Having taught for almost thirty years, seven of these spent as a Headteacher in a Primary School, I have experience of, and training in, a wide range of needs including Autism, Speech and Language, ADD/ADHD, Mental Health/Anxiety, Behavioural Needs and learning delay.
As a SENCO and Designated Safeguarding Lead in mainstream and specialist provision, I have worked with children from Early Years right through to Year 11. As manager of a Mainstream Autism Base, I have supported many children who find the classroom environment conventional teaching methods challenging.
As a qualified Mental Health First Aider, I understand the necessity to educate hearts as well as minds. Happy people learn well so developing strong and trusting relationships is a priority.
Learning should be infectious. My style of delivery is bespoke; matched to individual needs. Taking time to understand a child and explore their strengths and interests helps to build a relationship and a foundation for the next steps. Whether it be visual, kinaesthetic or some other wild and wacky way to ensure empowerment, engagement and enjoyment, I will always be determined to find it!
My experience of teaching young people with Autism: As manager of a Mainstream Autism Base, I have worked with many children across the spectrum. Relationship and understanding are key in children feeling safe and secure. Knowing the children’s likes, dislikes, triggers and soothers is crucial. These children often find noises, smells, sudden changes and certain atmospheres debilitating. Being one step ahead to diffuse, remove or prepare for potential triggers and meltdowns can make life so much easier for these children. Routine is important, clear boundaries and agreed targets will help children to progress – often beyond what they believe they are capable of.
My experience of teaching young people with behaviour, anxiety and mental health needs: Children need to feel listened to. Some children need to talk, others prefer to draw, some just need to know that you care. My friendly approach helps children to feel secure – they learn to believe me when I say, and show, that I care. Some days the world may feel unmanageable but together we can always find a light at the end of tunnel or the gold at the end of the rainbow.
My experience of teaching young people with Special Educational Needs: As SENCo in all the schools I have worked in, I have made provision for a wide range of abilities and needs both in my own classroom and in guiding colleagues in meeting the needs of others across the school. There are many tricks and tips in my ‘toolkit’ and it sometimes takes time to find what works best for each individual. My best tip is to always treat children at an age appropriate level and to provide activities that are engaging, relevant and of interest. Breaking tasks down into small, manageable chunks enables success. Learning at a lower level can be demoralising and disengaging, so I will always strive to find activities that will support and scaffold but challenge and motivate at the same time.
My experience developing trusting and meaningful relationships with young people with SEN and additional needs: Flexibility and patience is key as is the ability to adapt quickly and gauge how the young person is feeling, especially if they are not able to express this. Understanding and getting to know each other is incredibly important to me and I enjoy sharing my own experiences to create trusting bonds which can then be built upon. I use a range of strategies to encourage, engage and interact in many ways, offering choice and opportunities for the young person to lead the learning and feel in control. Having fun is absolutely my highest priority.
I am proud to have worked with amazing young people who remain in contact and continue to update me on their progress and remind me of things they remember of out time together.
My experience teaching young people with sensory processing difficulties: I have worked with many students who have sensory processing difficulties. I have very fond memories of teaching a girl with visual impairment who learned to find her way around the school and would always feel my ears to see which earrings I was wearing that day. She had an absolutely incredible singing voice and went on to sing a solo in one of our school plays. Her presence brought joy to us all and the progress she made in all areas was remarkable – I am sure that this was because she felt loved and accepted.
Adapting not only the learning environment, but the way in which information is presented, needs to be carefully considered to manage the different types of sensory input. A clear routine is very important and I often approach lessons by offering ‘little bits of lots of things’ – I find that this keeps interest levels, and therefore engagement, high. Scheduled breaks are also important – it is during these breaks that children often learn to share and be more comfortable with the teacher on a less formal level, going on to develop feelings of safety and security.
My experience of teaching young people with communication and processing needs: Not all people have the gift of speech, and others find it difficult to use their speech to communicate. Non-verbal communication can be very refreshing and rewarding and is not a barrier to learning and achievement. Visual support, sensory support, scribing, use of symbols can be an effective way of communicating.
My experience of teaching young people on a 1:1 basis: It is a privilege and a joy to work on a 1:1 basis. It can be daunting for families to accept a stranger into their homes and the thought of doing ‘work’ can cause anxiety for children who may have found the school environment difficult. My belief is that relationship is the key and I have proven experience of working with and having success in teaching some very complex individuals. Time will be spent building a relationship and understanding the needs, preferences and learning style before carefully designing and creating interesting, engaging and stimulating sessions. Celebrating success and recognising what has been achieved will be a priority as well as consulting on the next steps.
My experience of teaching the Primary Curriculum: Having taught all subjects across the Primary age range, I have designed and delivered many units of work but no two have ever been the same! This is because no two classes or two children are the same. Whatever we are learning, I will tailor it to need and take it at an appropriate pace. Embedding new information and skills and then recalling it later is a powerful tool in creating a sense of achievement.
My experience of teaching the Secondary Curriculum: I have taught Key Stage Three and Four English, Maths, History and Geography. Much of this teaching is knowledge based so the use of mind mapping, visual support, memory games, colour coded revision cards and regular revisiting help to keep the learning fresh and easy to recall.
My experience of teaching GCSE and Functional Skills: I have taught, English, Maths and History at GCSE level but would be willing to teach other subjects. The volume of information needed to be covered, stored and retrieved can be daunting so careful planning, organising and good use of time is essential.
The Functional Skills syllabus is more appropriate for some children and can be covered quickly leaving lots of time for revision and application.
Some children worry a great deal about exams. Preparing for these on a 1:1 basis can help them to feel more confident, tailoring their learning to the areas that are most important to them and giving lots of experience of real papers promotes self-belief and motivation.
