came up with the idea and worked with college staff to make it a reality. There is a fantastic Visual Impairment Support team at the college, and Marnie and Hira wanted to share the skills they have learnt with other staff. They did an absolutely fantastic job! To discover more about Henshaws College and the amazing achievements of their students, visit henshaws.org.uk/college
Could you be a specialist foster carer?
Do you have experience working with children or young people with special educational needs or disabilities, or complex behavioural or emotional needs? Leicestershire County Council is looking for specialist foster carers with the skills and dedication to offer 1:1 support to a young person in care with complex needs. With a range of specialist foster care roles, generous allowances, ongoing training and 24/7 support, you could make a genuine difference by providing the extra level of care these young people need and deserve. Find out about being a specialist foster carer with Leicestershire County Council: leicestershire.gov.uk/ specialist-foster-care-roles or call 0116 305 05 05.
Foster for Hackney
Across London there are a growing number of teenagers coming into care. Hackney are looking for people with an understanding of therapeutic care and managing challenging behaviours to help provide the support these young people need. Hackney will provide a range of training for all the approved foster carers in addition to a great network of support. If you have a spare bedroom in your home and would like to know more, please contact us on 020 8356 4028 or email fostering.recruitment@hackney.gov.uk
Makaton at your fingertips... 24/7
Makaton is a language programme that combines signs, symbols and speech to empower anyone living with learning or communication difficulties to understand and be understood.
Membership gives you 24/7 digital access to all the symbols and signs within the Makaton Core Vocabulary. Plus video tutorials, the support of a vibrant online community, and the ability to download frequently used content for easy offline access. With a choice of individual memberships for teachers, SENCOs, and parents or group memberships for schools and families there’s a membership that’s right for you. Visit: makaton.org/membership to get started today!
NEW Service for 0-4 year olds
My Time to Play helps children with a vision impairment develop through play and provides parents with the opportunity to network, share experiences and pick up skills and knowledge to support their child’s development with confidence. The programme aligns with the stages outlined in the Development Journal for Babies and Young Children with Visual Impairment (DJVI). • Online resources • Online group workshop sessions run by our habilitation specialists • Face to face group sessions launching soon. Find out more at: guidedogs.org.uk/timetoplay or call us on 0800 781 1444 to speak to our specialist team.
Communication for people with poor cognition
The Memrabel 3 is a multimedia alarm clock, which will display the time like a normal clock, with options for which clock display you prefer. It’s easy to set alarms to go off at certain times and intervals i.e. Daily, Monthly, Weekly, Yearly. When the alarm time is reached, the Memrabel 3 will display high quality multimedia content on its full HD screen. This could be a video, some audio or an image. There is an App which allows you to add your own pictures and videos. Send your recordings to your Memrabel over the internet or by a USB drive. Visit easylinkuk.co.uk and search for MR3.
Could it be language? Identifying children with Developmental Language Disorder
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), a subset of SLCN, is the term used to diagnose children when they fail to acquire their own language for no obvious reason.
The Moor House Research & Training Institute are excited to share a new video, poster and checklist to help teachers identify children with DLD, plus strategies to help them access the curriculum. Visit moorhouseinstitute.co.uk/dld-training to download and share.
The Institute also offers courses designed to help schools and teachers support pupils with DLD. Visit moorhouseinstitute.co.uk/training
The Motability Scheme
The Motability Scheme enables disabled people to use their mobility allowance to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair without the worry of owning and running one. Insurance, servicing and breakdown assistance are all included and car adaptations are available. Family members and carers can also drive the car on behalf of the disabled person. Motability, as a national charity, provides grants to disabled people towards the cost of a Scheme vehicle, adaptations or driving lessons. For more information, visit motability.co.uk or call 0800 093 1000.
Muntham House School
Muntham House School is an all through special school, catering for boys with Autism, SEMH and other SEN conditions. Day and residential placements are available for pupils aged 5-18. The facilities and quality of the provision is exceptional. Muntham’s new primary residential floor has just opened providing a wonderful space for our primary pupils to enjoy. A lovely welcoming environment has been created to ensure pupils feel safe, happy and are well cared for. A range of onsite and offsite activities are on offer every evening to help develop pupil’s self-confidence and friendships with other pupils.
muntham.org.uk
Autism in-house training for schools
The National Autistic Society has been running autism-specific schools and learning from autistic pupils and their families, for more than 50 years. Whether your school is new to working with autistic children or already experienced, they have training to meet your needs. The National Autistic Society’s training team has worked with education providers across the UK and internationally. They provide live online training on: Understanding stress and anxiety in autism; EarlyBird licensed user training; Autism and continence; Understanding and supporting autistic people and many more. Find out more: autism.org.uk/training
nasen Live is back!
This unmissable SEND CPD Conference promises to showcase a variety of highprofile speakers from the SEND community. Experience an outstanding range of seminars and workshops from some of the leading figures within education. Learn about best practice and the latest sector developments to reinforce and enhance your current skills, leading to improved outcomes for all children within your setting. nasen is delighted to be able to offer complimentary lunch, which you can enjoy whilst networking with other, like-minded professionals. You can also browse a range of exhibitor stalls from leading SEND organisations and services. Book your ticket today: nasen.org.uk/nasenlive
Essential tech for reading challenges
The handheld OrCam Read device is a firstof-its-kind digital reader with a smart camera that seamlessly reads text aloud from any printed surface or digital screen. The solution transforms the reading experience of people with reading challenges – including dyslexia, dyspraxia and mild to moderate vision impairment – by making any text instantly accessible. Unlike other assistive devices, OrCam Read captures and converts full pages of text into audio. UK schools are increasingly utilising OrCam Read to empower their students with a high level of reading independence and enhance their learning process. For more information visit: orcam.com/en/read
AA & DSA Interactive Guide
Pearson’s easy-to-use interactive guide to Access Arrangements & Disabled Students Allowance is an intuitive way to find a clinical, JCQ or SACS approved range of assessments, that provide the crucial evidence your students’ need to support their application process. With in-depth descriptions and easy to read reasonable adjustment tables, this downloadable PDF will help you find the right test for your student’s unique examination needs. Find the right assessment for your student:
pearsonclinical.co.uk/aadsajuly
A new staff member at Quorn Hall School
Quorn Hall School, a therapeutic day school for students with autism, social, emotional and mental health needs for pupils aged 6-17 years old, has recently recruited a special new staff member! Basil Bones, aged 10 weeks, recently joined the dedicated team in his new role; ‘School Therapy Dog’. Once fully trained in his responsibilities, and as he gradually joins the small class groups, Basil will be such an asset; to help calm, reduce stress, relieve anxiety and depression. Basil will no doubt dramatically promote and maintain a positive mood throughout the entire school community with his presence. Visit: quornhallschool.com to keep pup-to-date with Basil’s progress!
Sign up for RNIB’s new Living Well with Sight Loss – Parent Pathways course
If you’re a parent or carer of a child who has recently been diagnosed with vision impairment, why not join RNIB’s new free course?
This is your chance to get advice around raising a child who is blind or partially sighted, ask questions and share experiences in a safe, supportive environment.
Topics include early support, play and social interaction, welfare benefits, education and accessing specialist support.
It’s hosted via a weekly online video call, across six informal 90-minute sessions.
For more information or to sign up, visit:
rnib.org.uk/pathways
Grace Garden School now open
Ruskin Mill Trust is delighted to announce the opening of Grace Garden School. Offering an education to young people aged 9 – 16 with complex social, emotional and behavioural difficulties including autism spectrum conditions. Grace Garden School is set in 18 acres of cultivated landscape on the outskirts of Bristol. At Grace Garden School, children and young people are supported to learn as much as possible outside, participating in crafts, gardening and the exploration of nature. From these experiences their young people will come to understand the larger world and their place in it, along with the connections between themselves and their community. To find out more contact 0330 055 2653 or admissions@rmt.org
Sensory Play Environments
Sensory Play is an important aspect of a child’s learning. Sovereign’s research shows that it has a key role in the development of essential social skills, speech and learning. For children with special educational needs, sensory play is particularly valuable in assisting with their personal development. Including Sovereign Sensory Play equipment will enable children to communicate in a natural way with others. Sensory play allows children to reduce stresses, anxiety and distract from difficult behavioural situations and build concentration.
As specialists in providing Sensory play environments, Sovereign will work with you to create the perfect play space.
sovereignplayequipment.co.uk
Taking trampoline innovation further
Sunken Trampolines have launched a new, automated lid system for schools and care institutions and residences. Based on the principle of a car sunroof this lid allows the use of the space in a hall, room or garden to be dual purpose. With a Patent pending on this innovative product Sunken Trampolines are now in a position to offer it with installation or supply only. Sunken Trampolines have extensive experience in providing in ground trampolines across the UK. Should you be interested in discussing your needs please visit: sunkentrampolines.co.uk or contact Joel or Angus on
07801 573278
Eco-buildings tailored to your needs
TG Escapes bespoke design process means that every eco-building is tailored to your precise needs and can be compliant with frameworks laid out in the government building bulletins for special needs. Designed for low environmental impact, these focused learning centres encourage students at all skill levels to interact socially and work together. Designs can include sensory learning spaces, treatment rooms and breakout areas.
“It’s such a calming environment and I have noticed that the students are much calmer and more engaged. They like the structure of the room: low stimulus really works for autistic learners.” Teacher, Cambian Pengwern. Visit tgescapes.co.uk for information and video case studies
Would you like to create an outdoor sensory space, but have no funding?
The outdoor sensory space in any setting should be fully inclusive and provide the same opportunity for everyone to explore regardless of their ability or special need. It should be a place where diversity is respected and valued, enabling children of all abilities to explore their surroundings in a safe child-centred inclusive environment.
Timotay Playscapes have a free funding guide and free inspiration guide to outdoor sensory play spaces and outdoor sensory play equipment.
For a free copy, email enquiries@timotayplayscapes.co.uk or call 01933 665151.
Your School needs Yoga
There is a strong evidence base for yoga as a tool to reduce stress, improve focus and sleep among young people. Yoga also improves attitudes towards others and creates a harmonious classroom.
Everyone needs yoga, especially young people. Yoga in Schools delivers tailor-made yoga and mindfulness practices to schools, bringing calm and a ready to learn attitude. Evidence shows that behaviour incidences drop by 50% with a little daily yoga, by actively reducing the pupils’ cortisol levels.
Yoga in School can make it easy for your community to access yoga. Find out more by visiting yoga-in-schools.co.uk
Music & Drama Education Expo | London 2021
Register free for Music & Drama Education Expo | London 2021, Europe’s largest music and drama education exhibition, taking place 24 & 25 September at Business Design Centre, London. Everyone who attends will benefit from exciting, free CPD sessions and a bustling exhibition featuring a variety of brands from the creative field to speak to. Teachers and practitioners can get involved in a variety of sessions promoting upskilling and introducing new approaches to teaching that will help to liven-up lessons. Session themes for this year include improving diversity and inclusion, promoting performance health and wellbeing and much more!
musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.uk
Alternative communication specialist
Smartbox Assistive Technology has seen strong growth over the 15 years it has been in business and in 2021 will be celebrating this milestone with a series of events.
Smartbox will be hosting a celebratory partner event, employee summer party, customer lead initiatives and a competition to win 15 free tickets to UK AAC conference Communication Matters.
Dougal Hawes, MD, Smartbox Assistive Technology, “During the past 15 years, we’ve tried to bring a voice and independence to as many people as possible. However, there are still so many people across the globe who are not aware of AAC and we’ll keep trying to raise awareness.”
thinksmartbox.com
Emotional ABCs
Join teachers and counsellors at more than 2000 schools across the UK using America’s most awarded evidence-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum for children ages 4-11. Emotional ABCs is FREE to teachers and school counsellors at brick-andmortar public and private schools and also an inexpensive parent program. Emotional ABCs is used by educators in 90 countries and in more than 65,000 schools across the USA (including 30,000 special education classrooms.) Emotional ABCs teaches children how to figure out what they’re feeling, why they may be experiencing that emotion, and how to make good choices. Learn more at EmotionalABCs.com
TES Special Needs Show register now
The UK’s leading SEND show is on track to return to the Business Design Centre, London, on 8th-9th October 2021. This year, the show’s overarching theme is neurodiversity and the social model of disability. Packed with free-to-attend opening keynote panel discussions, specialist SEND exhibitors, free exhibitor-led workshops, this year’s show will continue to shine the spotlight on SEND provision and best practice. Plus, attendees can book onto expert-led CPD seminars for just £17+ VAT with the early bird discount.
But hurry – the price increases to £20+ VAT from 31stJuly! Register free and book CPD seminars at tessenshow.co.uk.
Embracing inclusion in a remote setting
Every child has the right to an education, writes Marytina Osuchukwu and Janice Ireland.
According to UNICEF, the Right to an Education is one of the most important principles in becoming a UN Convention Respecting School. Yet UNICEF estimates there are 93 million children worldwide with diverse learning needs, and they are amongst the most likely to be out of school, often facing barriers to education stemming from discrimination, stigma and policymakers decisions. UNICEF reports that ‘nearly 50 percent of children with disabilities are not in school, compared to only 13 percent of their peers without disabilities.’ (UNICEF, 2021). The longterm consequences of exclusion can be devastating, leaving children marginalised, and families aspirations for the future out of reach.
Six years ago, RA International School (RAIS) recognised that children in the local area with diverse needs contributed to the unacceptably high number of global exclusions. The school began an ambitious journey towards inclusion with a simple aim – to provide all children, regardless of their needs, with a right to an education. Year on year, this move has literally transformed lives and been the catalyst for outreach work which removes barriers and changes perceptions of physical and neurodiversity.
Education Consultant Janice Ireland and RA International School Deputy Head Teacher Marytina Osuchukwu reflect on how this UN Convention Respecting School has embraced inclusion in a remote setting with limited resources.
From exclusion to inclusion
RAIS is situated on Bonny Island, in the Rivers States of the Niger Delta. The school provides education to around 700 children between 3 and 12 years of age whose parents work in the Nigerian liquefied natural gas industry. The school is central to a close-knit community within a gated residential area. The nearest city is Port Harcourt, a boat ride or short flight away.
Until 2015, cultural sensitivities and stigma around physical and cognitive differences, coupled with a lack of specialist provision on Bonny Island, had created a group of children unable to access life outside of their homes. The RAIS leadership team acknowledged that change was urgently needed and mapped out a route to inclusion involving awareness raising, upskilling staff, and employing experts in the field of Special Education. Crucially, the school needed staff with compassion, resilience
■ Teaching staff at RAIS.
and adaptability, as well as a commitment to the project until it was firmly established and flourishing.
Initial small steps, involving less than five children with complex needs and one specialist teacher, has grown into a thriving Learning Support Unit within the mainstream setting. Today, the Learning Support Unit has 24 children between the ages of 6 and 11 years on roll, with approximately the same number in the mainstream benefiting from the unit’s expertise. The unit has four rooms, six specialist teachers, nine learning assistants, a speech and language therapist and is currently in the process of recruiting two additional specialists.
A respectful culture that challenges negativity and prejudice
The school’s respectful approach to inclusion ensures there is a balance of time in the Learning Support Unit for one-to-one and small group learning, alongside mainstream provision tailored to individual needs. Inclusion at RAIS means each child’s unique contribution is valued within a system where everyone learns and develops side-by-side.
Children from the Learning Support Unit are integrated into mainstream lessons such as art, music, physical education and computing, as well as sharing break times and events with peers across the school. School productions are an example of showcasing talent from across the whole school, and children from the unit have played musical instruments such as the violin and keyboards in school concerts. RAIS has a reputation for children excelling in Nigerian and international competitions and
everyone is encouraged to participate. Recently a child from the Learning Support Unit entered and won an international art competition.
The school sees first-hand the benefits of inclusion for children and adults alike, and challenges negative attitudes and prejudice towards those with differences. It’s unthinkable that until recently some children were excluded from education and social events.
Learning in Partnership
RAIS works in partnership with doctors and nurses in a small company hospital situated in the residential area. The hospital helps to facilitate additional support from visiting therapists which cannot be resourced on Bonny Island. With limited access to specialists, such as occupational health and physiotherapists, this external support is essential for children with multiple physical and cognitive needs.
Staff are fully committed to their own professional development, with many self-funding courses and workshops led by internationally-recognised experts across the spectrum of Special Education. RAIS teachers believe that by continuously improving their own knowledge, skills and understanding they will help children access the best possible Individual Education Programmes within the local context.
For RAIS, learning support goes beyond implementing a programme during the school day, and helping children gain life skills that can be applied outside of school is a vital aspect of the curriculum. When COVID-19 closed the school in March 2020, staff knew they would need to work closely with parents so that children were provided with real-life opportunities to use and develop the skills they had learned in school. Teachers offered workshops, supplied resources, and organised virtual meetings with families to ensure that no child’s learning stood still. After a year of remote learning, the results are remarkable and have exceeded expectations. Children are applying life-skills in everyday tasks at home, and parents are seeing their children as capable individuals with varying levels of independence.
About the author
Marytina Osuchukwu is Deputy Head of School at RA international School, Bonny Island, Nigeria. Martina’s responsibilities include leading the Learning Support Unit and the Early Years classes.
Janice Ireland has worked with RA International School as an Education Consultant for the past 10 years.
Transition from RA International School
With no secondary provision at RAIS, a move to mainland Nigeria or overseas have been the only available options for children transitioning from the Learning Support Unit. This hurdle can sometimes mean leaving one parent working on Bonny Island whilst the other relocates with the child.
Realising the impact this has on families, RAIS embarked on a dynamic outreach programme involving local schools, organisations and families to raise awareness of diverse learning needs, and to demonstrate how it’s possible to provide support on Bonny Island. As Marytina explains, “How can children demonstrate respect and have an awareness of individual needs, if adult role models don’t do this at home, in the workplace or at school?” As a result, RAIS staff have provided workshops to local teachers and children, emphasising that whilst some individual needs can be seen, others such as dyslexia are invisible. Helping the Bonny Island community to embrace diversity and challenge exclusion is slowly reaping rewards. Green shoots of the trailblazing approach are emerging, with a school on the island now working towards inclusion and offering places to children from the Learning Support Unit. “We will continue to raise awareness on Bonny Island,” says Marytina, “our outreach work is just the beginning of making inclusion possible beyond the gates of RAIS.”
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AAT’s Paradigm Shift in Prescription for Stairs
AAT GB, known as the stairclimber people, has developed its Universal Back accessory to the AAT S-Max.
The unit can incorporate a seat or be attached to most common types of wheelchair.
“It’s a paradigm shift in the way OTs can resolve limitations for clients in transferring between levels,” asserts Peter Wingrave, Director at AAT GB. “It improves client’s daily life, and thereby improves their mental wellbeing. It further reinforces our stairclimber suitability for purpose, making it the ‘go to’ option, without the disruption to structure or family life inherent with alternative multi-storey transfer equipment.
To arrange a free assessment, contact AAT via the website aatgb.com, email sales@aatgb.com or telephone 01978 821875.
