1. No category

223
March/April 2015
✽ A programme to make sport ASD friendly
✽ Films inspire progress in literacy
✽ Scaffolding to facilitate better writing
✽ A whole-school approach to bullying
✽ Implementing the SEND reforms
Shared attention
How to generate engagement
in children with autism
Pull-out resources: Technology-based solutions to support reading and writing
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Editorial
Inspiration or back to basics?
Special Children is published by
Optimus Education, a division of
Optimus Professional Publishing Ltd.
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Sophie Chalmers
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Evelyn Prysor-Jones
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www.optimus-education.com/special-children
Every 11-year-old in England will have
to know their times tables off by heart
under new plans unveiled by secretary
of state for education Nicky Morgan
earlier this month.
Children will also have to pass tests in long
division and complex multiplication, be able
to read a novel and write a short story with
accurate punctuation, spelling and grammar.
Headteachers who fail to bring this about risk
being supplanted by a ‘superhead’.
Not long before this startling announcement,
Sir Ken Robinson was holding his audience in
thrall at the BETT show with a presentation
that promoted the message: inspire children
and the learning will follow. Novelist
and journalist Anne Atkins echoed this
educational aspiration beautifully in her
recent Thought for the Day on the BBC
Radio 4’s Today (http://bit.ly/sc223-35).
On pages 18-20, we illustrate how using
film as a stimulus for writing inspires
children of all abilities, including children
with profound and complex needs. Although
some will never master ‘accurate punctuation,
spelling and grammar’, this takes them out
of their comfort zone and gives them the
motivation to excel.
Meanwhile, on pages 14-16 a Scottish
secondary school explains how a consistent
approach to literacy in every subject enables
pupils to focus on content rather than being
diverted by difficulties with structuring their
writing.
Technology for learning
We are spending far too much of our hardpressed budgets on ‘shiny gadgets’ like tablets,
money that would be better spent recruiting
more teachers. This was the view expressed
by Russell Hobby, general secretary of the
National Association of Head Teachers, on his
personal blog recently.
Certainly, used purely for novelty value,
technology achieves little. But in the hands
of adept professionals, what a difference it
can make. On pages 12-13, we profile the
experience of a school refuser with autism
who was persuaded back into the classroom
by a tiny computer with massive potential.
Meanwhile, the pull-out resource on pages
25-28 offers advice on choosing the most
appropriate technology-based solutions
for children with reading and/or writing
difficulties.
On a slightly different note, Talking Point
on page 52 tells the story of Year 6 pupils who
spent a day with a global media company,
where they learned from experts in their
field how to use cutting-edge equipment to
www.optimus-education.com/sc223 produce multi-media materials that looked
truly professional. Sir Ken Robinson would
have had approved.
World Autism Awareness Week
When we went to press, a staggering 1,900
people had signed up for World Autism
Awareness Week, which runs from 27 March
to 2 April. If you haven’t yet joined them, you
can get a free pack of activities from
http://bit.ly/sc223-32
Autism is one of our themes for this issue,
starting with a look at the complexities of
child protection on pages 30-32. This is
followed on pages 34-36 by Gina Davies’
fascinating description of the strategies
she uses to engage and sustain children’s
attention to the adult-led agenda. Then, on
pages 37-39, Annie Grant outlines a new
programme from the National Autistic Society
designed to support coaches and PE teachers
to adopt autism-friendly practices that will
enable pupils with ASD to participate more
fully in sport.
Finland in the vanguard
On the subject of sport, the Finnish
government is currently promoting an
initiative designed to get children out of their
seats and engaged in physical activity to
combat obesity, improve children’s health and
wellbeing and sharpen their cognitive skills.
http://bit.ly/sc223-33
Of course, Finland is already well known
for its academic successes. Not so well known
is the fact that it has rolled out a highly
effective anti-bullying programme into 90
per cent of its schools. Find out on pages 8-10
how this programme is now being trialled
Wales, where it is making a big difference in
participating primary schools.
Achievement for all
And finally, as you begin to get to grips with
implementing the SEND reforms, we revisit a
pathfinder school that shared its experiences
on the Knowledge Centre 18 months ago.
Today Harbour Primary and Nursery
School is halfway between the two systems,
but one thing that is propelling it forward is
the experience it has gained by being Quality
Lead school for Achievement for All 3As. ‘Of
all the initiatives I have ever been part of, AfA
is the one that has really made a difference,’
notes deputy headteacher Emma Chaplin.
Find out why on pages 22-24.
223 Special Children 1
Inside
Mental health
Bystanders matter too
An evidence-based programme to prevent bullying
happening and tackle it effectively when it does
ICT
Raspberry Pi
How this tiny computer helped a reluctant
learner re-engage with school
Literacy
Improving writing skills
A scaffolding system to improve students’
writing, which conveys the importance of
context, structure and language
Movie power
How film clubs are changing social relationships
and inspiring children to put pen to paper
8
Regulars
Using football to inspire literacy; a new SCLN
tool; SENDirect for information on local services;
eye gaze goes home; using reflexology in schools
Pull-out resources
12
Using technology to support pupils with reading
and writing difficulties
Letters
Facilitating group work in class and online;
the impact of mindfulness on someone with
Asperger syndrome
14
18
Book reviews
Lego clubs develop pro-social behaviour;
harnessing Shakespeare to improve social
interaction; a new series for reluctant readers
Tried and tested products
Music – two instruments that make creating
music highly accessible; literacy tools – the
verdict on the Exam Pen and a new literacy
intervention to support struggling readers
Talking Point
SEND reforms
Aspirations and outcomes
Insights into a primary school’s use of school-based
plans and its parent-friendly Local Offer
22
How work experience in Year 6 has raised
pupil aspirations
Cover story
Shared attention
Autism
Safeguarding
Why extra vigilance is required to protect
children with ASD from potential abuse
A national programme that empowers
PE staff to make sport and physical activity
more autism friendly
Condition insight
Meares-Irlen syndrome
Supporting children who experience visual
distortions that cause them distress and
impede learning
2
Special Children 223
Enjoying a shared activity helps children with
ASD develop the ability to focus and sustain
attention
25
43
44
47
52
34
37
223
✽ A programme to make sport ASD
friendly
✽ Films inspire progress in literacy
March/April 2015
Sport
30
3
News
✽ Scaffolding to facilitate better
writing
✽ A whole-school approach to bullying
✽ Implementing the SEND reforms
Shared attention
40
How to generate engagement
in children with autism
Cover picture:
A little boy shows his
delight as Gina Davies
sprinkles water over his
see-through umbrella
Pull-out resources: Technology
-based solutions to support reading
and writing
www.optimus-education.com/sc223 News
Inspiration from football
What better way to get children,
especially boys, to pick up a book
than have someone as iconic as
Manchester City’s midfielder Frank
Lampard encourage them?
As the newly appointed ambassador for
the National Literacy Trust, Mr Lampard,
author of Frankie’s Magic Football series,
has also returned as a Premier League
Reading Star for 2015, for which he was
videoed talking about his favourite books.
http://bit.ly/sc223-20
‘Reading should be a pleasure, no
matter what age you are,’ he says, ‘and
Premier League Reading Stars is a
proven way of getting children to enjoy
books. It’s very easy for young people
to get distracted by computer games
and television, but the importance of
getting children to enjoy reading was
the inspiration behind my own books.
Whether you’re reading with your kids or
just enjoying a good book on your own,
it’s a wonderful experience and one of
life’s great pleasures.’
Frank Lampard is on a mission to get children reading
The National Literacy Trust’s Premier
League Reading Stars programme has
successfully demonstrated that football
players can motivate children to enjoy
reading and improve their reading levels.
Three-quarters of the children who took
part in the 2014 ten-week programme
improved their reading – with almost a
quarter making a year’s progress.
To take part in this year’s scheme, visit:
http://bit.ly/sc223-21
Sensory processing link to autism
Behavioural responses to sensory
input may represent early risk
markers of ASD, particularly in
high-risk infants, according to
research published in the Journal
of Autism and Developmental
Disorders.
This conclusion follows a study by
Tamara Germanio of the Department of
Pediatrics at the University of Alberta,
Canada, et al into the sensory processing
behaviours of three groups of infant
over three years: high-risk infants
subsequently diagnosed with ASD, highrisk infants with no diagnosis, and lowrisk infants with no ASD diagnosis.
Analysis showed that high-risk infants
diagnosed with ASD have more difficulty
with auditory processing (responses to
auditory stimuli) and lower registration
(lacking sensation awareness) compared
to controls. http://bit.ly/sc223-18
Goalball for inclusion
Originally developed as a
rehabilitation programme for
visually impaired World War II
veterans, goalball is now a
Paralympic sport.
Because all players wear blindfolds,
anyone can participate and enjoy this
indoor sport.
Now, in conjunction with the Youth
Trust Sport, Goalball UK has developed a
goalball leaders’ course aimed at PE staff.
One of the first sessions to take place
is on 7 March in Birmingham; more
are planned. Alternatively, schools can
combine to host their own course for
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Goalball is played by two teams of three players, who
all wear eyeshades so that they can see nothing
eight or more PE staff. Find out more:
http://bit.ly/sc223-22
Parents
dissatisfied
Sixty-six per cent of parents of a
child with SEND are sceptical about
teachers’ ability to teach their
son or daughter in a mainstream
school.
The research by Mencap, part of its
Hear my voice campaign, also shows
that 65 per cent believe that their child
receives a poorer education than pupils
without SEND.
Nancy Gedge, a teacher from
Gloucestershire, has a 13-year-old son
called Sam, who has Down syndrome.
Nancy is delighted with the support Sam
is getting at his secondary school, but says
that support at his mainstream primary
school could have been better.
‘At Sam’s primary school, I found that
people’s expectations of what children
with Down syndrome are like coloured
their views and his attainment. He
spent much of his time with his teaching
assistant but too little time interacting
properly with his peers or receiving
proper support from his teacher to reach
his potential. As a result, Sam became
separate to his peers and saw himself as
separate too.
‘My experience at Sam’s secondary
school is very different. They work closely
and meaningfully with parents. Sam is
challenged and involved in his new school
where they understand the pace at which
he can learn most effectively.’
Pupils with SEND in mainstream
settings are eight times more likely to
be permanently excluded than their
peers. By the age of 19, people with a
learning disability are three times more
likely to be a NEET – not in education,
employment or training – than people
without.
Mencap surveyed almost 1,000
parents who have a son or daughter
with a learning disability. Responses
from parents of children in mainstream
education showed that:
• 81 per cent are not confident that their
child’s school is helping them reach
their full potential
• 64 per cent say their child was taken
out of class or activities because of their
learning disability
• if they could change one thing about
the mainstream education system,
35 per cent of parents say that teacher
training needs to improve while 20 per
cent want to see improvement in the
support their child currently receives.
223 Special Children 3
News
SENDirect
Eye gaze goes home
There is a new ‘Trip Advisor’ type
website to help families who are
trying to access local services for
their child with SEND.
SENDirect – www.sendirect.org.uk –
was developed by the SEND Consortium,
which comprises eight leading national
charities, with funding from the
Department for Education.
Jolanta Lasota, consortium chair, says:
‘We developed the website in response to
families telling us that finding vital local
services for a child with additional needs
is over-complicated and confusing, and
choice is severely limited.’
The new service is underpinned by
research by the SEND Consortium of over
300 families, published in December,
which revealed that:
• the vast majority of parents and
carers felt they had few or no choices
when it came to seeking either social
(81 per cent), education (75 per cent),
or health (64 per cent) services for
their disabled child
• 75 per cent said it was either quite or
very difficult to find information about
what services are available in their area
• 32 per cent said they rarely or never
found the services they needed.
Eye tracking technology opens up
the world to people who have no
other way of communicating – for
example, people with cerebral palsy
or locked-in syndrome.
The technology allows users to move
a mouse pointer or perform a left click
operation with their eyes. It is simple
and fun to use for children of almost any
cognitive ability, allows them to make
choices easily, and paves the way for
access to augmentative and alternative
communication technologies. See Tried
and tested, Special Children 214.
Until now, it was very expensive, so
AQA English
e-library
A new English e-library has been
developed by Cambridge University
Press to help bring English GCSE
and A-level literature and nonfiction texts to life in the classroom.
Helen Cunningham, publishing
director at CUP, explains: ‘Seeing or
hearing video clips written about content
can help students’ understanding and
recall, as well as providing them with
multiple ways to access and engage with
what they’re studying, regardless of their
learning style.’ http://bit.ly/sc223-23
4 Special Children 223
many children were only able to access it
in short sessions at school.
Now Tobii Dynavox has introduced
PCEye Explore, an entry level, peripheral
eye tracker, for just £590, putting it within
financial reach of most people who need it
in the home as well as full time in school.
This clip-on module gives users access
to a huge range of software on different
computers. It can be used by almost
anyone, regardless of whether they wear
glasses or contacts lenses.
To find out more and watch some video
demonstrations, visit:
www.tobiidynavox.com/explore
Where’s Wally? writing competition
Many boys don’t write much outside
class.
Research by the National Literacy Trust
reveals that almost a third of boys never
or rarely write for fun outside class
(31 per cent), while almost a third of girls
write daily (32 per cent). The charity is
concerned that this trend may be having
a negative impact on their attainment at
school.
Other findings from the survey show:
• boys are twice as likely as girls to say
that they don’t enjoy writing at all
(19.2 vs. 8.2 per cent)
• 32 per cent of girls write daily outside
the classroom, compared with only
21 per cent of boys
• girls write more widely across a variety
of formats – for example, social
networking sites (56 vs. 50 per cent),
text messages (81 vs. 71 per cent) and
lyrics (38 vs. 16 per cent)
• 19 per cent of boys admit that ‘I would
be embarrassed if friends saw me
write,’ compared with 12 per cent of
girls
• fewer boys than girls agree that writing
is cool (27 vs. 37 per cent)
• however, more boys than girls
recognise the importance of writing for
their future job prospects – 61 per cent
agree that if they are good at writing
they’ll get a better job, compared to
57 per cent of girls.
To encourage five- to nine-year-olds to
get writing, the National Literacy Trust
has teamed up with Walker Books to
launch a new competition for primary
schools.
The aim is to get pupils to write
Wally is inspiring children to write
creatively while having fun with the wellloved character Wally from the Where’s
Wally? series of children’s books created
by British illustrator Martin Handford.
To take part, children must put
themselves into Wally’s shoes and
describe a new scene he has got lost in. All
they have to do is write a brief description
on the back of their own Where’s Wally?
postcard template (downloaded from the
link below), on the front of which they
draw or attach a picture of the scene they
have described.
The scene could be familiar or foreign,
allowing teachers the option to assign
something which links into a current
lesson plan.
The winning pupil, chosen at random,
will receive a Where’s Wally? book pack,
book vouchers, and a printed winner’s
certificate.
Their school meanwhile will win an
afternoon of storytelling performances
and workshops, a collection of Walker
Books titles for the library worth £100,
and a Where’s Wally? wall poster.
Ten runners up will win a Where’s
Wally? book pack.
Closing date: 2 April.
http://bit.ly/sc223-25
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
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News
Calling all gardeners
The search is on for the nation’s
most passionate school gardeners
in the Royal Horticultural Society’s
fourth annual School Gardeners of
the Year competition.
Although there isn’t a particular
category for pupils with SEND, the
competition is open to everyone.
The judges are looking less for
a particular standard of gardening
knowledge or skill, and more at the story
behind the pupil’s passion.
This could be a challenge they have
overcome, how gardening has improved
confidence or learning, or about any
community gardening they have taken
part in.
Last year, nine-year-old George Hassall
of Buckton Vale Primary School in
Carrbrook, Greater Manchester, wowed
judges with his infectious enthusiasm and
impressive knowledge of gardening.
He has since been a guest speaker at
a horticultural careers conference, and
made a debut TV appearance on BBC’s
The One Show.
Find out more:
www.rhs.org.uk/schoolgardening
Justice and SEND
Intermediaries for Justice (IfJ)
has been launched to represent
intermediaries working in the
justice systems of England, Wales
and Northern Ireland.
Intermediaries assist children or
vulnerable adults who are victims,
witnesses, suspects or defendants in the
justice system. They make it possible for
them to communicate clearly, accurately
and coherently with police, lawyers and
court officials from investigation to trial.
All intermediaries have experience
of working with children who have one
of a range of disorders and difficulties,
including a learning or physical disability,
mental health problems, autism and
childhood language delay.
The IfJ is holding its first annual
conference in London on 14 March. To
get involved with the IfJ or find out more,
visit: www.intermediaries-for-justice.org
George Hassall, winner of last year’s RHS Young
School Gardener of the Year Award (five- to 16-yearold category), together with ITV’s Love Your Garden
presenter Frances Tophill
Deafinitely
Theatre
SEND maths app
Barking & Dagenham LA Inclusion
Team has funded a new maths app
for pupils with SEND, which is free
to download.
Called Mission2Maths, it is designed
to help parents enjoy maths activities
with their child. The app introduces basic
number concepts in an engaging way
through interaction with different planets
and space rockets. It has four levels.
Specifically, the app is designed not to
overwhelm children but progress them in
easy stages as they learn to identify, count
and sequence numbers up to ten, before
they embark on some simple addition and
subtraction activities.
There are visual and oral clues if they
get stuck, while ‘success’ icons encourage
them to keep going.
The Parent Mode allows parents to
observe progress, and to turn activities on
and off, preventing the child from racing
ahead before they have consolidated their
understanding.
New SLCN tool
The Communication Trust has
launched the Age 3 Speech,
Language and Communication
Progression Tool, which is designed
to help identify children’s progress
at key ages.
Although some children can have
speech, language and communication
needs that can impact on their ability
to listen, understand and express
themselves, it is not always easy to tell
6 Special Children 223
how well they are actually doing – they
may be very able in one area yet struggle
in others.
The Age 3 Tool has been tested in a
number of early years settings, and on a
range of children. While not a diagnostic
tool, it will help teachers decide whether
individual children may benefit from a
targeted intervention or whether they may
need specialist assessment and support.
Find out more: http://bit.ly/sc223-19
Something Else: a new play about a small creature who
spends his life trying to fit in, but never really does
The deaf-led theatre company, Deafinitely
Theatre, is performing its latest children’s
production, Something Else, based on
the book by Kathryn Cave, in London on
20 and 21 March, before going on tour
around the country. The company bridges
the gap between the deaf and hearing
worlds by producing plays accessible to
all. www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
News
Improving outcomes for children with cerebral palsy
A parliamentary inquiry into children
with cerebral palsy shows that
earlier diagnosis and intervention
can improve potential as well as
reduce dependence on the state.
Set up to identify the policy changes
needed to help children with this
condition achieve their full potential, the
inquiry also found:
• approximately 30,000 children in
the UK have cerebral palsy, which is
the most common form of childhood
disability
• earlier diagnosis and intervention, and
the resulting improved outcomes, are
crucial not only for the child, but also
for wider society
• localism is often the enemy of
consistent good practice
• therapeutic resources in the UK are
significantly lower than elsewhere
• there is a lack of understanding of
cerebral palsy and its effects amongst
health generalists and educationalists.
During the inquiry, specialists spoke of
the benefits of taking advantage of high
levels of neuroplasticity in very young
children, so that undamaged parts of the
brain can be trained to take over some of
the functions of the damaged part.
Practitioners argued that earlier and
more intensive therapeutic intervention
would result in greater independence for
children with cerebral palsy, and even
better financial returns as a result of
improved ability.
The inquiry’s main recommendation is
to establish a multi-disciplinary taskforce
to develop a national strategy for:
• nationally agreed protocols around
earlier diagnosis and intervention
• improved awareness and training for
health and education professionals
• improved signposting and support for
families
• greater funding for research into
cerebral palsy to improve outcomes.
Five times gold Paralympic medalist
Sophie Christiansen OBE is a supporter of
the Action Cerebral Palsy consortium. She
says: ‘The overwhelming message from
this parliamentary inquiry is that more
can be done for children with cerebral
palsy so that they can fulfil their potential,
enriching and adding value to our society.’
Feet matter
And finally…
Children with SEND and complex
needs can now benefit from the
calming effects of reflexology, thanks
to a new approach called Functional
Reflex Therapy (FRT) which is being
introduced into schools.
Drawing on her experience of working
with children with ASD, neurological
impairment, learning difficulties and
complex health needs, Lorraine Senior,
a qualified reflexologist and a teacher
with over twenty years’ experience, has
created a non-invasive, safe and simple
relaxation therapy involving hand and
foot routines.
The aim is to induce relaxation,
improve mood, relieve tension,
encourage social interaction and increase
receptiveness.
Providing FRT on a regular basis has
been seen to alleviate stress, anxiety,
Design a showjump competition
Get pupils to design a horse-jumping
fence at one of the world’s most famous
equestrian events. Entries close 9 March.
www.sense.org.uk/sensefence
Mama OT
Reflexology can help pupils relax
anger and tension, particularly in the
moment.
The first school to try this new technique
out was Harlow Fields School and Sixth
Form College. Headteacher Sue Davies
says: ‘It gives pupils a chance to relax in a
deeper way than perhaps they have ever
known. I am impressed with the way pupils
with the most challenging behaviours have
responded, and willingly choose to attend
the sessions and to engage.’
www.functionalreflextherapy.co.uk
The right to participate
The Young National Children’s
Bureau’s priority for 2014-15
focuses on the question: ‘Is school
preparing us for life?’
It looks into careers guidance and work
experience, the importance of financial
and political education and mental health
and disability.
Young NCB members choose what they
consider big issues for children and young
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
people and find ways of tackling them.
To support this, the NCB has published
a collection of essays entitled Involving
children and young people in policy,
practice and research, which consider
how professionals, ranging from social
workers to primary school teachers, can
help children and young people to actively
participate.
www.ncb.org.uk/participation-essays
This useful website is filled with resources
and ideas to help children with sensory
processing disorder. http://mamaot.com
CAMHS conferences
Anyone interested in mental health may
want to check out some of the conferences
coming up from the Association of Child
and Adolescent Mental Health.
www.acamh.org/events/calendar
Dyscalculia insight
The National Dyscalculia and MLD
Conference: London, 25 June.
www.dyscalculia-maths-difficulties.org.uk
VI CPD
CVI @ BVI – a conference on 24 June
taking place at the Bristol Vision Institute
on supporting children with cerebral
visual impairment in mainstream and
special schools. Find out more:
[email protected]
Moving and handling people
The Disabled Living Foundation is
hosting a two-day conference at the NEC
in Birmingham on 29 and 30 April.
http://bit.ly/sc223-29
223 Special Children 7
Pupils at Ysgol Llanllechid show off the
KiVa rules displayed on the classroom wall
Don’t just stand there,
do something
Bullying affects not just the perpetrator and the victim, but the entire school
community. Alison Thomas finds out about a structured programme that
encourages pupils to look after each other
‘Bullying exists. Any school that
claims it doesn’t have a bullying
problem is not facing up to
the facts,’ says David Edwards,
headteacher of Penmorfa primary
school in Denbighshire, Wales.
While any child can be subjected to
persistent abuse, pupils with special
educational needs are especially
vulnerable. Bullies pick on children less
resilient than themselves and if someone
has trouble communicating or significant
learning difficulties, that makes them an
easy target. The situation is often made
worse because they don’t have a network
of close friends to stand up for them, or
even just provide a shoulder to cry on.
Unless, that is, they attend Ysgol
Penmorfa. When Mr Edwards is
8 Special Children 223
investigating an alleged bullying incident,
after interviewing both parties, he doesn’t
just send the victim back into class
unsupported. He identifies two or three
classmates he knows he can trust to help
the child settle into the lesson and get
over their distress.
A hi-viz profile
Together with a class teacher and a higher
level teaching assistant, Mr Edwards is
one of the three people who make up the
KiVa team. There is no mistaking who they
are, because they all wear high-visibility
vests with the word KiVa emblazoned on
the back. ‘You can see us from the furthest
corners of the playground,’ he says. ‘So
there is no excuse if someone sees another
child being bullied and fails to report it
straight away.’
And every child knows that this is what
you do, because this is a KiVa school.
A Finnish model
KiVa means ‘nice’ in Finnish. It is also an
acronym made up of the first two letters
of the Finnish words for ‘against’ and
‘bullying.’ This makes it a really good
name for the structured and systematic
anti-bullying programme developed by
Professor Christina Salmivalli and her
team at the Finnish university of Turku.
The children know this, and their
vocabulary has been expanded in other
ways too. ‘If teachers give you the words
to explain different situations, then it is
easier for us to see if a situation could
get bad,’ says Lauren who attends Ysgol
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Mental health
Llanllechid in Gwynedd, another KiVa
school. ‘We also have words to report
it and to discuss solutions before any
bullying takes place. I mean words like
silent bullying, cyberbullying, exclusion,
assistant or reinforcer of the bully and
silent approvers.’
Modifying bystander behaviour
The focus on the role of the bystander is
a major feature of the KiVa programme.
Bullying can be a strategy to gain status
and power within a peer group, and that
requires an audience. Some people join
in and give the bullies a helping hand;
others egg them on by laughing or jeering.
Then there are those who just watch and
do nothing.
According to research conducted by
Professor Salmivalli, ‘reinforcers’ and
‘silent approvers’ have a significant impact
on the way events can unfold and whether
or not the bully persists in their abusive
behaviour.
‘Initially we had to introduce the
concept of bystander bullying,’ says
Mr Edwards. ‘Children hadn’t fully
appreciated that by simply standing there
watching, they became part of the event
and in the victim’s eyes they were almost
condoning it.
One of the goals of the programme is
to develop empathy so that children can
imagine what it’s like to be in the victim’s
shoes and are therefore less likely to give
bullies their tacit support.’
Providing clarity
First, however, everyone has to be very
clear about what bullying actually means.
‘There tends to be a misconception
amongst pupils and parents regarding the
definition of bullying,’ says Huw Jones,
deputy headteacher of Ysgol Llanllechid.
‘It’s not the same thing as occasional
conflicts or fights and the KiVa definition
is very explicit: “Bullying is aggressive,
harmful behaviour which is targeted
repeatedly at one and the same individual.”’
The children’s understanding of this
is developed through a series of carefully
structured 90-minute lessons that take
place once a month as part of their PSHE
curriculum.
The programme starts by exploring
social skills, being friendly, being part of a
team and learning an emotion vocabulary,
before gradually moving on to address
the issues of bullying more specifically.
A comprehensive suite of resources is
provided and includes detailed lesson
plans together with video clips, online
materials, PowerPoint presentations,
worksheets and booklets.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Three pupils are busy working on a KiVa task
Bullying can be a
strategy to gain status and
power, and that requires an
audience
Developing awareness
‘The children really love the sessions, and
these are delivered by the class teacher to
embed the ethos across the school,’ says
Mr Edwards. ‘They comprise a mixture of
discussion work, practical work, problemsolving and thinking skills, and there are
computer games where the children have
to zap inappropriate comments and let
through the positive ones. It just helps
to fine tune their ability to distinguish
between what is acceptable and what
is not. They also do role play exercises
and look at scenarios to identify what is
appropriate and inappropriate.’
Mr Jones agrees. ‘KiVa encourages
pupils to think on their own, search for
answers and use their own experiences,’
he says. ‘It allows them to make a link
between the skills covered during the
lessons and other social situations.
Elis, Lauren and Gethin of Ysgol Llanllechid say ‘Yes’
to KiVA
‘At the end of each session, a KiVa rule
is presented based on what they have
learned during that lesson. These rules
are often mentioned during the school
term and displayed on the classroom wall
as a gentle reminder.’
‘The children have been particularly
inspired by this quote from Martin Luther
King,’ he adds. ‘“In the end, we will
remember not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.”’
A supportive culture
Both teachers have been impressed by the
impact on the school culture.
‘Pupils are more aware of others,’ says
Mr Jones. ‘On the yard, for example, they
notice when a pupil is looking lonely
and help them out, and they are far
more willing to express their concerns
to members of staff on duty. The effects
of KiVa were picked up by the head of
Year 7 at the local secondary school, who
commented on how caring our pupils
were of each other when they transferred
there from Year 6.’
The same is true of pupils at Ysgol
Penmorfa, who also go out of their way
to support each other. Mr Edwards also
notes that KiVa has helped the school to
become more inclusive.
‘We have a full range of pupils,
including children with autism, ADHD
and physical disabilities,’ he says. ‘It has
promoted greater tolerance of difference
and helped pupils understand that
bullying is never acceptable under any
circumstances. They have also learned to
distinguish between a remark deliberately
designed to wound and a comment made
by a child with ASD, say, that has no
malice behind it.’
223 Special Children 9
Mental health
Dealing with incidents of
bullying
No preventative programme will make
bullying disappear all together, and when
incidents do occur KiVa has a clear and
consistent structure for dealing with them.
This is the responsibility of the KiVa team,
who fill out an initial form noting the
names of the individuals involved and the
nature of the alleged incident. They then
have to decide whether or not this is a
genuine instance of bullying.
‘If we conclude that it is, we interview
all the people involved separately to find
out exactly what has happened,’ says Mr
Edwards. ‘The victim then returns to the
class, where the teacher will already have
enlisted the support of a group of pupils
to look after them. In the case of the bully
or bullies, we try to encourage empathy
and get them to think of what they can do
so that this doesn’t happen again.
‘A few weeks later we have follow-up
meetings where, again, we talk to everyone
separately to see if the situation has
changed. Usually we are reassured to hear:
“It is fine. It’s all stopped.” But we don’t
wait until the next incident arises to deal
with it all over again. KiVa is proactive –
you check to make sure that all is well.’
On the rare occasions when bullying
dies down and then flares up again, he
has detailed records to remind him of the
full history. ‘These are far more accurate
than any records we kept before,’ he
says. ‘That too is part of the KiVa process.
Having all the evidence to hand is really
useful if a parent objects when I have to
resort to disciplinary action. Likewise, the
thoroughness of the process reassures
parents because they know that, if ever
their child complains of bullying, we will
listen and take action.’
An evidence-based approach
KiVa is designed for children aged 7-15 and
is based on robust research showing how the
responses of bystanders maintain or decrease
bullying behaviour.
It was developed and piloted in Finland
between 2006 and 2009 and is now implemented
in 90 per cent of the country’s comprehensive
schools. A randomised controlled trial (RCT)
involving more than 28,000 children in 234
Finnish schools found that it was highly effective
in reducing bullying, particularly in the mid- to
late-primary school years.
The first KiVa trial in the UK was run by Bangor
University in 17 primary schools in Wales and
Cheshire during the 2012-13 academic year with
very positive results. This has been followed
by a larger Big Lottery-funded RCT running for
10 Special Children 223
KiVa posters are displayed all around the school
A safe school environment
Another feature of the KiVa programme
is an annual anonymous online survey
where children report on whether or not
they have been bullied, have bullied or are
aware of bullying. Each school receives its
own results and the combined results of
other schools.
Sessions are
delivered by the class
teacher to embed the ethos
across the school
A comparison of children’s responses
at Ysgol Penmorfa in the summer terms
of 2013 and 2014 showed that the
incidence of bullying had declined. So
too had pupils’ perceptions of being
bullied because they now understood
the difference between bullying and
the inevitable squabbles that take place
every day. Children’s self-image in the
playground had also improved.
By coincidence, the school had an
Estyn inspection at the end of the summer
term 2014 and the quality of its care
two years from 2013-2015 and undertaken by
a partnership between Bangor University and
Dartington Social Research Unit. In a further
development, Powys is training schools and
trainers with a possible view to rolling the
programme out.
www.kivaprogram.net and http://bit.ly/sc223-31
Training
The KiVa programme currently available for use in
England and Wales covers Key Stage 2. Bangor
University is an accredited training centre.
Training for schools is a two-day event
and covers all aspects of introducing and
implementing the programme. There is also
a three-day certified course that qualifies
participants to train their own staff.
http://bit.ly/sc223-30
support and guidance was deemed to
be outstanding. This was reflected in
pupils’ answers to the question: ‘Do you
feel safe in school?’ and in their parents’
perceptions.
Pupil surveys at Ysgol Llanllechid have
been equally positive and the reduction
in bullying has had beneficial effects on
the children’s general well-being, attitude
towards school and academic motivation.
‘The programme ensures a safe school
environment and promotes healthy,
supportive relationships as well as
positive interactions between all pupils,’
says Mr Jones.
Getting parents on board
Schools are provided with an information
leaflet for parents and encouraged to hold
a parents’ evening early in the school
year to outline the key elements of the
programme.
Mr Edwards opted instead for regular
entries in the school newsletter. ‘When
you hold this type of meeting, you tend to
find that only a handful of people turn up,’
he explains. ‘So we decided to drip-feed
information along the lines of: “The pupils
have been piloting the KiVa scheme. Please
ask your child about KiVa and what they
have been doing in school, and what they
should do if they see bullying taking place.’
There is also an online KiVa Parent
Guide, which includes a summary of
current research into bullying, different
types of bullying, how it can affect a whole
class, and how to know if your child is
being targeted.
The guide also gives parents advice
on supporting their children at home,
including how to encourage a child to
be more open about their experiences
at school, how to support them if they
are being bullied and, of course, how to
engage with school staff to ensure that the
bullying stops.
Pupils love it
Evaluation carried out during the first
Welsh trial (see box) shows that teachers
find the materials engaging and easy to
deliver and that the children look forward
to the lessons.
Perhaps the last word should lie with
two more pupils from Ysgol Llanllechid.
‘Doing KiVa not only means that we
have no bullying,’ comments Gethin, ‘but
also that we are more confident to solve
problems if we see them outside school
or when we get to secondary school. In a
way it has helped me grow up and be more
caring.’
Elis puts it succinctly. ‘I think KiVa is a
brilliant way to have a happy school.’
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
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DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE TOGETHER
ICT
Jack, James Galpin and Jack’s TA act out the
joke that the Pi is not very good to eat
Easy as Pi
Developmental psychologist James Galpin describes how a computer no bigger
than a credit card inspired a reluctant learner to return to school and go on to
greater things
‘You are all possibly thinking about
a delicious pie – like this one,’ says
Jack, referring to the image on
the screen behind him. ‘But we
are talking about a type of pie you
definitely cannot eat!’
‘The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card-sized
computer,’ he explains as the video gets
underway. ‘It was invented by Eben Upton
in 2006. He wanted to teach today’s
children how to programme. The Pi can
also be used simply as a computer. In my
opinion, the Pi is the biggest revolution in
computers since Windows!’
He proceeds to show us around its
various components, outlining the
function of each one. He talks clearly,
raising his head from his script from time
to time, pausing to emphasise important
points.
‘The good news is that you will have
plenty of change left over from your
Raspberry Pi to buy some pie and chips!’
he jokes. ‘The model A costs £15. The
model B costs £25.’
12 Special Children 223
The power of the Pi
This informative, well-crafted video
would be a credit to any child. But when
you consider Jack’s story, it is truly
remarkable.
Jack has autism, and when he made
the recording he was in Year 6 at The
Bridge, a specialist school in Islington
for pupils aged 2-19 with autism and/or
severe learning difficulties or profound
and multiple learning difficulties. In the
preceding months, he had been growing
increasingly negative about school, until
eventually he was refusing to come
in. Following a team around the child
meeting, my job was to find out why and
see if I could motivate him to return.
I visited him for an hour or more
each day at his home, where we worked
together on little research projects that
incorporated elements of school work,
but framed in a way that made it seem
less school-like, more engaging and
more important. One of our projects
was on computers, and as it reached its
conclusion I set him the challenge of
building a computer of his own.
I was already aware of the Raspberry
Pi, but I was hoping the suggestion
would come from him. He didn’t let me
down. ‘Have you heard of the Raspberry
Pi?’ he asked. ‘It’s a credit-card sized
computer and you put it all together
yourself and you can see it in action.’
‘That sounds brilliant,’ I responded.
‘Would you like me to see if the school
would be willing to buy one? Then
perhaps we could go in together and do
some work on it.’
The importance of self-esteem
And so it was that we walked through the
school gates every day, heading for a quiet
workshop where we played around with
the Pi in all sorts of ways.
One of Jack’s problems had been a
diminishing sense of self-worth. He is
highly intelligent and like many children
on the spectrum has an extraordinary
capacity for acquiring and retaining
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
ICT
detailed information. But his core skills,
like handwriting, spelling and maths,
don’t match his cognitive abilities, and
he was acutely aware of the fact. He had
also watched his friends move on to a
secondary school with an autism unit,
leaving him behind with classmates who
were mostly younger than he was and
not as intellectually able. All in all, it had
become too much to handle.
So what did we do during our sessions?
As Jack would say: ‘The only limit to the
Pi is your imagination.’ It sounds like a
marketing slogan, but in a way it’s true.
Integrating the curriculum
Understandably, a lot of what we did
involved coding, but our side projects
covered different areas of the curriculum.
One of the programs we used was
Turtle, where you type in instructions –
forward 6 units, turn 45 degrees, forward
again – and the software draws lines in
response. We started with simple shapes,
working out the angles we needed to
create a square or a triangle. Then we
tackled more complex tasks, such as
writing Jack’s name. That’s quite a tricky
one, so we did some calculations on
the whiteboard first. At one point, Jack
looked up from his work to remark: ‘This
is kind of like a fun way of doing maths.’
The secret was out. But he was very happy
to continue.
We also used his fascination with the
Pi to frame a history project, tracking
the evolution of technology through the
ages, from Greek and Roman underfloor
heating to the present day.
And, of course, the video presentation
was all about English. Which facts would
people find interesting? How would we
structure it? What should come first?
What would make a good ending?
When we were ready to start writing,
we spent some time looking at idioms and
puns, as these are things Jack sometimes
finds difficult. This led into a discussion
about language in general, and how
people don’t always interpret your words
in the way you intended. By the end, he
was actually enjoying this.
Coding
In our breaks, we turned to Minecraft, but
Minecraft on the Pi is not about playing
the game, it’s about re-inventing the game
through coding. So even when we were
relaxing, we were working.
The coding we did was important for
Jack, who can get quite frustrated when
things don’t come out perfectly. We might
spend a whole hour typing a long piece of
code, only to find that it didn’t work when
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Jack demonstrates the Raspberry Pi on the video
we ran it. Initially, this got him down, but
when we reframed it in a technical context
– we have to debug it, that’s what coders
do, it’s part of the job – he gradually
became more accepting and would work
his way back through the code looking for
errors. Building on this, we were then able
to transfer it to other areas of school and
life in general.
It helped to get
him past the stage of just
wanting to give up when
things go wrong
Of course, a computer bug is quicker to fix
than a spelling or handwriting problem,
so he still gets frustrated at times. But it
has helped enormously to get him past
that initial stage of just wanting to give up
and walk away when things go wrong.
Public speaking
As well as preparing the video, we
composed another script for face-toface presentations. Again, this made us
explore issues like timing, pauses, looking
up, looking at the audience, taking
questions and answering them. Jack really
flew with it and has already delivered
it several times, notably at a Creative
Technologies Day in October at the
prestigious art college, Central St Martins.
All the participants had a table where
they displayed their achievements
and talked about their work. Jack
found himself next to a group of
roboticists, while some teachers nearby
were demonstrating a game they had
developed. He was in his element, and the
best was yet to come when he was invited
onto the stage to receive an award for
being the youngest presenter.
His most recent public presentation
was at a Future Technologies Day at
Arsenal FC’s Emirates stadium, an
event that also generated a potential
opportunity for work experience. Having
already done some research into a
possible career path for Jack, I know that
a number of firms are actively looking to
recruit individuals with autism because
of their unique talents. Hopefully, he can
look forward to a promising future.
In the meantime, he has settled in
well in the autism unit of a mainstream
secondary school. Although he now
spends less time on the Pi, which serves
as a reward for good work, it played a part
in his successful transition. Stability is
important for children with autism, and
he knew it was waiting there for him.
There’s no end to what you can do with
the Raspberry Pi.
James Galpin is a developmental
psychologist and a member of The Bridge
outreach team
Find out more
• Watch Jack’s presentation:
http://vimeo.com/95982529
• Join the Raspberry Pi community, complete
with blog, resources, forum, lesson plans and
more: www.raspberrypi.org
• Learn how to use Minecraft on the Pi to teach
the new computing curriculum:
http://bit.ly/sc223-16
• Buy the Pi and its accessories:
http://bit.ly/sc223-15
http://bit.ly/sc223-28
http://bit.ly/sc223-14 – also has a Raspberry Pi
Resource Centre with useful information.
223 Special Children 13
Two students use TAP and COOL to
improve the quality of their writing
Literacy across learning
Sophie Chalmers investigates how scaffolding techniques can help all students
make their writing more effective
There was a time at Beeslack
Community High School, Penicuik,
when every teacher spent a lot of
lesson time showing students how
to structure their written work.
That changed 15 years ago when several
departments collaborated to develop a
whole-school, cross-curricular approach
to teaching core literacy skills.
Today the school librarian, Deena Wren,
takes responsibility for teaching students
all the literacy strategies they need. This
allows other staff to focus on delivering
their own material, confident that every
student knows what to do. This approach
also makes differentiation easier.
What analysis showed
Before setting up the Beeslack literacy
programme, the English department
canvassed the other departments
for insight into where students were
struggling. The consensus was that
they had difficulties with organising
information and writing it up. ‘Students
didn’t know what went into an
introduction or how to write a conclusion,’
says Mrs Wren, ‘and they were being told
to skim read a passage for information
but no one had ever systematically shown
them how to do this.’
14 Special Children 223
‘When staff analysed how they taught
literacy,’ adds Stuart Graham, principal
teacher of English, ‘they also found that
every teacher had a different approach to
report writing. What was wanted was a
consistent methodology across the board.’
the scaffolding process to extend their
writing. Meanwhile, we can put in support
for those who find writing more difficult,
including word banks and sentence
starters, which gives them that little bit of
extra confidence.’
TAP and COOL
It completely
changed the way I teach
pupils here
A scaffolding process
What the school developed was a robust
scaffolding system to support students’
writing, which clearly conveys the
importance of context, structure and
language.
This includes two processes called TAP
and COOL, as well as a four-step guide to
writing an introduction, and another for
writing a conclusion.
‘While the most gifted students
were probably able to work this out for
themselves,’ says Mrs Wren, ‘the majority
were spending too much time getting to
grips with how to write a report instead of
what went into it.
‘These days, the more able pupils use
TAP and COOL are two mnemonics
that guide students on all literacy
tasks, whether they are writing a report,
preparing a presentation or designing
a poster. Students are trained to think
about just six things.
● Type of content – a report, a
newspaper article, a diary entry, a letter,
a biography, a short story, an essay or
an account of a personal experience.
● Audience – the general public, a
named person, an examiner or
classmates.
● Purpose – to inform, entertain,
persuade, express an opinion, provoke a
thought, or share a personal experience.
● Content – the information to be
included.
● Organisation and Order – the best
way to organise and then order the
content for sense and fluency.
● Language – the language appropriate
for that piece of writing.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Literacy
Literacy mats
These mnemonics have been incorporated
into a series of ‘literacy mats’, one for each
type of content (see the Writing Reports
literacy mat on page 16).
On one side, the mat outlines the key
features of that type of content. On the
flip side, there is an annotated sample
and a list of targets required for selfevaluation. The mats are printed on A3,
laminated and placed in the middle of the
tables for students to refer to.
‘When it came to designing the mats,’
says Mr Graham, ‘we had to strike a
balance between meeting the needs of
individuals and creating something that
would be easy for students and teachers to
use on a daily basis across the school.
‘The fact that they are generic is
part of their appeal – students quickly
become familiar with what is expected
of them. They all have a copy of TAP and
COOL printed in their homework diary,
along with guidance on note-taking and
skimming and scanning. There are also
posters up on classroom walls reminding
them to “Think TAP and COOL”.’
Ensuring consistency
One way to ensure a consistent approach
was for one person to teach all students
the fundamentals of literacy. Because
Mrs Wren was already teaching library
skills to the S2 students (Year 9 in
England) for one period a week, the
library seemed the logical place to launch
the programme.
‘I already had most of the skills
required, and was coached on how to
present the writing section of TAP and
COOL,’ says Mrs Wren.
In addition, the library setting also
helps drive home the message that literacy
skills are the same for every subject, and
that this is not just for English.
From the school’s point of view, this
practice means that every student is
explicitly taught the literacy programme
and has a chance to practise their new
skills. Meanwhile, teachers can be
confident that they only need to remind
students to use the strategies, while
focusing on their own lesson content.
‘When the Curriculum for Excellence
was implemented in 2010/11 in Scotland,
the school did a literacy audit and
discovered that not only were we already
doing everything required, but we could
also evidence it,’ comments Mrs Wren.
Training students
Every week, each class in S1 and S2 (years
8 and 9 in England) gathers in the library.
Sessions include:
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
can focus on the information, not how
they might get it across on paper.’
Training staff
Students have a chance to practise their newly
acquired skills in the library
research skills using the mnemonic
PLUS: Plan, Locate, Use and Selfevaluate
● study skills – how to take notes and
create mind maps
● reading for information – how to skim
and scan
● writing skills, including how to structure
sentences and use TAP and COOL.
●
‘To bring the learning alive, students
practise their new skills on various
projects,’ says Mrs Wren. ‘Topics range
from Anderson shelters to whales, with
staff stepping back gradually as students’
confidence grows. We take them through
the planning stages. Sometimes we adapt
the material – we might produce it in a
font that’s good for students with dyslexia
or in a different format altogether for
students who have visual impairments.
But they all have to write a report at the
end of each project.’
Every student
is explicitly taught the
literacy programme
‘One of the things we insist on in these
practice pieces,’ she adds, ‘is that every
sentence starts with a different word. At
first, there’s always a bit of backchat: “I
can’t do that!” but at the end, with a bit of
support, they all have a fairly substantial
piece of writing that is well structured
and where every sentence starts in a
completely different way. They begin to
see for themselves how this makes their
writing more lively and interesting.’
Morag Carrie, who teaches religious
and moral education (RME), reflects
on the impact of teaching core literacy
strategies across the curriculum. ‘Having
tools like TAP and COOL means that the
children can approach something in a
way they’re familiar and comfortable with.
Because it is not a new technique, they
Meanwhile, all new staff and NQTs meet
with Mr Graham at the beginning of
the year and he introduces them to the
literacy programme. This allows them to
refer to the concepts confidently in class.
Mrs Wren also gives presentations
throughout the year, and new teachers
have a chance to go through the literacy
programme with her in detail on In
Service days.
Another teacher always supports
Mrs Wren in delivering the programme.
None are from the English department
to embed the concepts in the other
departments. This year, Mrs Wren’s
assistants include teachers from modern
languages, RME, home economics, and
design and technology.
Ms Carrie says of this opportunity: ‘The
best staff training I ever had was learning
about the literacy programme with Mrs
Wren. It completely changed the way I
teach pupils here.’
The impact
Ms Carrie explains how the programme
works back in the classroom. ‘When
we looked at the topic Belief in Action,
rather than reading a simple class text
together and answering questions on it,
I was able to offer a range of texts aimed
at widely differing reading abilities.
Students worked alone, in pairs, or in
small groups supported by a learning
assistant. When they completed their
report, they did this in exactly the same
way as they would in English.
‘TAP and COOL and the other strategies
they have learned allow them to focus
on the content, not on getting their head
around the methodology. This makes it
much easier for me to stretch the gifted
and talented while supporting pupils with
learning difficulties.
‘The added benefit is that they’re all
working on the same things with the same
outcomes, but all according to their own
ability. Students with learning difficulties
might not write the most extended report
but they will cover all the same key issues
as their peers, which means that everyone
can succeed at some level.’
Find out more
Education Scotland has produced a series of
online videos featuring interviews with staff from
Beeslack Community High School.
http://bit.ly/sc223-04
223 Special Children 15
Literacy
Reports
Key points to remember.
● Remember the Type, Audience and Purpose
for the report. It will help you to make sure
your writing is appropriate.
● A report is a formal piece of writing.
● It is often appropriate to use bullet points,
graphs and charts as a part of a report.
● Your work should always be neatly presented.
Writing
reports
Order/Organisation
Key points to remember.
● Organise your sub-headings into the most
logical order. This will help your report to be
more fluent.
● Remember to use topic sentences to move
your writing on to your next point (see
example below).
● Make sure any graphs or charts you use
match up with the relevant section of your
essay.
Content
Key points to remember.
● Plan your research and take notes in a way
that you will know what they mean. You have
covered this skill in the literacy programme
in the library.
● Decide the sub-headings that will help you to
fulfil the task.
● Group your material according to these subheadings.
● Remember to include a bibliography of the
sources you used.
Language
Key points to remember.
● Most reports should be written in either
the second person or the third person.
Your teacher will tell which is the most
appropriate.
● Reports should be written using formal
language.
● You should avoid elisions (don’t, won’t etc).
● Keep up an informative tone throughout your
piece.
Extract from a report on healthy lifestyles
Writing targets – Reports
Report on Healthy Lifestyles
Title
Suitable title
Sub-headings/sections
Regular exercise is a very important part of how we can
keep our bodies fit and healthy. Fitting exercise into your
life can be a challenge but there are many different sports
and activities to choose from and the rewards of keeping
active are considerable.
Making time for exercise
Sub-headings
There are several ways to build exercise into your life.
This can range from making simple decisions such as
making the effort to walk to the shop rather than take
the car or even take the stairs at work instead of the lift.
These simple tasks, undertaken regularly, can make a big
difference.
Introduction with the purpose clearly stated
Main ideas, accurate and in detail
Important facts, appropriate, accurate and in
detail
Topic sentence
explains what the
paragraph will be
about
Logical structure
Specific words/phrases appropriate to the topic
Formal language
used
Informative tone
being used
Conclusion – developed, effective and appropriate
Core targets
Accurate punctuation, supporting structure and
meaning
Sentences well constructed and of varied length
and type
Accurate use of paragraphs/sections for separate
ideas/areas of information
Bibliography
The Health and Fitness Handbook – Dalgleish, Julia (2001) Bibliography cites
sources where
Walking for Fitness – Barough, Nina (2004)
the content was
found
16 Special Children 223
Well organised
Appropriate tone
Sporting activities
From team sports such as football and hockey, to
cycling and hill walking, there is a healthy activity to suit
everyone... (main body of report follows)
Important facts are clearly linked
Appropriate layout
Spelling – most words correct, including more
sophisticated vocabulary
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
half-day national briefing • london • 6.5.15
SEN Funding
& Finance 2015
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Practiceonyourbudget
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Helping education, care
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Anita Devi
SpecialEducationalNeedsConstultant
BookusingcodeEPS494SC
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Contact Jo Trezise on 01865 300202 ext. 261
[email protected]
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EPS494 quarter pg ad.indd 1
12/02/2015 10:08
‘Outstanding’
Ofsted
Students from Park Lane School watching Duck Soup
Movie power
The UK charity Into Film facilitates the setting up of film clubs to show, discuss
and review films. Sophie Chalmers talks to three practitioners about how this is
changing social relationships and inspiring students to put pen to paper
Using film as a springboard for literacy lessons
‘The school’s film club has helped
raise standards in English,
especially in speaking and listening.
Most importantly, it has given
students a sense of belonging,
which some may never otherwise
experience.’
So says Emma Shaw, head of primary,
literacy coordinator and a key stage
two teacher at Park Lane School, in
Macclesfield, Cheshire. Park Lane is a
special school that caters for children and
young people with severe and complex
learning difficulties from key stages 2 to 4.
experience for students,’ says Ms Shaw.
‘Then the school was invited to take part
in the Into Film Inclusion Project.’
Funded by the Paul Hamlyn
Foundation, this aimed to foster inclusion
through the medium of film and assess
how school film clubs could best engage
Developing literacy skills
Changing the club’s focus
Now in its fourth year, the film club is
regularly attended by around 20 pupils aged
between nine and 19. The weekly sessions
take place during the school day, with
students watching half the film at a time.
‘We used to run it as a cinema
18 Special Children 223
with different groups of young people
facing certain types of disadvantage.
‘The charity introduced me to a few of
the many resources it can provide,’ says
Ms Shaw. ‘That’s when I saw how I might
be able to use the film club to accelerate
progress in literacy.’
The students make wild thing masks in art
Ms Shaw explains: ‘After showing half
of the animation Cat in Paris, I set the
students some homework to sequence the
story so far using symbols and pictures.’
Because some students need handover-hand support or a scribe, doing
homework at home is not always practical,
so Ms Shaw asked if the teaching staff
would support students to do it in school.
In spite of the difficulties they face, every
student brought their completed piece
back the following week – they were
clearly very enthused by the task.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Literacy
valid as those of students who can speak,
which is fantastic.’
‘After watching the second half of the
film, we had a discussion about which
bits the students had enjoyed most, and
followed this with a storyboarding exercise
to create some alternative endings.’
The outcomes
Cross-curricular work
From using films to promote engagement
in literacy, it was a short step to using
films to engage students’ interest in other
subjects.
Ms Shaw cites how she did this after
she showed Cat in Paris. In geography,
students learned about Paris and about
some of the landmarks to be found there,
such as the Eiffel Tower.
Then she played it again in French.
‘Obviously there was a lot of dialogue but
I picked out some easy phrases for the
children to learn, which they listened out
for. And, because they had watched it in
English first, they were still able to get the
main thrust of what was happening.’
Using Where the Wild Things Are as
the starting point, she did a science topic
on boats, looking at what floats and sinks,
while in art, students created wild thing
masks.
Stimulating discussion
Ms Shaw also read the students the short
picture book that inspired this film and
A student at Park Lane School takes part in a
speech bubble writing activity for English
invited them to retell the story. ‘Someone
dressed up as the central character and
someone else took on the narrator’s role. I
used the sound of a drum to represent the
waves against the boat and everyone took
turns to tell part of the story.
‘Sometimes I’ll also pause a film and
ask questions like: “How do you think
this person is feeling right now?” Some
students are non-vocal and communicate
using eye-pointing and symbols, while
others use switches and a few get symbols
out of their books and hand them over.
You can see their confidence grow as we
talk about a film. They are given a voice,
and can see that their opinions are as
A moving example of the film club’s
impact is the experience of a young girl
with autism. ‘She’s difficult to engage and
not very vocal but when I was about to
show the second half of The Pirates, and
asked the students if they remembered
what the film was about, she shouted out:
“Ahoy pirates,” in front of everyone.
‘The staff were amazed at hearing her
speak. Mainly she uses symbols. The film
must have really motivated her to make
her react like that.
‘Crucially, I think that, having
attended the club for half a year, she was
beginning to feel safe and secure in that
environment.’
In general, writing skills have also
improved. ‘I get students to write a review
for every film,’ adds Ms Shaw, ‘either using
symbols, writing it themselves or vocalising
to a scribe. It’s been a pleasure to watch one
boy’s handwriting become steadily neater
over the year, and the content of his reviews
going from strength to strength. Thanks
to the film club, he wants to share his
views about the films with everybody.’
‘Students don’t see it as a literacy lesson;
they see it as Film Club,’ she concludes.
Combatting rural isolation through film
Being in a rural setting, many of the
pupils at Stratton Primary School in
Bude, Cornwall, are very isolated.
But the school’s film club is helping
them form new friendships.
‘It allows pupils to meet children
from other year groups and gives
them something in common to talk
about, which is the starting point of all
friendships,’ says Chris Nicols.
Mr Nichols, who is a retired
headteacher, started the club five years
ago for pupils in years 5 and 6, after
seeing some information at a conference
about the charity Into Film.
‘Most lunchtime and after school
clubs are aimed at children pursuing a
hobby or a talent,’ he explains. ‘I saw
this as an opportunity for children
who thought of themselves as without
talent but who nevertheless wanted to
belong to a club. It was something a bit
different, and gives pupils the chance
to socialise while having some lively
discussions.’
Setting up the club
Into Film made setting up the club easy.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Mr Nichols attended one of its training
workshops in Plymouth, which gave him
pointers on how to get the most out of the
sessions, and his Into Film rep regularly
emails him new ideas and suggestions.
Choosing what films to show is
straightforward and just involves creating
an online wish list, and a DVD arrives
once a week in the post from Love Film.
After watching it, he simply posts it back.
In all, about 60 children are eligible
to attend and about half of them turn up
every week. The club is very inclusive,
the mix of pupils being roughly half boys
and half girls, most of whom don’t attend
other clubs. ‘We’ve discovered a couple
of budding journalists as a result, which
might be one of the reasons why we have
won so many of Into Film’s national film
review awards,’ he adds proudly.
The sessions in practice
The film club takes place on Friday
evenings and the children write their
reviews over the weekend. ‘I tell them that
we provide the seats and the popcorn; the
only thing we ask in return is that they
write a review afterwards,’ says Mr Nichols.
His strategy works because at least half
of the pupils write a 50-60 word review
every week. If a child hasn’t done anything
for a couple of weeks, he’ll make a point of
encouraging them to have a go.
Meanwhile, the sessions always begin
with a ten-minute discussion about the
previous week’s film. ‘While quite a few of
the children in the film club are not very
talkative,’ says Mr Nichols, ‘everybody has
an opinion about a film they have watched,
and I make sure the quieter pupils have an
opportunity to air their views.’
Developing literacy skills
When it comes to writing reviews, the
pupils have developed and refined their
own formula for these. They start with a
précis of the film before saying how they felt
about it, and then explain how the director
or composer or an actor has contributed
to the production. They generally finish
with a funny or thoughtful last line.
Behind the scenes, Mr Nichols liaises
closely with teachers, who keep him
up to date with what they are working
on in class. ‘This allows me to remind
children what to focus on when they
223 Special Children 19
Literacy
has had an especially powerful
impact.
One boy with ADHD who
rarely gave his teachers more
than two lines of writing in
the course of a week now
writes a whole page for his
weekly review. ‘His writing
was so insightful that I sent
some of his pieces off to Into
Film,’ enthuses Mr Nichols.
‘He includes delightful little
drawings, with flaps that open
up to reveal more comments
about the film.’
‘On the other hand,’ he
continues, ‘the response from a
Mr Nichols discusses what’s coming up in film club with some pupils
pupil with Asperger syndrome
was quite different. She was
always a good writer. However,
Rural inclusion
she found it difficult to associate with
wide world. One of them had children in
others, and refused to go on school trips
tears by the end.
A chance to experiment with the choice of
or do anything that would take her out
‘The discussions the following week
films came when the school was invited to
of her own little world. And yet she has
were fascinating. I think there was better
take part in Into Film’s Inclusion Project.
blossomed as a result of coming to the
attendance at the club during those
‘They sent us a list of 15 films, hoping that
film club. She has now been up to Into
sessions because the children wanted to
we’d watch some of them during the year.
Film’s London headquarters for a training
see something different and because they
In fact, we managed to see them all. Quite
could all relate to the children in the films. session, and recently presented a report
a few were ones I wouldn’t normally have
on behalf of the club at the Bristol Film
Some of the reviews they wrote made me
picked at all, such as Shine of Rainbows,
Festival. At the end of the summer term,
want to cry.’
Water Horse and A Ring of Bright Water.
she announced to the school that she
The films featured children or people from
Inspiring children with SEND
wants to be a stand-up comedienne! It’s
isolated communities, just like many of
hard to believe she is the same child.’
our pupils, who had to make it in the big
For two children with SEND, the film club
write their reviews. Sometimes
it’s punctuation, or using bullet
points, or adverbs. It’s different
every week.’
The reviews are often very
insightful and moving. When
asked why, Mr Nichols replies:
‘Although it’s tempting just to
put the film on and let it run,
I give them a bit of context or
background first, to direct their
thinking, and this often comes
out in the review. For example,
I might say: “This film is mainly
in black and white but there are
some bits in colour. While you
are watching, think about what
the director is trying to do with
this colour.”’
Into Film
Into Film helps schools set up film clubs where, in
the words of its website, ‘Young people can watch,
discuss and review a diverse range of films, feeding
their imagination and nurturing their social and
intellectual development.’
The charity also provides training and resources
to schools to help them get the most out of film club
sessions.
The Into Film Inclusion Project, funded by the Paul
Hamlyn Foundation, encouraged film club leaders to
watch a selection of classic and popular films and
provided supporting resources.
Different genres
‘The pupils benefited greatly from this project,’ says
Helen Hemsley, deputy head of Barndale House
School in Northumberland, a special school for
children aged two to 19 with varying needs including
PMLD, SLD and autism. ‘They experienced a
wider range of film than I would normally offer. For
instance, one of the suggested films was the Marx
brothers’ comedy, Duck Soup.
‘I was dubious at first. In the past, I tended to go
with student suggestions for films and worried that
they might find this a bit old fashioned and slow,
but they loved the slapstick humour.
‘In fact, I had underestimated how open they
were to different genres and styles of film. For
example, they didn’t care that Duck Soup was
20 Special Children 223
black and white or quite laboured in parts.’
Into Film resources
‘The packs that accompanied each film were
good as a basis on which to build a lesson,’ she
continues. ‘Each film came with three or four A4
pages offering suggestions for discussions and
activities. After watching Duck Soup, for example,
the materials suggested a mirroring activity, which
was fun and funny.
‘The activities are very practical, engaging and age
appropriate. The suggestions for the dance movie All
Stars included holding a mini talent competition, so
we talked about what each student would showcase
if they were in the hero’s position. They didn’t mind
that there was no dialogue in Peter and the Wolf
and quickly caught on to how different instruments
represented different characters. The discussion
here centred on the emotions that the music was
trying to convey. I was surprised by how much they
picked up on.’
Extending students
Mrs Hemlsey also led discussions on some of
the issues raised in films as well as on students’
reactions to them. ‘They began to develop their
ability to give a reasoned opinion – moving away
from giving a basic “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it”
response.’
A student
from Barndale
House School
uses symbols
to help him
write his
film review
As for writing their reviews, everyone was highly
motivated when they heard that these would be
posted on the Into Film website.
‘It made them think a little more,’ concludes Mrs
Hemsley. ‘They knew it wasn’t just a school thing;
it was something to show their parents and friends,
and was something people up and down the country
would be able to read.’
Films are available free to schools that set up an
Into Film club. For more information and to start a
club, visit www.intofilm.org/schools-film-clubs
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
HOW
The flagship event
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13th annual senco update conference • london • 5.5.15
the barriers to improved outcomes?
Embedding the (0–25)
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ONE DAY NATIONAL CONFERENCE • BIRMINGHAM • 19.05.15
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Take away a toolkit of innovative, highimpact strategies
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Manager, Support
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Kate Ruttle
SENCO and Deputy Head, Great Heath Primary
“Excellent opportunity to reflect
“Probably
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Visit: Visit:
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EPS491 full-pg ad.indd 1
DEVELOPING EXCELLENCE TOGETHER
11/02/2015 16:38
Two children receive in-class support from a TA
School-based plans and the
Local Offer
Emma Chaplin of Harbour Primary and Nursery School in Newhaven outlines
the progress her school is making towards implementing the SEN reforms
In October 2013, head teacher Christine
Terrey and deputy head teacher and Senco
Emma Chaplin shared their experiences as
one of the schools taking part in the SE7
pathfinder project.
You can find out what they told us about
Education Health and Care Plans, personal
budgets and the local offer on the Optimus
Education Knowledge Centre.
http://bit.ly/sc223-26
18 months later we catch up with Mrs
Chaplin again.
Things have moved on in the last 18
months, but we are still very much
in a transition phase.
Like most local authorities, East Sussex
County Council is in the throes of a major
overhaul of its processes and procedures,
and we still don’t know exactly what form
some of these will take. We have, however,
begun to make progress in certain key
areas, notably with regard to the way we
organise our SEN provision.
A three-tiered system
We reviewed our arrangements in time for
the January 2015 census and now have a
three-tiered system.
● Statements and EHCPs. All
22 Special Children 223
pupils with statements will eventually
transition to Education Health and
Care Plans. Year 5 is currently making
the change and other year groups will
follow suit over the next three years.
● SEN support. Following a number of
staff meetings and lengthy discussions,
we decided which pupils, who had
previously been categorised as School
Action or School Action Plus, would be
included in the new category of SEN
support.
Key features of an SE7 EHC Plan
● All about me – profile of the child or young
●
●
●
●
●
person
What people like about me
What’s important to me
How best to support me
My hopes and dreams
Other important things to know about me and
my family
My circle of support
What is important to/for me now and in the
future
What is working/not working
Support to meet outcomes
What will we do?
Who will do it?
By when?
How will we know it is successful?
●
Additional needs. That left children
whose needs are less significant, but
who still need support, even if that
just means close monitoring and a
little boost from time to time. So we
have created a third category of our
own which we call additional needs.
Using the graduated approach – plan,
do, assess, review – we put in a short
intervention, designed to allow the child
to catch up so they can carry on with
their class. If they don’t quite reach the
level required, a further intervention
may be needed. If they still struggle for
whatever reason, or their needs become
more acute, we might need to call in
the speech and language therapist or
the educational psychologist to do an
assessment or provide extra support. At
this point the pupil is receiving a higher
level of intervention, so we would
regrade them as SEN support.
School-based plans
We developed the school-based plan as
part of our work with the pathfinder, but
on that occasion we were trialling it with
pupils who had statements. Now we are
using it with those children within SEN
support who have the highest level of
need.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
SEND reforms
It contains far more information and
is far more valuable than the old IEPs
or individual plans. It looks at parents’
aspirations, the areas that are working
well, those that are not working so well,
the child’s circle of support, short-term
and long-term outcomes, and their
particular areas of need as defined in the
new Code of Practice.
It is, in fact, remarkably similar to
an EHCP without the legally binding
status. And just like an EHCP, it may
follow a pupil all the way through school.
Moreover, if a child is receiving a high
level of support and we feel that they
need to continue with this, we can submit
their school-based plan as evidence for
a statutory EHCP assessment. If this is
granted, a lot of the detail on the schoolbased plan is transferred over, together
with input from any outside agencies who
have been involved.
Short interventions are designed to enable children to return to class and participate fully
Structured conversations
Home-school outcomes
We have been recognised as a Quality
Lead school by Achievement for All 3As
(AfA). We were in the original pilot, so
the first cohort we worked with is now in
Year 6 and the ethos is firmly embedded
throughout the school.
For me, AfA is stunning. Of all the
things I have ever been part of, this is
the one that has really made a difference,
with its relentless focus on raising the
aspirations of children with SEN and
empowering parents to become fully
involved and engaged. One of its core
elements is the structured conversation.
These dovetail beautifully with EHCPs
and school-based plans.
Each term teachers spend 45 minutes
of quality time with parents. Some of
the older pupils come too, or attend part
of the meeting, because pupil voice is
so important. If they have an individual
needs assistant or a specific TA, that
person is present as well. This allows for
teacher input, parental input, child input
and the unique insight of the TA. Parents
find it incredibly valuable to have that
longer time to explore the issues.
It has proved so successful, we have
extended consultation time for all parents,
so they too can have more meaningful
discussions with the school. We also offer
more flexible timings, so that it’s easier
for parents to attend.
And that miracle question you ask
in structured conversations around
aspirations has been incorporated into
other parent consultations, as well as
home-school targets or outcomes. So it
has had a huge impact on the way we use
parent consultation time.
Home-school outcomes stem directly
from the exchange of ideas and insights
that takes place during a structured
conversation.
They can cover just about anything. For
example, one pupil was given the project
of making a little puppet at home. The
child found it so engaging, they wrote out
the instructions explaining how they had
made it and brought the finished project
into school so we could celebrate their
achievement together. The target had
been around improving fine motor skills
and writing, but it was done in a way that
motivated the child to really want to do it.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Pupil voice plays
a crucial part, even when
the child isn’t there
Sometimes the outcome might be around
behaviour, or social and emotional
development. Lots are around English
and maths, because parents want their
children to make progress in these core
areas.
You can see how that fits with schoolbased plans. A plan takes a long time
to prepare, but what you get out of it is
fantastic. The whole process of really
involving the parent and the child, and
getting to know the child’s strengths,
is hugely important. When we first
introduced the approach, we found out
loads about the child’s strengths, things
they were doing at home that we had no
knowledge of. We have been doing it for
five years now and the practices involved
have become embedded. Those children
are really making progress.
Setting up a structured
conversation
Not everyone can do a structured
conversation at the same time, so teachers
have time slots. That requires careful
timetabling, as their lessons will need to
be covered. They then give parents a call
to find out which slot would suit them
best, or catch them at the door when they
are collecting younger pupils – so it’s very
informal and unthreatening.
Once the appointment is confirmed, they
secure an undisturbed space with facilities
for making tea or coffee. If the child is
taking part, they ensure they are confident
and prepared and make arrangements for
bringing them out of class.
The conversation itself follows the
structured conversation pathway. If we
are working on a school-based plan, we
look at the child’s strengths and celebrate
these, then we look at their various needs.
Pupil voice plays a crucial part, even
when the child isn’t there. Before the
meeting, we will already have asked them:
‘What is a really good day for you? When
things are going well, what does that look
like? If the day is really hard for you, what
might have gone wrong? What things do
you worry about? What things make you
happy?’
It takes a day’s training to learn how
to conduct a structured conversation.
Listening to the parents, putting them
at ease, paraphrasing, not answering
a question with another question. Our
specialist SEN TA takes notes, so the
223 Special Children 23
SEND reforms
to avoid having reams of text with lots of
educational jargon. Instead, parents click
on one of the questions to reveal a picture
with a short piece of text around it, or a
video where they see teachers in action or
hear parents putting forward their views.
We have presented it in leaflet form too.
However, parents can access the online
version on their phones or tablets, where
they can change the language if they are
not fluent in English or adjust the contrast
if they have a sight disability, making it
accessible to everyone.
Mutual support
High levels of engagement demonstrate the success of the school’s approach
teacher can focus on the face-to-face
interaction, making eye contact rather
than scribbling on a piece of paper, being
aware of their body language.
It is all about the parent telling us
about their child, not the other way
round, and the emphasis is on positivity.
We know the pupil has difficulties, but
let’s look at what they can do and the
progress they have made. Then let’s look
at outcomes.
Where do they see their child when
they are a teenager or an adult? How can
we get there? What do they want them to
achieve in the next six months, in the next
year, by the end of the next key stage? It’s
a world away from those massive targets
you see in a statement that will take the
child years to accomplish.
The Havens Local Offer
Parents have played a key role in shaping
our Local Offer too.
Ultimately there will be three layers
– one from the local authority, one from
The Havens Local Offer website presents information
in a parent-friendly way
24 Special Children 223
an alliance of local schools and one from
the school itself. We are still working
on this last part, which will take the
form of an explanation of the different
interventions we provide and evidence of
their outcomes.
We were
determined to avoid
having reams of text
with lots of educational
jargon
Meanwhile, the Havens Local Offer is a
great success. We have a close network
of Sencos who meet regularly, some
from Newhaven and others from nearby
Peacehaven. Together we decided that we
wanted to create a collective offer for both
towns along the lines: ‘It doesn’t matter
which school your child goes to, this is
the kind of provision
you can expect.’
Obviously each
school is different,
but we work closely
together and share
expertise.
It is based on
the 14 questions
drawn up by the
SE7 pathfinder (see
Special Children 216)
and presented in
a really engaging,
parent-friendly style.
We were determined
The parents’ contribution has helped
to make that possible, not only through
their insights into the sort of information
families would find useful and how to
present it, but through their participation
in the videos. At the end of the day, that’s
what parents want – to hear other parents’
opinions and learn from their experience.
That is demonstrated by one of the
early outcomes of AfA – a forum that
is still going strong today. A group of
parents had decided they wanted to get
together more regularly, meet up during
the holidays and have a place where
they could sit and chat to other parents.
From that we now have regular coffee
afternoons. Other people attend – I
always go, parents bring other parents,
and we might invite someone from the
local council, the school nurse, or a
member of staff from the local sports
club that runs activities for children with
additional needs.
A parent makes a chocolate cake and
just before Christmas I brought in mince
pies. Sometimes we have an agenda, and
last year, part of that was preparing the
Local Offer. We had big bits of paper and
they brainstormed what they thought
should be included in the answers to all
the questions.
At other times, we just get together for
a chat, giving parents the opportunity
to exchange experiences and discover
they are not alone. Someone else has
to deal with challenging behaviour in
the supermarket; someone else has
difficulties putting their child to bed.
We were already good at generating
parental engagement before we embarked
on AfA. Now we are so much better.
Find out more
The Havens Local Offer: www.havenslocaloffer.org.uk
SE7 Pathfinder: www.se7pathfinder.co.uk
Achievement for All 3As: www.afa3as.org.uk
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Pull-out resource
Literacy matters
CALL Scotland presents two resources designed to help classroom staff maximise the
potential of modern technology to support pupils with reading and writing difficulties
‘Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning, as it
unlocks access to the wider curriculum.’
So says Education Scotland on page 1 of its guidance for
schools: Literacy across learning: principles and practice.
‘Being literate increases opportunities for the individual
in all aspects of life,’ it continues, ‘lays the foundations
for lifelong learning and work, and contributes strongly
to the development of all four capacities of Curriculum
for Excellence [successful learners, confident individuals,
responsible citizens and effective contributors].’
South of the border, the preface to the new National
Curriculum programmes of study for English, key stages 1
and 2, makes the same point when it states: ‘All the skills
of language are essential to participating fully as a member
of society; pupils, therefore, who do not learn to speak,
read and write fluently and confidently are effectively
disenfranchised.’
But what of those children who continue to struggle with
reading and writing, no matter how hard we try to find ways
of supporting them? How can we delve deeper to find out
what is standing in their way? Could modern technology be
part of the answer that would help us to move them forward?
If so, where on earth do we begin?
Supporting writing difficulties
The double-page spread overleaf presents one of the
latest resources from CALL Scotland: Supporting Writing
Difficulties – a practical guide. Developed by Sally Millar,
Sandra O’Neill and Craig Mill, it highlights issues that have
been explored in more depth in previous editions of Special
Children, but the guide pulls everything together at a glance.
It is, in effect, a highly informative checklist that supports
teachers, ICT coordinators and learning support staff to
identify the precise nature of a pupil’s difficulty and then find
practical, technology-focused solutions to address it.
You can print it out to display on the wall as a reminder
for staff or file it as part of an individual pupil’s IEP/EHCP/
Coordinated Support Plan. It is also available for download
in digital format, with clickable links to online resources, at
http://bit.ly/sc223-01.
Although aimed primarily at classroom staff, its step-bystep approach should ideally be implemented as part of a
whole-school or local authority approach, in consultation
with other support agencies and specialists as appropriate.
(Please note: The version overleaf has been very slightly
amended to cater for English readers. Scottish readers may
prefer to download the original from CALL Scotland using
the weblink above.)
iPad apps to support reading and writing
On page 28 we feature another extremely useful CALL
Scotland resource, iPad apps to support students with
dyslexia or reading and writing difficulties. Developed by
Allan Wilson and Rebecca Gow, it too can be printed out or
www.optimus-education.com/sc223 downloaded in a digital pdf version which includes direct
links to each app – http://bit.ly/sc223-10.
It does not claim to provide a comprehensive list, but sets
out instead to provide an easy-to-read, visual representation
of apps that have been shown to be effective for certain
children, categorised according to the types of difficulties
they address. Some apps belong in several categories but to
make space for as many as possible, each app is placed in the
category that is most relevant to the type of support it offers.
For deeper insights into iPad and app use, see iPads for
Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning (iCALL)
(2nd Edition), which includes detailed descriptions of
many key apps. Available as a printed book (£14 from
http://bit.ly/sc223-11) or as a free download from
http://bit.ly/sc223-12
CALL’s iPad wheel was inspired by others you may also
find useful. The following can all be downloaded from
http://bit.ly/sc223-03.
●● The Padagogy Wheel by Allan Carrington
●● Mobile Learning with Bloom’s Taxanomy & the
Padagogy Wheel by Cherie and Amanda Pickering
●● Apps for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders by
Mark Coppin.
iPad apps for communication
A wheel of AAC Apps for Communication by Sally Millar and
Gillian McNeill, CALL Scotland can be downloaded from
http://bit.ly/sc223-17
Find out more
CALL (Communication, Access, Literacy and Learning) Scotland
provides resources and services to support children with additional
support needs to access the curriculum alongside their classmates
and fulfill their potential through learning and achievement. Although it
serves Scottish schools, its website and associated mini sites contain
a wealth of information and resources that are freely available to all.
www.callscotland.org.uk
223 Special Children 25
Pull-out resource
Supporting Writing Difficulties
• Liaise with Senco and/or Support for
• Refer to dyslexia websites, such as w
Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit: http://b
• Consider consulting OT, PT, SLT, Visua
A practical guide from CALL Scotland
Dyslexia / s
language, r
Vision or vi
tracking?
Who could help?
•
•
Consult school ICT coordinator and colleagues.
Consult local authority or independent ICT SEND/ASN specialist.
What do writing
difficulties arise from?
Identifying the
problems, gathering
information, team
approach.
Clarify / launch procedures for obtaining
technology needed.
Ensure child’s views are taken into account.
Share with parents.
Take account of training and support
implications.
8
Establish or expand the child’s IEP/EHCP/
Coordinated Support Plan.
Working in
partnership with
parents and
professionals.
Touchscreen.
A different mouse or large rollerball /
trackball.
A joystick with different handle
adaptations (T-bar, large foam ball).
A Glidepad or a laptop mouse
track-pad.
If the pupil can’t use
a keyboard consider
other access methods.
Positioning for one or all of the above keyboard risers, mats to prevent slipping
etc.
7
Audio: voice recording, often
directly into the application
(which can be saved for evidence).
Speech recognition - talking to a
computer, speech is converted to text.
One of more of the above used in
combination with each other, e.g.
Clicker, Co:Writer, Texthelp Read@
Write, Penfriend, Textease, WriteOnline
etc.
26 Special Children 223
What could he
6
Have you tried
supportive
software?
Check what is available in school, contact
local specialist for further advice.
Mind mapping to visually help plan
and organise thoughts and ideas.
I have a pup
writing diffic
Have you tried
different access
methods?
Try to borrow or trial before buying.
Word banks - topic dictionaries,
sometimes support with pictures
and / or text-to-speech.
Physical ca
pencil grip,
1
Formulate an action plan for Next Steps,
including list of possible technology(ies).
A switch access system (interface box
plus one or two switches) - which scans
rows, columns etc.
Cognition -
Supportive software can include:
Picture or symbol support.
Text-to-speech - speech
feedback, text is read aloud.
Word prediction - words are predicted in context after the
first or second keypress - sometimes supported with pictures
and text-to-speech.
Spell checking - phonetic, audio or symbol supported options are
available. Support also available with homophones. Remember
hand-held talking spell checkers, digital scanning pens etc.
If staff are not familiar with such software, obtain
appropriate training.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Have
cust
the s
com
Pull-out resource
upport for Learning/ASN staff.
, such as www.bdadyslexia.org.uk and the
t: http://bit.ly/sc223-13.
T, SLT, Visual Impairment service as needed.
©2014
The pupil’s writing takes excessive time and effort?
Dyslexia / specific learning difficulties with
anguage, reading, spelling?
The quality of writing output is poor; legibility, spelling, letter
shape, length of writing etc?
Vision or visual processing - acuity, visual field,
tracking?
Is there a difference in quality between what the pupil
can write and what they can verbalise, i.e. dictating to a scribe?
Cognition - learning, comprehension?
The pupil appears reluctant to write?
Physical causes - poor coordination,
pencil grip, seating, positioning?
Poor writing is not because a pupil is lazy or stupid.
A different size or style of pencil / pen?
A pencil or pen grip?
2
ering
am
A writing slope?
Identifying problems
with physical writing
using a pencil/pen.
Different or better positioning; chair /
table / lighting etc?
One of more of the above in combination?
Using appropriate writing technology?
Staff who ‘don’t do computers’ is not a valid reason for
the pupil not using technology! Hand writing is a life
skill - true - but the physical process must be separated
from producing content - language and ideas.
Pupils must be prepared for a digital future.
3
a pupil with
difficulties.
Have you tried
the following?
Will a classroom computer suffice, or might the pupil need a personal,
portable device?
ould help
4
Have you tried a
computer, tablet
or keyboard
adaptation?
5
There are different
types of keyboards.
Touch screen keyboards; on-screen
keyboards controlled by a mouse pointer or
external joystick.
If the pupil can't
use a keyboard,
why not?
Have you tried
customising
the screen and
computer settings?
There are many
accessories for
keyboards.
Customising the screen can make all the difference,
e.g. changing font style, size, background colour etc.
Have you considered adapting the built-in accessibility
options such as FilterKeys, StickyKeys, large cursor etc?
If these options are ‘locked down’ or the pupil
is unable to customise their personal settings i.e.
make reasonable adjustments, the school could be
breaching disability discrimination legislation.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
e.g. bigger, smaller, high contrast, upper,
lower case, keyboard stickers.
Is the keyboard too big, too small, too high
and / or wrong size, wrongly positioned?
Is the pupil unfamiliar with the keyboard,
e.g. layout, upper case letters?
Do the computer settings need to be
personalised?
Does the pupil require additional software
to improve typing speed and accuracy?
Does the pupil require an alternative
method to input text?
Keyguards which fit over the keyboard to
prevent errors.
Keyboard mounts / risers to aid hand / arm
/ head positioning.
Dycem mats to prevent keyboard slipping /
movement.
Is the pupil doing appropriate keyboarding
tasks? Is copying or typing notes into a
word processor really worthwhile?
Touch typing is NOT feasible for some pupils
so ‘keyboard familiarity’ practice might be
more useful.
223 Special Children 27
Pull-out resource
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iPad
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2013 CALL Scotland, The University of Edinburgh.
CALL Scotland is part funded by Scottish Government.
An electronic version of this chart can be downloaded from:
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0845 450 6404 | www.optimus-education.com
Autism
Safeguarding children with autism
Is it autism or is it abuse? Sometimes it can be very
hard to tell, as Ewan Stevenson reports
‘The interaction between education,
the NHS and social care should be a
strong safety net, but it can feel like
a Bermuda triangle.’
Tim Gilling, a keynote speaker at a
recent conference run by the National
Autistic Society (NAS) on safeguarding
children with autism, was recounting his
family’s long struggle to get a diagnosis of
autism for their son so that appropriate
support could be put in place.
It took more than two years, during
which time Nick became increasingly
reluctant to leave the house because he
didn’t ‘know the rules outside very well
and something bad might happen’, or go
anywhere without his parents because he
would have no one ‘to explain things and
keep me safe’.
The initial CAMHS diagnosis put this
down to separation anxiety and concluded
that the problem lay, not with Nick,
but with his parents, who were putting
autistic thoughts into his head.
‘We thought we were getting help but
30 Special Children 223
instead we were being investigated on
suspicion of Fabricated and Induced Illness
(FII),’ said Mr Gilling. ‘That constitutes
emotional abuse and we were scared that
Nick would be taken away from us.’
Nick was reluctant
to leave the house because
he didn’t ‘know the rules
outside very well and
something bad might
happen’
Eventually, against all the odds, the family
secured a second opinion from another
CAMHS team, which confirmed the
diagnosis of high-functioning Asperger
syndrome they had already obtained from
an independent consultant psychologist.
Today, four years later, Nick has been able
to move on.
Problems on multiple fronts
Research has shown that FII
(Munchausen syndrome by proxy) is
relatively rare and Mr Gilling believes
that government guidance urgently needs
to be reviewed. ‘Which is more likely?
Autism or FII?’ he asked. ‘Clearly it’s
autism, so let’s start there.’
The family’s plight was exacerbated by
the fact that the different parties involved
kept them in the dark for much of the
time, a situation that should hopefully
improve with the implementation of the
Children and Families Act.
Lack of support from Nick’s schools
was another key issue. He was supported
by a Senco for a while in Year 5 until
the headteacher put a stop to it because
‘Nick was gobbling up the Senco’s time.’
When he later changed schools, although
his autistic traits were becoming more
pronounced, he received no support at all,
forcing the family to submit to the SEND
tribunal appeal process and all the stress
that this entailed.
‘Lack of awareness – especially in
education – lay at the heart of our
problems,’ said Mr Gilling. ‘Nick masked
his anxiety in school, then fell apart at
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Autism
home. Later, when he spent two years out
of school, it was interpreted as our desire
to home educate, which wasn’t true.’
A confusing picture
The Gilling family’s experience is by no
means unique and other families have
also found themselves falsely accused
of maltreatment or abuse. That said,
distinguishing between autism and abuse
can be extremely difficult, as another
keynote speaker, Dr Margaret DeJong,
head of child and adolescent mental
health at Great Ormond Street Hospital,
explained.
Potential indicators
of abuse, such as lack of
eye contact or withdrawal
from social situations, may
be the consequence of a
child’s autism
‘It is a difficult balance for professionals
to be alert to safeguarding and respond
appropriately, and at the same time
not leap to conclusions about the
cause of a child’s behaviour,’ she said.
‘Professionals have become increasingly
alert and sensitive to safeguarding issues
but may be less well informed about
neurodevelopmental problems.’
‘Behaviour in both groups can be
strikingly odd or unusual,’ she went on.
‘Both groups may appear withdrawn or
unhappy and their social development is
often behind that of their peers.’
She pointed to a string of other traits
they might have in common, including
high levels of anxiety, difficulties
establishing and sustaining relationships,
poor concentration in class, abrupt
mood changes and low self-esteem. The
underlying causes, however, will be very
different.
‘Autistic children are often quite
rigid, preferring set routines and
predictability,’ she said, by way of
example. ‘Maltreated children may also
be rigid and controlling, but this relates
to early attachment insecurity and an
unpredictable home environment, not to a
neurodevelopmental problem.’
Vulnerability to abuse
If spotting potential signs of abuse is
especially difficult in a child who has
autism, it is doubly important because
they are far more at risk than their
typically developing peers.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223 Dr Mitzi Waltz, senior lecturer in
autism studies at Sheffield Hallam
University, outlined some of the reasons.
All disabled people are more vulnerable
to abuse, she said, explaining that this
is due, amongst other things, to social
attitudes towards disability, lack of
inclusion in protective social networks
and dependency on others (who may
misuse their position) for vital needs.
People on the autism spectrum,
however, face additional risk factors.
These include difficulties with:
●● communicating verbally and nonverbally
●● reading non-verbal communication
and understanding the words of others,
making it hard for them to know what
behaviour to expect or who they can
trust
●● predicting what might happen next,
based on the information available to
them
●● changing their behaviour rapidly in
response to demands from others
●● managing fluctuating anxiety levels and
understanding their own emotional
responses to situations
●● knowing when authority is being
abused due to learned compliance.
‘This last point has been a key factor in
some cases of sexual or physical abuse in
the UK that I know of or been involved
with as an expert witness,’ she observed.
‘We teach compliance in schools so that
pupils understand that they are expected
to do as they are told. That’s fine in the
classroom, but children with autism
may transfer that into all areas of their
life, exposing them to the risk of being
manipulated by untrustworthy individuals.’
Moreover, abusers, and especially sexual
predators, target victims who are devalued
and lack social protection. ‘People with
communication difficulties are especially
attractive to these criminals,’ she said. ‘In
the UK and the US, predatory criminals
have been known to seek work or try in
other ways to gain access to schools and
services for autistic children.’
Raising awareness
The conference was one of the latest
developments in a project led by the
NAS in collaboration with Ambitious
about Autism and the Autism Education
Trust and funded by the Department for
Education.
Designed to raise awareness amongst
professionals who work with children
on the spectrum in any capacity, it has
already produced a clear and accessible
guide, which includes advice on spotting
problems in schools, services, community
settings, online and at home and outlines
the steps that people must take if they
have concerns. The guidelines discuss
physical, sexual and emotional abuse,
bullying, hate and ‘mate’ crime, and child
neglect, with examples and case studies to
illustrate the points being made.
Reading the signs
The booklet reinforces the message that
potential indicators of abuse, such as lack
of eye contact or withdrawal from social
situations, may be the consequence of
a child’s autism. And that, conversely,
indicators of abuse may be falsely
attributed to autism.
It is therefore essential that
professionals avoid making assumptions,
while making sure that both possibilities
are carefully and thoroughly explored.
Demonstrations of
sexualised behaviour can
be mistaken for signs sign
of abuse
Part of that process involves listening
to the child, picking up on changes of
behaviour, and finding ways of enabling
them to express their feelings or fears, no
matter how difficult that might be.
Emotional abuse and neglect
Just because a child turns up at school
looking dishevelled or unkempt doesn’t
necessarily mean that no one cares about
them. They may have sensory issues that
make it hard for parents or carers to get
them ready for school, or they may insist
on wearing the same clothes day in day
out. Daily challenges such as these place
families under enormous strain, and
they may be in desperate need of support
rather than a heavy-handed intervention.
Likewise, it is very difficult for parents,
carers and other adults to strike a
balance between promoting the child’s
development so that they can engage with
the neurotypical world and allowing them
to be themselves. They may intervene in
an attempt to make the child more flexible
and less dependent on routine so they can
participate more fully in the wider world.
If their actions cause short-term distress
as part of an agreed strategy, they may be
entirely appropriate. If they are excessive or
ill conceived, leading to high levels of longterm distress, that is cause for concern.
223 Special Children 31
Autism
Physical abuse
When children behave in an extremely
challenging way, adults may resort to
inappropriate or excessive methods of
restraint.
However, physical injuries could
equally well be the result of someone
taking prompt action to remove
the child from immediate danger.
Alternatively, bruises or cuts could
be self-inflicted, or the result of
an accident. Or they might be the
consequence of an incident with a
sibling who was defending themselves
against an unexpected, aggressive
outburst.
All signs of potential abuse need to
be thoroughly investigated but, as is
always the case, professionals need
to avoid jumping to conclusions and
keep an open mind.
Parts of your body covered by underwear
are private. No one should ask to see or
touch them. Sometimes doctors, nurses or
family members might have to. But they
should always explain why, and ask if it’s
OK first. No one should ask you to touch
or look at parts of their body that
are covered by underwear.
C
It’s your body, no one else’s. No one
should make you do things that make
you feel embarrassed or uncomfortable.
If anyone tries, tell an adult you trust.
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Sexual abuse
The sexual development of children
with ASD is often out of step with
their emotional and social maturity.
This can lead to demonstrations
of sexualised behaviour that could easily
be mistaken for signs sign of abuse.
Similarly, they may be overly affectionate
towards strangers, or they may go to the
other extreme and appear hyper-vigilant
and fearful. Uncovering the truth is
therefore exceptionally difficult and their
communication problems make it even
harder.
The National Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has
produced some excellent materials
designed for adults working with
any child, but presented in a visually
appealing way that makes them highly
accessible. These include Share Aware,
a cartoon that really brings home the
importance of not taking, let alone
sharing, pictures of your private parts,
and The Underwear Rule, which comes
with a guide for parents to help them
engage their child in conversations that
will help to keep them safe.
For children who are non-verbal,
NSPCC has funded How It Is, an image
bank developed by Triangle with the
participation of over 100 children of all
ages.
‘It was created to address gaps in
existing symbol collections,’ explains
the introduction to the resource on the
Triangle website. ‘For example, children
who have over 20 symbols for parts of the
body, but nothing for the most intimate
areas. Children who have no means
of conveying the message ‘Leave me
alone’ or ‘Can I have a cuddle?’
32 Special Children 223
You have the right to say ‘no’ –
even to a family member or
someone you love. Remember,
you’re in control of your body
and your feelings are important.
Secrets shouldn’t make you feel
upset or worried. If they do, tell an
adult you trust. You will never get
into trouble for sharing a secret
that upsets you.
Talk about stuff that makes you
worried or upset. An adult you trust
will listen, and be able to help. It
doesn’t have to be a family member.
It can be a teacher or a friend’s
parent – or even ChildLine.
ChildLine is a service provided by the NSPCC.
Registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717
They may be
overly affectionate
towards strangers or
appear hyper-vigilant
and fearful
Bullying
Bullying takes many forms and the
idiosyncratic behaviour of children with
autism together with their communication
difficulties puts them at particular risk.
Moreover, their inability to read facial
expressions and body language makes
them easy targets for ‘mate’ crime, since
they can’t distinguish between a genuine
offer of kindness or friendship and an
approach that has malicious intentions.
Children with disabilities are also more
likely to experience hate crime, or become
the victims of ‘double discrimination’ if
they belong to an ethnic minority group.
Bullying is a cultural issue that has to
be tackled school wide. (For a strategic
approach that has been shown to make a
difference, see pages 8-10.)
Safeguarding children online
Back at the conference, Will Garner, CEO
of Childnet, introduced delegates to a
new online resource that offers practical
advice and teaching activities to help
secondary schools explore Internet safety
with young people on the spectrum.
‘The Internet is an exciting
environment,’ he said, ‘but for
students with delayed emotional
security or who are lacking in social
understanding, interacting online,
gaming or using search engines
appropriately can present a minefield
of challenges which leave them very
vulnerable.’
Produced by Childnet and
Leicester City Council, STAR Toolkit
comprises four sections – SAFE,
TRUST, ACTION and RESPECT
– which all feature the concept of
friendship, with an emphasis on
maintaining a healthy balance
between online and offline activity,
and help teachers address important
issues such as cyberbullying, contact
by strangers and exposure to
inappropriate content.
Keeping children safe online is far
from simple, however, as a moving
account by Annie Clements, CEO
of the social enterprise Autism and
ADHD, illustrated.
She recounted the story of a
16-year-old girl with ASD who
was obsessed by balloons and started
interacting online with a group of people
who appeared to share her interest. What
she didn’t realise was that they were using
balloons in a sexual context and before
long one of them began grooming her.
Alerted by the arrival of balloons in the
post, her mother contacted the police.
All the right procedures were followed,
but for the girl, the consequences were
devastating. She could not see that she
or the man had done anything wrong.
He was her first real friend, she said, the
first person who really listened to her and
made her feel good. After this episode, she
spent two years in hospital being treated
for depression.
Today, at the age of 23, she has
rejoined the group. As an adult, she now
has the right to follow her own path.
Ewan Stevenson is a freelance education
journalist
Find out more
●● Safeguarding children with autism, free
as an A5 paperback or e-book from
http://bit.ly/sc223-34
●● Online training module, available later this year:
www.autism.org.uk/askautism
●● Share Aware: http://bit.ly/sc223-36
●● The Underwear Rule: http://bit.ly/sc223-37
●● How it is: free to download or available on CD
for £8: www.howitis.org.uk
●● The Childnet STAR Toolkit:
http://bit.ly/sc223-38
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
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A little boy’s eyes are firmly fixed on Gina
Davies and his smile speaks for itself
Attention Autism
Shared activities which have children on the edge of their seats generate
spontaneous communication and pave the way for learning, says Gina Davies
Attention skills are so important.
They are an integral part of how we
connect with other people and the
world around us, and of how we
learn.
This is why the framework for the
early years foundation stage stipulates
that children should be able to ‘give their
attention to what others say, and respond
appropriately, while engaged in another
activity’ before they enter Year 1.
However, that is quite a tall order, even
for typically developing children. For
children with autism it can seem like an
impossible dream.
How can it be that a child will lie for
20 minutes watching the wheels on a
train and yet when we want to show them
something, all we get is a fleeting glance?
Our instinctive response is to pile on
questions. ‘Look at this picture. What is
the boy doing? Where is he going? What
colour is his hair?’
That doesn’t work for children with
34 Special Children 223
autism. They can’t see the point and they
don’t have the social and communication
skills to give us the answers we are looking
for. So things get confusing very quickly,
not just for them, but for us as well.
We want
the children to be
irresistibly drawn
Attention development
The ability to focus and sustain attention
on an activity of our own choosing is an
early stage in attention development. At
this level, the child rejects any attempts to
intervene because they can only process
one thing at once and they don’t want
to stop what they are doing. Typically
developing children eventually progress
to the stage of being able to do two
things simultaneously in a distracting
environment, but it’s a gradual process
that happens over time. Without
appropriate intervention, children with
autism seem to get stuck at the early
stages and this makes learning really
difficult.
Attention Autism is a step-by-step
series of practical activities that enables
parents and professionals to get children
to engage with them, so they can
introduce them to new experiences and
progress their learning.
Language is not the key to removing
the obstacles that stand in their way.
Instead their attention – and that of
any supporting adults – is held by
activities that are so compelling, they
can’t tear their eyes away and they want
to tell you about it. This spontaneous
motivation to interact in turn helps their
shared attention skills form. We aim
for 20 minutes within six weeks of the
intervention starting.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Autism
A little girl takes her turn to come out and
participate
The little boy gazes intently as Gina Davies shows
him an intriguing container
A playdough caterpillar spiked with coloured straws
looks good and is fun to make
A bucket full of surprises
The first stage teaches children to focus
their attention on the adult-led agenda
quickly. That is the point. It must happen
fast. We don’t want to have to resort to
persuasion, bribery or compulsion; we
want the children to be irresistibly drawn.
The bucket is a device that allows us to
bring that about.
It is a non-see-through container
that holds a selection of small wind-up,
pop-up, musical or mechanical toys the
children will find visually appealing,
but which they have never seen before.
Novelty value is key, so you need to build
up a collection of lots of different items to
maintain the element of surprise.
Having cleared the environment
of distractions, you seat the children
opposite you, with any supporting adults
by their side. In keeping with good
autism-friendly practice, you start by
drawing a bucket on a little whiteboard
and writing ‘bucket’ underneath. Then
you set the scene by singing a song or
reciting a rhyme before taking the lid
off the bucket and pulling out one of its
secrets. You keep language to a minimum
at this point because you want children
to look at the object, pay attention to it
and engage with visually. Then you are
teaching directly to an autism strength.
Any additional language can come later.
The children might look at it for a
minute or so. You will be looking at it and
the supporting adults will be looking at it,
so you all have the same shared experience.
Then you put it back in the bucket and pick
out something else. It takes maybe two
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
You avoid putting
anything in the bucket
that the children already
possess
Language and communication
If you match your language use and the social
interaction possibilities in a timely way throughout
the activities, each child is able to process it at
their optimum level because they are so focused
and engaged. You see them sitting on the edge
of their seats, absolutely locked onto what you
are doing, fascinated by watching you pour glitter
over a stack of cups or splashing coloured water
into a silver tray. If you then say, 'Pour it on. Pour
it on. Stop!' there's a pretty good chance they are
learning the word 'pour'.
This in turn gives them the incentive to
communicate. A pre-verbal child might lean
right forward and become very animated, which
you can take as a shout of, 'Do it again. I'm
loving it.' Others might say, 'Ooh! Look at that!'
or 'Pour it on!' or 'More!'
This is entirely of their own volition, prompted
by the context and by the social opportunities,
not by an adult insisting, 'What's this? What's
that? How many are there?'
In my early days as a speech and language
therapist, I used to teach children key words,
which they mastered while we were together, but
I suspect they didn't use them again once they
had walked out the door. By engaging children
in shared activities that generate a spontaneous
response, you maximise the chances that they
will be able to generalise the skills they have
learned into other areas of their life.
It is important to have lots of different things in the
buckets to maintain the element of surprise
or three minutes to do three objects in a
row. Then you say: ‘It’s finished,’ cross the
bucket off on the board and move on to
whatever else the children were doing.
Crucially, you never hand the toys over,
since the children are still at the stage
where they can only do one thing at a time.
If you allow them to interact with the
toy, that will absorb their attention and
you will have broken the dynamic that
connected them to you.
Likewise, you avoid including anything
in the bucket that the children already
possess and love playing with. Imagine
the distress of a child, whose special
interest is Thomas the Tank Engine, when
he sees his favourite toy held up in front
of him, but out of bounds.
The attention builder
After anything from five to 10 buckets
children are usually ready for stage 2
– the attention builder. This involves
a longer activity that stretches their
attention span for up to 10 minutes. It has
a clear beginning, middle and end and is
fascinating to watch from start to finish.
You might have a basket containing a
box of flour, a sieve and a piece of black
paper. You draw on the board and write
‘flour shaking’. Then you unroll the paper,
open the box and scatter flour from a height
all over the paper. That is very appealing
for small children. Then you draw in it. And
finally, you tip the flour back into the box
and start the whole process all over again.
You might do that three times, and then
you say: ‘It’s finished.’
If a child wants to join in, that’s great,
223 Special Children 35
Autism
Attention Autism in schools
Having watched a demonstration, children try activities out for themselves
because it means they are engaged. But
you gently tell them, ‘It’s Gina’s turn’,
and they accept this, because they have
become used to the idea that your role
is to show them things while theirs is to
relax and enjoy watching.
We have lots of these very visually
engaging activities – the sorts of things
you might see laid out in a nursery in the
hope that children will have a go. We
just add a bit of colour, structure and
imagination so that a child who finds it
difficult to concentrate or tolerate the
adult-led agenda is won over.
If there are mainstream children in
the session, they like it too, of course
they do. But for a child with autism, the
combination of structure and visual
appeal makes it possible for them to
take the risk of joining in, concentrating,
processing any language and
communication opportunities you might
put into the session.
Shifting attention and turntaking
In stage 3, children learn to shift their
attention, participate in interactive
activities and take turns.
Turn-taking is a deeply social skill
which doesn’t make a lot of sense if you
are not socially aware. But if you do it as
an attention shift, children with autism
seem to be able to learn it much more
easily. As they become accustomed to
the routine of transferring their attention
from watching, to taking part, and back
to watching again, they don’t actually
need to understand the social skill
underpinning what they are doing.
36 Special Children 223
You might have some big squeezy
bottles full of different coloured paints
and a shower curtain laid out on the
floor. You stand at the front and squeeze
one of the bottles to produce a huge red
squirt which lands splosh! on the curtain.
Then you say: ‘Mary’s turn,’ and Mary
comes out and chooses from two bottles
you offer her. She knows exactly what to
do because she watched you first. So she
adds a squirt of green – splosh! – hands
back the bottle, and sits down again.
The results look
terrific, but that is not what
matters the most. It’s the
process that counts
Once everyone has taken their turn, you
end up with a glorious painting, which
was both fun to do and fun to watch.
You have created a shared experience,
which binds the group together, making
communication and interaction easier.
Attention control and transitions
In the final stage, children take this one
step further by learning how to focus on
you as lead adult, and then shift their
attention to an individual activity before
refocusing it again to include the whole
group.
Children and adults watch you
demonstrate an activity, then they each
get their own little box of materials and
go off to try it out for themselves. For
A typical Year 1 classroom has different sets of
children working at different things, with adults
circulating amongst them and lots of people talking
in an environment that has been set up to be
highly stimulating. If you put a child who is still at
the early stage of attention development into this
tumultuous setting, it’s easy to see why they don’t
flourish.
Schools often address the problem through a
one-to-one intervention. However that doesn’t
teach the child how to learn as part of a group.
The programme is very easy to run and just ten
to 20 minutes a day for six weeks can make a big
difference. Very often more than one child would
benefit, so you can usually pull together a group
of six to eight children. We once did it with entire
classes of 30 in a school in an area of huge social
deprivation where children arrived at school with
very immature language.
How do you support a child with autism to
connect with their peer group? Typically developing
six-year-olds have quite immature social skills
themselves, and if the child they are trying to talk
to doesn’t respond in the way they expected them
to, they give up. Or if the child does odd things, it
makes other children uneasy. Whereas if they are
enjoying the same shared activity, that provides the
common ground that binds them together.
example, they might watch you create a
spiky playdough caterpillar, a spaghetti
monster or a pretend cake. Then they all
retire to the same table, unpack the little
jars and containers in their kit and get
busy. When time is up, they come back to
the circle to share what they have done.
The results usually look terrific, but
that is not what matters the most. It’s
the process that counts. From learning to
watch a wind-up toy for a few moments,
the children have progressed to being
able to follow a demonstration, go away
and do it independently and then return
to show it as a member of a group. The
development of their attention skills has
made that possible.
Find out more
Gina Davies runs regular training events at her
centre in Guildford or she can provide training in
your setting or school.
The Attention Autism foundation programme
is a two-day event and includes the methodology
underpinning the intervention, demonstrations of the
techniques involved and the chance to try them out
for yourself.
Additional workshops explore how the approach
can be adapted to address specific issues such as
literacy, challenging behaviour and social skills.
www.ginadavies.co.uk
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Autism
Enthusiastic footballers from Helen
Allison School, a specialist NAS school,
are proof that team games can be
enjoyed by children with autism
Active for Autism
Annie Grant looks at a new national programme designed to help more people with
autism take part in sport and physical activity
After gaining a degree in physical
education, Amy Webster worked in
a mainstream secondary school as a
learning support assistant.
‘Because I had studied PE, I was placed
in the PE department,’ she remembers,
‘but until I arrived, there was no one
supporting pupils with special needs or
autism in these lessons, and that shocked
me, because these children were taking a
backseat.’
Now, two years later, as coordinator
of the National Autistic Society’s (NAS)
Active for Autism project, Ms Webster is
working to ensure that children, young
people and adults with autism can be fully
included in sport and physical activity at
school and in the community.
Disability and sport
Despite the success of the 2012
Paralympic Games, the results of a survey
published by the English Federation of
Disability Sport (EFDS) in September
2013 indicated that disabled people
were still experiencing barriers to full
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
participation in physical activity.
69 per cent of respondents stated
that playing sport or being active was
important to them as an enjoyable
pastime and as a means of keeping fit
and healthy.
● 70 per cent expressed a desire to do
more.
● 64 per cent preferred being included
in activities with a mix of disabled and
non-disabled people; only 51 per cent
were actually engaged in such activities
at the time.
● Over 60 per cent said that a lack of
available opportunities, or their own
lack of awareness of such opportunities,
prevented them from taking part in
physical activity.
● 51 per cent of young people were not
enjoying their experience of sport in
school.
●
Commenting on these findings, Barry
Horne, chief executive of EFDS, drew
attention to the ‘big gap between
ambition and reality’ and stressed the
importance of developing, delivering and
promoting appropriate opportunities for
disabled people.
Barriers specific to autism
It is widely recognised that taking part in
sport not only helps to keeps us fit and
well, it can increase self-esteem, develop
social skills and improve mental health
and general wellbeing. However, a survey
conducted by Ms Webster suggests that
many people on the autism spectrum are
missing out on these benefits because
coaches and PE instructors don’t
appreciate the impact of their hidden
difficulties, such as heightened fear and
anxiety in social situations, difficulty
in understanding body language and
metaphor, and sensory challenges.
‘If someone with autism responds
negatively to a sporting activity, this is
sometimes perceived as a behavioural
issue when that is not necessarily the
case,’ she says. ‘It may be a reaction to
coping with a sensory sensitivity, or a
coach who is not communicating in a way
223 Special Children 37
Autism
they understand, or something else that
takes them out of their comfort zone.’
‘For example, they might refuse to
enter the swimming pool because the
smell of chlorine is more they can bear,’
she elaborates, ‘or they might appear
uncooperative because they are unable to
tolerate a hands-on approach to coaching.
I’ve come across people refusing to wear
team bibs with tiny holes in them because
they say that it feels as if they have a
cheese grater on their skin.’
Active for Autism
It was the need to improve provision by
raising awareness and upskilling staff
that prompted the NAS to launch Active
for Autism in January 2015. Funded by
the Peter Harrison Foundation, Sylvia
Adams Trust, HiT Entertainment and the
Weinstock Foundation, it offers training
and consultancy services to people who
lead sporting activities for children or
adults with autism in any setting, from
schools to sports centres or facilities run
by the voluntary sector.
The project has secured funding for
three years, during which time the NAS
hopes to reach at least 1,200 PE teachers,
coaches and volunteers across the UK
and increase participation for people with
autism by over 7,000.
Developing understanding
A two-day, face-to-face training course
starts with a day in the classroom where
trainees explore common difficulties
people with autism experience in the gym
or on the sports field and learn how to
work more effectively to support them to
participate. This includes an introduction
to the NAS SPELL framework – structure,
positive approaches, empathy, low arousal
– and links between theory and practice.
One of the issues the trainers seek to
address is the common misconception
that people with autism have no interest
in sport and can’t take part in team games.
‘It is true that some people with autism
can find team games difficult,’ concedes
Ms Webster, who coaches a disability
football team herself, ‘but it’s not
necessarily that they don’t want to join
in, but rather that they can’t, because the
person in charge doesn’t have the skills to
include them.’
‘I think for a lot of people it is fear of
the unknown,’ she continues. ‘If they’ve
never come across autism before or don’t
know much about it, they probably won’t
have the confidence to work with the
individual and find ways of adapting their
practice to support them. By developing
their understanding of the condition and
38 Special Children 223
Face-to-face training comprises a mixture of classroom-based tuition and practical activities
offering them practical strategies to try out
in their own setting, we aim to increase
both their confidence and competence.’
Putting theory into practice
The second day of training takes this to
a deeper level by looking at co-occurring
difficulties and sensory differences, as
well as the impact that deficiencies in the
proprioceptive system (body awareness)
or the vestibular system (balance) can
have on participation in sport.
Some of the
strategies would be equally
helpful for people who are
not on the spectrum
This is also when the trainees get the
opportunity to apply their new-found
knowledge by working in groups to
develop plans for autism-friendly
activities. ‘We emphasise that this doesn’t
require them to re-evaluate their whole
coaching style,’ explains Ms Webster. ‘It’s
more a question of looking at what they
do and adapting it slightly to take account
Amy Webster confers with a group of trainees as they
develop their plan for an autism-friendly activity
of the needs of people with autism.’
Having completed their plans, each
group then delivers an activity to the
others, who comment on its positive
aspects and suggest ideas for making it
even more autism friendly.
Course evaluation shows that those
who attend value the opportunity to share
knowledge and exchange ideas with each
other, as well as learning from the trainer.
They are also quick to observe that some
of the strategies they have learned would
be equally helpful for people who are
not on the spectrum. Indeed, this is one
of the key messages of the course, which
highlights not only the importance of
increasing participation for people with
disabilities, but also the benefits that
inclusive sporting activities bring to
everyone who takes part.
Online training
Launched shortly before Active for Autism,
Ask Autism is another new NAS initiative,
but in this case the services on offer are
prepared and delivered by people who are
uniquely placed to provide information
and advice based on an insider’s view –
people who have autism themselves.
They have already developed an online
course that presents a general introduction
to autism, broken down into five modules:
understanding autism, communication,
sensory experience, stress and anxiety, and
supporting families. Although ostensibly
aimed at volunteers and people working
in the public services, this could be a very
useful training resource for schools in the
drive to upskill all members of staff to
become teachers of SEND.
This has now been joined by a new
module which focuses specifically on sport
and physical activity and covers four areas:
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Autism
Inclusive strategies for PE
Autism affects different people in different ways
and to varying degrees, so these strategies
should be taken as a general guide only.
A trainee delivers an autism-friendly activity to his colleagues
defining autism
coaching
● the autistic experience
● enabling environments.
●
●
All modules follow a similar format with
film and audio clips, interactive exercises,
reflective activities and printable
information sheets. Each takes between 40
and 90 minutes to complete, but there is
no obligation to do this in a single session
and learners can work at their own pace.
Their progress is tracked online, providing
both the individual and their organisation
with a visual snapshot of what they have
achieved and what remains to be covered.
Consultancy services
The Ask Autism team also offers a
consultancy service on any aspect of
autism, including sporting provision.
‘Schools or sports clubs can request,
for example, an audit of the environment
and the team will go in and suggest any
changes that would make it more autism
friendly,’ explains Amy Webster. ‘Similarly,
if a teacher or coach lacks confidence when
dealing with people who have autism,
someone who has the condition might go
in and shadow them and give them some
tips to improve their practice. Whatever
an organisation wants, we’ll see if we have
anyone on board who can help them.’
Impact
The NAS is currently working with
Loughborough University to evaluate the
impact of these initiatives in sports clubs
and schools, but it’s early days and it will
be some time before this yields results.
In the meantime, feedback from the
pilot of the face-to-face coaching course
has been very positive. Bisi Imafidon, an
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
extended schools manager at a primary
school in Newham who also leads
sporting activities for children and adults
with autism in her local community, sums
up her views.
‘It made me more aware of how people
with autism are affected when it comes
to things involving physical activity,’ she
says. ‘I learned to reconsider little things
that I might take for granted, like the
language I use – just rephrasing it so that
it can’t be misinterpreted – or if I blow a
whistle, being mindful that some children
may experience that as excruciating
pain. And the importance of using visual
cues – pictures, diagrams, signs or
demonstrations – to explain things, rather
than just talking all the time.’
‘The skills and strategies we learned
can be used with anybody of any age,’ she
concludes. ‘I would recommend it not only
to coaches and secondary PE teachers,
but also primary PE leads, with a view
to feeding back to class teachers. What I
plan to do now is work alongside the class
teachers in my school to help them make
PE lessons more autism friendly.’
Annie Grant is a freelance consultant,
producer, writer and editor
Find out more
Active for Autism: A day’s face-to-face training
costs £890 + expenses + VAT for a cohort of
20. Consultancy and online training fees vary
according to individual requirements.
www.autism.org.uk/active
Ask Autism: www.autism.org.uk/ask-autism
EFDS report – Disabled People’s Lifestyle
Survey: http://bit.ly/sc223-05
Communication
● Children with autism often find it difficult to
follow group instructions, so it may help to
give them instructions individually. Say their
name first to catch their attention and let
them know that you are speaking to them.
● Communicate safety rules clearly and in a
way that the child understands before the
start of an activity. Make copies of the rules
available and keep them on display.
● Break up instructions into small chunks
and, wherever possible, support these with
pictures, gestures or written cues. Visual
timetables can be useful to show the order
of events.
● Be aware that figurative language, idioms
and metaphors may be confusing to children
with autism, so try to always state exactly
what you mean.
● When asking questions, speak slowly and
clearly and give the child plenty of time
to process what you are saying before
expecting a response.
Adaptations
● Audit the environment and your practice
to ensure that it will not present too many
difficulties for children with sensory
sensitivities.
● Be aware that some children may have
difficulties with balance and coordination,
which will make some activities difficult for
them. Help them by breaking the activity
down into smaller steps and allowing time
to practise.
Anticipating change
● If the group is about to move on to a new
activity or start working with a different
member of staff, take steps to alleviate the
anxiety that children with autism experience
when confronted with change. This might
involve showing them round an unfamiliar
venue or introducing them to the teacher
who will be taking over. You could also talk
them through the new routine, backed up
with visuals if appropriate.
Social interaction
● If the child has a sibling in the same group,
by all means turn to them for advice if
you are experiencing difficulties. But never
expect them to take their brother or sister
under their wing, as they need to be able to
enjoy the activities for themselves without
taking on additional caring responsibilities
(see Siblings have needs too, Special
Children 222).
● Pairing the child up with a carefully chosen
buddy may help them to master new skills
and integrate more successfully with the
group.
223 Special Children 39
Condition insight
Meares-Irlen syndrome
Opinions around Meares-Irlen syndrome and its treatment are divided.
Karen Russell-Graham takes a closer look
As defined by the US-based Irlen
Institute, Meares-Irlen syndrome
is not an optical problem, but a
specific perceptual problem that
affects the way the brain processes
visual information, especially in full
spectral light.
Also known as Irlen syndrome, scotopic
sensitivity syndrome or visual stress, it
gives rise to visual distortions and these
can take many different forms.
Words and letters may appear blurred,
for example, or they may move around,
swirl or disappear. Likewise, patterns
can refuse to stay still, while objects may
appear framed with sparkles or auras.
Difficulties related to spatial awareness
and depth perception can also be an issue,
causing the person to trip up, struggle with
ball games and generally appear clumsy.
Never having known anything else,
they will believe that their view of the
world is normal and that everyone shares
their discomfort. As a result, the condition
often goes undetected or is attributed
to other conditions such as dyslexia and
ADHD.
Problems that may be caused or
exacerbated by the condition include:
headaches, migraines and physical
discomfort; low motivation and
achievement; attention difficulties;
reading difficulties; failure to start or
complete a task; poor behaviour.
DIY or professional input?
There are various avenues to explore if
you suspect a pupil might be affected.
The simplest is to give them a range of
coloured overlays and let them experiment
to see if a particular colour stops words
from appearing fuzzy or floating about on
the page. Likewise, when writing, they may
The root of the
problem lies, not in the
eyes, but in a processing
malfunction of the
brain
40 Special Children 223
© 1987 Perceptual Development Corporation
For some people, words and letters appear to swirl
find that coloured paper reduces the dazzle
of black on white, while their computer
can be adjusted to find the optimal setting
for their particular needs.
However, that only provides relief
when they are focusing on the printed
page or computer screen. If they can’t
decipher text on the whiteboard or have
issues relating to depth perception, these
problems will persist.
Moreover, the Irlen Institute insists
that just providing a child with a selfselected coloured overlay is not the
answer and that coloured filters need to
be prescribed with great care, as the exact
colour required to achieve optimum relief
varies from one individual to another and
can change over time.
The Irlen Method
The discovery of Meares-Irlen syndrome
dates back to 1980, when New Zealand
teacher Olive Meares identified a collection
of symptoms that some people experience
when reading and which appeared to be
alleviated by using coloured filters. At
around the same time, US psychologist
Helen Irlen was conducting her own
research and came to similar conclusions.
Unlike Meares, however, she took this
further by developing her own patented
treatment system, the Irlen Method.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Condition insight
The identification process begins with
screening. If the results suggest that
coloured overlays would be helpful, a
full assessment will examine colours and
needs in more detail, before tinted lenses
are prescribed. Worn as glasses or contact
lenses, these selectively reduce specific
wavelengths of light, allowing the brain to
process without distraction.
The institute is adamant that its
patented testing to select colour
combinations is not the same as obtaining
coloured lenses from an optometrist, and
Irlen diagnosticians in the UK must send
the glasses to America to be dipped.
Ongoing controversy
Although the Irlen Method has been in
use for many years, it is still the subject of
some debate.
As recently as 2011, the results of a
control study of struggling readers in
Scottish primary schools, published in the
official journal of the American Academy
of Pediatrics, purported to reveal that Irlen
the author. A search on other forums and
threads reveals similar divisions, often
centring on the proposition that the root
of the problem lies, not in the eyes, but in
a processing malfunction of the brain.
From Senco to diagnostician
One person who is a passionate advocate
of the Irlen Method is Marie Smith, a
former primary school Senco and now
director of Irlen South East. Her discovery
of the syndrome was accidental. ‘One day
a dyslexic child in my class chose blue
paper to write on,’ she recalls. ‘Suddenly
he was really excited. His work looked
better and he could read his own writing.’
This prompted her to investigate
further and four years ago she qualified
as an Irlen diagnostician. Although she
has had some exciting success stories,
she stresses that improving educational
attainment is not the only goal.
‘Speed of reading is not necessarily
a good measure of impact, as
comprehension and retention can vary
Sometimes text wanders around in a wavy line
coloured overlays ‘have no immediate
effect on reading ability in children with
reading difficulties.’
The institute responded by taking issue
with the choice of immediate effect as
a measure of impact, since the children
in the study had been identified as poor
readers. ‘Overlays and filters remove the
barrier preventing [basic reading] skills
from being acquired,’ it emphasised, ‘but
are not a replacement for instruction
and practice which develop the necessary
foundation required to read.’
Meanwhile, writing in the British
Medical Journal in July 2014, Gwyn
Samuel Williams expressed concern
that parents of children with reading
difficulties and patients with undiagnosed
ophthalmic disorders that might be
amenable to treatment were being misled
and exploited. ‘The medical profession
must be united in its stand against
pseudoscientific nonsense such as Irlen
syndrome,’ he stated.
His article drew a mixed response
online, with some people hotly disputing
its conclusions while others agreed with
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Seeing the world in a new light
Darrell Russell, mother of 15-year-old Tom,
now on his second pair of tinted glasses,
has seen for herself how transformational a
correct diagnosis can be.
‘Tom used to be frustrated, sometimes
rude, tired and headachy,’ she recalls.
‘Shops were a nightmare and his
behaviour wasn’t good – I was at the
end of my tether. The paediatrician said
he had ADHD, and was on the verge of
prescribing medication… and I remember
thinking, absolutely no way. The
symptoms are similar, and today if his
lenses are needing to be renewed, you can
tell – he begins to get bouncy.’
Tom corroborates his mother’s account.
‘When I first got the glasses, I felt different…
the light wasn’t hurting my eyes. I could
straightaway do more,’ he says. ‘Before,
every day I used to fall up the stairs, and
if I went outside I instantly got headaches,
but as soon as I walked out in my glasses I
felt different and football is better.’
The relief he experienced soon affected
© 1987 Perceptual Development Corporation
enormously,’ she explains. ‘It’s more an
emotional and behavioural response.
When a child reports that his “kill/death
ratio” in a computer game has shot up or
that “the pattern on the floor has stopped
moving”, then you know it is making a
difference.’
‘Children with Irlen syndrome can’t
always see the detail in a picture,’ she
adds. ‘When they put on the glasses and
see what the rest of us see, it can be very
emotional.’
Parents understandably want to move
quickly when an initial screening has
indicated that their child could benefit.
However, Ms Smith encourages the use of
overlays for six to 12 weeks to encourage
a ‘tuning-in’ to light sensitivity and to
evaluate the impact on headaches and/
or behaviour. She is painstaking in her
approach – testing takes time and must
include the various light conditions where
the glasses will be used. ‘In four years
I have not had two children requiring
exactly the same combination of filters,’
she reports. ‘Even tiny variations in colour
can make a big difference.’
his performance in class. ‘I could answer
more questions,’ he says, ‘and teachers
made comments like: “Tom, your writing
has improved, you’re getting more work
down – and writing in a straight line.” It
also helped with reading because the lines
were no longer moving.’
‘Looking back, I was told I was a
neurotic mother,’ concludes Ms Russell.
‘I’d say try it, no matter what’s said. It’s a
big outlay, but Tom is now talking about
college and thinking about further ahead –
and his self-esteem is much better.’
Other approaches
But is the Irlen Method the only viable
approach? Here in the UK, a different
system with similar aims was developed
following research conducted by Professor
Arnold Wilkins of the University of Essex.
In the early 1990s, Professor Wilkins
invented a measuring instrument
called the Intuitive Colorimeter, which
facilitated a double-masked randomised
placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the
impact of coloured lenses for people
with Meares-Irlen syndrome – or visual
223 Special Children 41
Condition insight
Genetic links
Tom Russell felt the effect immediately when he received his glasses
stress as it is usually termed in the UK.
The results showed that tinted lenses do
indeed correct perceptual distortions and
that the precise shade must be defined
with great accuracy. An independent
study conducted in Australia came to the
same conclusion.
Today optometrists can use this
instrument to determine the exact hue,
saturation and brightness a patient
requires. They then send these details to
a specialist laboratory, which produces
lenses that can be incorporated into a
normal spectacle frame.
When asked to compare the two
methods, Newcastle-based optometrist
Stuart Henderson replies that they both
pursue the same goals, just by different
means. Whether one is more effective
than the other is hard to say, and he feels
more double-blind studies are required.
Meanwhile, Christine Fitzmaurice
of the International Institute of
Colorimetry is keen to correct the common
misconception that everyone with dyslexia
experiences visual stress (although many
do), and conversely that people who
don’t have dyslexia can’t suffer from the
condition. Whilst advocating proper
assessment and precision-tinted lenses if
necessary, she also feels that overlays play
an important role in schools. ‘Irrespective
of whether or not someone obtains
precision-tinted lenses, the overlays can
safely be used within schools for the
benefit of poor readers,’ she says.
Where now?
So where does that leave us? An
informative video clip on the website of a
Bideford optician profiles the experiences of
another young man with Meares-Irlen, who
42 Special Children 223
is also called Tom. It took his mother a very
long time to get a diagnosis, and although
delighted by the difference it made to her
son’s life and his academic progress, she
was dismayed that she had had to fund it
herself. In a bid to put this right, she sought
the support of her local MP Norman Lamb,
who shares her frustration that she has
been ‘caught between the two sectors of
health and education’ and calls for a more
joined-up approach. The footage dates from
several years ago, since when Mr Lamb has
become health minister. So has anything
changed?
The learning can
come later; first it’s about
making living OK
‘The government is aware that there are
thousands of children in classrooms
throughout the UK with unidentified and
untreated vision deficits, including visual
stress,’ says Ms Fitzmaurice, ‘but the
facility exists under NHS provision for
every school-aged child to receive a full
vision test to rule out other conditions
which can impede reading. It is for
parents and teachers to consider the issue
with any child who struggles to read and
to take sensible steps to see if visual stress
plays any part in the problem.’
But who is responsible for funding a
full assessment, if the test shows that
this would be desirable? No one appears
to know the answer, and for now it still
seems to fall mostly upon the parents – or
occasionally the school. We can only hope
Meares-Irlen syndrome has been found to run
in families. Here, a mother who eventually
found relief from migraines through Irlen lenses,
describes the impact these had for one of her
sons.
‘He was diagnosed as having ADHD,
dyscalculia, dysgraphia and Irlen syndrome. He
had never slept more than a few hours from birth
and was very active. When he started school,
he would sit under the table and make animal
noises, break rulers and tear books and paper.
By the age of 11 he was begging us to kill him;
he was violent, aggressive and not learning at
school, although assessed by an educational
psychologist as centile 99.9.
‘When we got him assessed by an Irlen
diagnostician, he had five layers of colour in his
lenses, slept for about seven hours a night, was
calmer and stiller and more able to learn. When
asked what the biggest difference was when
wearing the lenses, his reply was: “The corner of
the room stays up at the ceiling.”
‘Our feelings were almost indescribable: crying,
smiling, excited, relieved… annoyed that nobody
had told us about this before… guilt and shame
that he had been in discomfort for so long. He
was very much into cars, yet had never seen the
detail on a tyre. When he looked at a tree with the
glasses on, he uttered an “euh!” of disgust as he
described the “wiggly stuff” [tree bark] he could
now see.’
that the situation will improve as the
SEND reforms begin to take hold.
For Irlen diagnostician Sue Holden,
who recently began working in pupil
referral units, job centres and drugs and
rehabilitation facilities, an improvement
is long overdue.
‘These are places where people with
literacy problems end up, though it would
be much better to help them before that
happens,’ she reflects. ‘For someone who
has the condition, the learning can come
later; first it’s about making living OK.’
Karen Russell-Graham is a freelance
writer
Find out more
● Irlen Institute UK: www.irlenuk.com
● Irlen US: www.irlen.com
● Visual Perception Unit, University of Essex:
http://bit.ly/sc223-09
● Tom’s story (video): http://bit.ly/sc223-06
● International Institute of Colorimetry:
www.colorimetryinstitute.org
● Irlen Colored Overlays Do Not Alleviate
Reading Difficulties: http://bit.ly/sc223-07
● Irlen syndrome: expensive lenses exploit
patients, BMJ 2014: http://bit.ly/sc223-08
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Letters
Email your letters to
[email protected]
Share your thoughts about articles or ideas for the classroom.The Star Letter wins a free e-book up to the
value of £40 and 20% off any resource in the Optimus Education shop: www.optimus-education.com/ebooks
Star Letter:
Mindfulness and autism
I was interested to read the article
on mindfulness in Special Children
222. I have Asperger syndrome and
a few years ago I took an eight-week
mindfulness-based stress reduction
course. It has helped me on many
different levels.
One of the challenges people with
autism face in social situations is making
sense of non-verbal communication, not
only other people’s but also their own.
For example, prolonged eye contact
can be perceived as staring, or lack of
eye contact as a sign that you are not
listening or paying attention. Most
people pick this up intuitively, but we
have to learn it through observation.
During the yoga exercises that were
part of the course, I became increasingly
aware of how sensations in one part of
Engaging apps
In class…
One way of differentiating learning is
to divide the class into groups of three
or four students, giving each group a
different question to research within a
given time limit.
When time is called, each group elects
an ‘envoy’ who moves on to share their
discoveries with another group. This
process continues until everyone has
covered all the questions. If you provide a
proforma tailored to individual need, this
will support students to keep a meaningful
record of what they are learning.
Done well, this approach makes
information more accessible and engaging,
as students perceive their peers differently
from their teacher. It’s also an opportunity
to stretch the most able. If they take on
my body affected my body as a whole.
With practice, I was eventually able
to apply this to normal life, including
noticing how my posture affected my
body language. I also began to notice the
effect that my breathing had on my facial
expression.
With social isolation comes
susceptibility to depression, exacerbated
by high levels of anxiety when
confronted with change, and a tendency
to obsess over negative thoughts and
feelings. Here too mindfulness practice
can be of enormous benefit.
Departing from your comfort zone
during a mindfulness session helps
you to deal with situations that take
you out of your comfort zone in normal
life. Likewise, stepping back from the
flow, using the breath as an anchor
the role of envoy, they will have to think
carefully about how they communicate
their findings so that everyone
understands them, facilitating even higher
quality group work in the future.
Emily Parker, Senco, Edgecliff High
School, Stourbridge
…and online
Well-directed group work enables students
to support each other. But what happens
when they go home at the end of the
day? Do they continue to collaborate or
soldier on alone? In the past, a student
might have emailed a friend for help with
a particularly tricky piece of homework.
Today they have a more effective way of
communicating – social media.
Let’s say someone is struggling with a
geography assignment. Having searched
in vain on Google, they post a query on
of awareness of the present moment,
allows you to become able to observe
thoughts and physical sensations as they
arise and pass.
This, in turn, helps you to gain control
over your actions. Instead of acting out
your perceived failings to the extent
that you become what you think you are
rather than who you really are, you can
believe in yourself and let your Asperger
tendencies work for you.
Chris Mitchell, autism advocate
(www.chrismitchell.org.uk), and
operations manager of Autism
Works (www.autismworks.co.uk),
which provides training and
employment for people with
ASC, inspired by the success of
firms like Specialisterne (Special
Children 217)
Facebook or Twitter. As replies roll in,
they collect not just one opinion, but a
whole variety from different sources.
Teachers don’t belong to their students’
online communities, nor should they, but it
helps if they are aware of what’s going on.
They could even actively encourage students
by asking them to post a question, then
bring all their responses into class to discuss
which ones are the most valid and why.
It is, of course, essential to reinforce the
rules of cyber safety. But surely it is better
to turn social networking to advantage
and simultaneously reinforce safe practice
rather than constantly criticising students
for the amount of time they ‘waste’ online.
James Shea, senior lecturer,
University of Bedfordshire, coauthor of Inspiring the Secondary
Curriculum with Technology: Let
the students do the work!
Download your free SEN model policy
from www.optimus-education.com/sen-model-policy
Simply sign up for a free trial of the Knowledge Centre using promo code 223
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
223 Special Children 43
Book reviews
Rewarding pro-social behaviour
LEGO®-Based Therapy: How to build social competence through LEGO®-based
clubs for children with autism and related conditions
By Daniel B LeGoff, Gina Gomez de la Cuesta, G W Krauss and Simon Baron-Cohen
Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers
ISBN 9781849055376
£14.99
Reviewed By Sarah Combe
Many children love Lego so I was
intrigued by this title and wanted
to find out more. LEGO®-Based
Therapy is a social development
intervention for children with
autism. It has been specifically
designed to focus on these
children’s strengths in a social
context and to make learning fun.
This well-researched book is for
professionals working with children
on the autism spectrum or any child
who needs to improve their social
communication skills. It has a strong
academic bias with lots of references
to articles and further research, should
readers want to extend their knowledge.
Crucially, the authors are very clear on
how to implement the intervention. The
basic idea is that children work together
in a group to put Lego sets together.
This encourages skills such as social
communication, social support, social
problem solving and conflict resolution
skills. The intervention approach is
succinctly outlined and the role of each
group member is clearly explained.
Towards the end, the authors give
details of how schools can set up their own
Lego club and recommend specific rules
to get the most out of them. These rules
were developed by the participants in the
original LEGO®-Based Social Skills Group.
The authors are very
clear on how to implement
the intervention
Younger groups may also benefit from
a Lego points system, in which children
earn points for pro-social and Legorelated achievements. These are awarded
by the group to an individual who has
demonstrated something good and can be
collected and traded in for Lego prizes.
To develop and encourage the social
communication aspect of the intervention,
teachers assess children individually to
review events that occurred during group
sessions and address behavioural or
communication challenges. The authors
have outlined effective strategies to do
this, and highlighted some ineffective
ones to avoid.
There are forms for recording
assessments, observations and session
plans, and recommendations on ageappropriate Lego sets and popular themes.
I am now very keen to set up a Lego
club at my school for children who need
support with social communication and
those with ASD. I feel confident about
doing this, thanks to the book’s clear
guidance. I urge you to find out more
about this exciting new intervention, and
you may come to love Lego too!
Sarah Combe is a classroom teacher and
Senco at Finchampstead CofE (Aided)
Primary School in Wokingham
Structured activities to improve
social interaction
Shakespeare’s Heartbeat: Drama games for children with autism
By Kelly Hunter
Published by Routledge
ISBN 9781138016972
£19.99
Reviewed by Mary Mountstephen
This book includes structured
activities based on two of
Shakespeare’s plays: A Midsummer
Night’s Dream and The Tempest,
with the aim of improving children’s
eye contact, facial expression,
spatial awareness, language skills
and imaginative play.
Its author, Kelly Hunter, is an actor,
director and educator who has created
44
Special Children 223
her own company to bring Shakespeare
to children with learning differences such
as autism. Her book offers a step-by-step
guide on how to demonstrate, play and
share the sensory games.
I approached it with interest, but had
some reservations about whether this
was simply another concept launched
without research or validity. However, the
foreword was written by Professor Robin
Post, the director of a three-year research
study into Shakespeare and Autism at
Ohio State University, which suggests that
this is not the case.
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Book reviews
The university is researching the
author’s sensory drama games, known as
the Hunter Heartbeat Method, to establish
whether they lead to long-term benefits for
children on the autism spectrum.
Professor Post’s enthusiastic
descriptions of this method detail the
role of the teacher as a ‘compassionate
teaching artist’. She goes on to describe
how university students from several
disciplines have been trained to expand
the implementation of the programme into
the local and wider community, outlines
aspects of the research process, and is
clearly an advocate of this approach from
both an academic and personal perspective.
In the main body of the text, the author
outlines her background and how she
Descriptions of this
method detail the role of the
teacher as a ‘compassionate
teaching artist’
developed activities based on the rhythms
in Shakespeare’s language. She focuses
initially on an activity called Heartbeat
Circles and describes how this has helped
individual children. In this case, the
sessions involve children sitting in a large
circle first watching actors, then working
with them in pairs or small groups and
finally sharing their game whilst others
watch.
The author explains how the games
were developed, and includes simple hints
such as cupping hands when clapping as
it makes a duller sound which is easier on
the ear. She also provides adaptations for
children who are non-verbal or who have
significant cognitive challenges.
This is a fascinating book. I think
it has much to offer in skilled hands,
but requires a high level of sensitivity,
commitment and a flair for performing,
which may be hard to embed without solid
determination.
Mary Mountstephen is an independent
learning development specialist and
former headteacher.
www.kidscansucceed.com
New books for reluctant
readers
Toxic – a series of 10 adventure stories
Nine books by Jonny Zucker, one by John Townsend
Published by Ransom Publishing
ISBN: 9781781277300
All 10 books: £69.99. Individual titles £7.99
Reviewed by Jaime Byrne and her students
Teacher’s review
The Toxic collection is aimed at
reluctant readers aged nine to 12
and includes stories about zombies,
robots, football and space adventure.
I teach in a secondary special school
with around 160 pupils from many
different backgrounds. Our pupils have
a range of special educational needs, and
literacy is almost always an area that they
struggle with. Many pupils arrive with
very low National Curriculum levels, with
a significant percentage entering school
working below Level 1.
The pupils in the class I chose to help
me review the books (aged between 14
and 15) have reading ages from seven
years and eight months to 14 years and six
months. All of them thoroughly enjoyed
reading their book and were enthusiastic
about the challenge of completing reviews
for publication in Special Children.
In terms of length, the books were
short enough to maintain focus in pupils
who have some literacy barriers (most
of my students completed a full book
within 40 minutes), while long enough to
develop a meaty and engaging storyline.
The layout is clear and my dyslexic
pupils found the text easy to track. There is
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
a good balance of illustrations to support
the text and allow for breaks from the text.
I feel that these books would be
accessible for pupils with a lower reading
age than the group which trialled them
and I shall be encouraging my less able
readers to use them as well.
Students’ reviews
Nathan’s conclusion on Royal Ordeal or
Death was: ‘There’s a lot of fighting in it
which makes it suitable for years 10 to
sixth form or people who like fighting.’
Thomas wrote: ‘Crash Land Earth was
excellent. I’d recommend this book to
other secondary school pupils.’
Extracts from Ali’s review of Football
Force include: ‘Positives: I like the whole
plot of the story. Where the boy wants to
know if there’s a conspiracy in the kids
team, if the coaches are corrupted or not.’
However, he didn’t like that the book
‘is based on a kids team.’ He goes on to
suggest: ‘The author could have based the
team on a well-known club to make the
book more exciting... I would give book
a seven out of ten. It’s a good book but it
needs some improvements. I recommend
this book to eleven to thirteen year olds.’
Callan was positive about Zombie
Camp although he has some criticisms.
He wrote: ‘I thought the book was good.
It has a good storyline, but a very bad
ending. I also thought the book was
easy to read and no words were hard to
say, but it didn’t have any colours to the
pictures. I’ll give it 7/10!’
Of Virus 21, he wrote: ‘It was a good
book the story is about a computer virus
that shuts down every computer in the
world and threatens to destroy the world.’
Extracts from Michael’s review of
Gladiator Revival include: ‘These two
kids step through a old door and end up
in roman times they are met by a solider
called cassius they are told they are
fighting a beast in the coliseum they have
instance training programme.’
Lewis’s comments on Zombie Camp
include: ‘I thought that the book was easy
to read and at some points interesting, I
thought the idea was good and the book
started off ok but towards then the story
got confusing in place and did not make
much sense overall the book was easy to
read and appropriate for people of my age.’
Jaime Byrne is an English teacher with a
SEND specialism and head of English at
Castle Hill High School, Stockport
223 Special Children
45
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Strategies to develop and use… Posters acid
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Need to be autonomous and
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Task operates as an emotional
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Tried and tested products
Music makes the world go round
Being able to create beautiful music easily is a compelling way to get children to take
part in hand, foot and midline exercises, as well as developing their musical abilities.
Two teachers discuss two very different types of instrument that achieve this
Laser music – Kay Thompson
A new gadget called the Beamz
Interactive Music System hit the
headlines in the US over Christmas,
having been included in National
Geographic Kids’ top five smart
toys for 2015. A Beamz, however, is
much more than a toy at Bedelsford,
a school for children with learning
difficulties, physical disabilities and
complex needs, including autism.
The device uses lasers to make
creating music simple, collaborative and
highly accessible. It allows anyone to
produce their own professional-sounding
music using layered backing tracks
and instrumental sounds, including
keyboards, guitar and drums.
I first saw it demonstrated at the 2013
BETT Show and downloaded the app onto
an iPad when I got back to school. One of
our students on the autism spectrum, who
loves his music, really engaged with it and
now independently creates his own pieces.
The school has since invested in a Beamz
unit, and subsequently ran a workshop
for students, to which we invited other
schools in the area to see it in operation.
The Beamz unit has four lasers, which
students activate by breaking the beam to
trigger sounds and music from a library.
They might select a riff or a single drum
beat, and they can speed up the rhythm
by waggling a finger in front of the beam.
Children with physical challenges have to
reach out to make it work, and this helps
to improve their gross motor skills.
That said, anyone can play a Beamz
because it supports multiple access
methods. With the unit, students activate
instruments by sweeping a part of their
body – a hand or foot – across the laser
beam; on the app, they touch the bar
on a screen or interactive whiteboard.
This ‘touch’ can be reproduced using an
adaptive keyboard or switch. There is also
an eye gaze version, which we hope to
purchase before the end of the summer
term.
The beauty of the Beamz is that you
don’t actually need to be musically literate
to make great music on it, although it
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
The Beamz app on the iPad makes the instrument
highly accessible with just a finger or switch
It allows anyone
to create their own
professional-sounding
music
can be a little confusing initially if there
is too much going on at the same time.
To overcome this, students listen to the
sound produced by each instrument or
beam before adding a backing track. Then
they have a go at creating their own piece
of music based on a range of genres.
They can make a recording, play it back
and suggest ways of improving it – by
removing an instrument, for instance, or
bringing in something earlier, or building
the texture by playing two instruments
at a time. It always leads to some good
discussions!
I recently did some work on rock music
with my post-16 students, who were able
to create their own very professionalsounding compositions on the Beamz. We
started by looking at different rock songs
and instruments, including the guitar
and drums. Then I connected the iPad to
the Apple TV, passed the device around
the class and each person took their turn
while the others watched to see which
beam and instrument was being played.
I’ve now set up a Beamz Club as one of
the school’s lunchtime activities, and
students come in and choose which genre
of music they want to play around with –
they love it.
The Beamz is engaging, enjoyable to
use and makes it easier for our students
to access a range of instrumental sounds
compared to traditional classroom
instruments. It is simple to set up and
comes with a wide variety of musical
genres and lots of instruments, sound
effects and songs. It enables my students
to play music independently or jam in a
small group.
You can see videos of students with
various disabilities using the Beamz
on www.thebeamz.com. The Beamz
education package is £299.95 inc
VAT, and includes a Beamz midi laser
controller and software, a DVD with 50
songs and lesson plans
Kay Thompson is a
music teacher and the
technology and literacy
lead at Bedelsford
School in Kingston
Upon Thames
Students enjoy playing music independently
223 Special Children 47
Tried and tested products
To the beat of the drums – Stephen Barnett
Being easy to play, the drums invite youngsters to have fun with music
Temple Drums from SpaceKraft are
steel percussion drums that produce
soft, melodic, high-pitched, deeply
resonant sounds, which the shape
of the instrument seems to sustain,
so the notes linger pleasingly
before fading. A sister product, the
Interactive Light Temple Drum, also
lights up as you play it.
Both drums have zoned areas around
the upper surface that produce notes
of different pitches when struck with a
little mallet (two are supplied with each
drum). The notes sound agreeable when
played together, even if random notes are
struck. Crucially, you don’t need a musical
background to enjoy playing these
instruments.
Our school is for children with complex
learning difficulties, and emotional,
When struck, the Interactive Light Temple Drum sets
off a dazzling display
48 Special Children 223
The Temple Drum produces a lingering melodic sound,
even when random notes are played together
behavioural and communication
difficulties. We were sent four Temple
Drums and two Interactive Light Temple
Drums to review for three weeks, and we
trialled them with a few classes.
Another good
aspect for our learners
was the physical feedback
they got from the
vibrations
Often learners with PMLD can be quite
withdrawn, so our aims were to gain
pupils’ attention and engagement,
to encourage them to respond to the
different types of sounds, and to see
if they reacted more strongly to these
instruments than other instruments we
work with. We started off the sessions
with a little performance given by the
class teaching assistants, who introduced
different motifs, and then we encouraged
the pupils to have a go. Their faces lit up
and many made happy vocalisations. A
few rocked to the sounds, which they do
when they are excited and happy.
The drums themselves are easy for
typically developing children to play,
although many of the pupils in our groups
needed quite a lot of hand-over-hand
support. A few children who have stronger
motor skills were able to play them
independently.
Being made of steel, the drums are
robust but can be played in your lap as
well as on a table. The best things about
them are the tone and the accessibility
– they are generally easy to play with no
special training required.
As well as the attractive sound, another
good aspect for our learners was the
physical feedback they got from the
vibrations. Meanwhile, the internal LED
lights of the Interactive Light Temple
Drums throw up a pattern of coloured
light on the walls and ceiling of the
classroom, which looked better when we
dimmed the room by closing the curtains.
Pupils found these visual effects
stimulating – personally, I would have
flashing lights on all of the drums.
You can change the light settings –
colours, brightness, modes and speed
– using a remote controller (batteries are
required for both drum and controller).
Some of our learners can be quite
difficult to engage but I think that the
pleasing nature of the tone along with
the other sensory elements, such as the
vibrations and the lights, enabled them to
attend and respond, which was one of our
primary aims.
They enjoyed the instruments and
appeared to want to play them more.
Budget permitting, we plan to invest in a
set of our own.
Temple Drums from SpaceKraft start at
£319 +VAT each.
www.spacekraft.co.uk
Steve Barnett
is a higher level
teaching assistant
for music at Swiss
Cottage School,
Development and
Research Centre,
London
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
Tried and tested products
Literacy tools
Two teachers give their verdicts on tools that have helped their students
What does the question say? – Lizzie Hemsley
How do you give confidence
The pens are ideal for a
to students who worry that
phrase or word that needs a little
they may not be able to read a
clarification, or for people who
question in exams?
find it hard to read and process
In the old days, our school
some words quickly. However,
would provide each student who
unless students are awarded
had literacy difficulties with a
extra time, the Exam Pens are too
reader, who sat with them during
slow to tackle a whole paragraph
exams in a separate room. While
to answer, say, comprehension
the readers were vital for exam
questions.
success, they made students feel
We have only used the pens
conspicuous. Meanwhile, some
for GCSEs so far. They are not
people only needed a reader for
brilliant at technical words in,
the odd word or sentence that
say, A-level chemistry. Although
they were not sure about, and
they have no difficulty with
many were not comfortable having
printed text, they don’t work
someone sit next to them for what
with handwritten text either, so
might be a long exam.
students can’t use them to read
Enter the Exam Pen, which
their essays back.
has transformed exam access for
The pens are not cheap, but
students whose literacy difficulties A student swipes the Exam Pen over a word or phrase and hears it in
worth the investment for people
her headphones
are not too profound. About
who need a confidence boost going
the size of a permanent marker,
into an exam.
students run it over a word as if they
They are ideal
are highlighting it. The scanned text is
The Exam Pen from WizcomTech Ltd is
instantly displayed on a tiny screen on the
for a phrase or word
£158.33 + VAT.
side of the pen, and then spoken aloud.
www.scanningpenshop.com
that
needs
a
little
The words are relayed to the student via a
clarification
discreet ear piece attached to the pen.
After investing in six Exam Pens last
April, just before the summer GCSEs,
we gave individuals who would need one
Because these pens have no storage
Lizzie Hemlsey is
about an hour to get used to it in class,
function, they cannot store data or
the exam officer
and then let them take it home over the
dictionaries, which is why the JCQ allows
at Bishop Luffa
weekend to practise. To work, the pen
them in place of a reader in exams. Being
School, Chichester
has to be held at just the right angle, but
bright orange and clearly marked ‘Exam
students quickly became adept at using
Pen’, it is obvious to invigilators that this
them.
is an approved device.
Supporting struggling readers – Nicola Parker
Our academy was invited to take
part in a trial of ReadingWise to
assess the efficacy of this literacy
intervention for children with
SEND. It uses a range of educational
techniques including phonics, to
boost reading ages.
Unusually, this programme began life
in India in 2006 (where it is known by
its Hindi name, Tara Akshar), when coauthors Victor Lyons and Sara Worsley
www.optimus-education.com/sc223
set out to address the problem of illiteracy
in that country. Now one of India’s most
successful literacy interventions, it has
helped over 80,000 women, many of
whom have never been to school or learned
to read and write. The programme has over
300 learning centres across the country,
which receive funding from the UK,
Canadian, Swiss and Indian governments,
as well as from Microsoft, Oxfam, Read
India and the IKEA Foundation.
The co-authors then applied insight
gained from Tara Akshar to develop a
version for the UK. But does it work?
Our academy is for children aged three
to 19 with communication and interaction
needs including autism, significant and
severe learning difficulties, and speech
and language needs. All the students work
below national curriculum levels and
many work within the P scales, although
some achieve lower level GCSEs.
223 Special Children 49
Tried and tested products
Miss Parker praising a student who is progressing fast
Ten children from years 6 and 7 took
part in the trial, alongside a control group
of pupils from the same classes, who were
learning to read using traditional one-toone phonics methods.
All through the trial we were in touch
with the software developers to tweak
elements of the program. For example,
many of our children like ‘clicking’ a lot,
so the developers changed the settings to
prevent them from moving on faster than
they were supposed to.
After assessing students’ reading
ages, we set the program for each child,
whether this was at letter recognition
stage or a reading age. If that turned out
to be too advanced, it was easy to edit
the settings and go back a step. Students
worked at it for half an hour a day for a
total of 20 hours before being reassessed.
The nice thing about the program is
that it takes up where students left off
the day before, fostering independent
learning, which is one of the school’s main
goals. No close supervision is required
– in one class, three children worked on
Pupils at an orphaage in Burma improving their reading skills
laptops at the same time, with an adult in
the room monitoring them. They sat with
their headphones on and disappeared
into their own literacy world. Because
they were working at their own pace,
they started to take ownership of their
learning and, in doing so, discovered that
they didn’t always require one-to-one
supervision to progress fast.
Two students made
10 months’ progress
The results astonished us. ReadingWise
boosted progress by an average of five
months – the most outstanding result
was 10 months, but no one progressed by
less than three. Meanwhile, in the control
group, two children progressed by two
months, three made one month’s progress
and the rest maintained the level they
were working at.
Since then, the program has become
a key part of our
literacy toolkit and
we’ve extended its
use across the school.
Students average
between three and five
months’ progress after
20 hours, leading to
greater confidence and
improved self-esteem.
The knock-on effect
is that they are more
willing to learn. They
are also able to transfer
some of the skills they
Students don’t require close supervision and happily work at their own pace
have acquired using
50 Special Children 223
ReadingWise to their reading skills in
other lessons.
For teachers, it is technically simple
to use – all the staff training is accessed
online and takes about 20 minutes to
complete. The program, which includes
a dashboard to track pupil progress,
comprises five modules: two for teachers
and support staff, and three for students
containing almost 2,000 lessons which
teach letter recognition, phonics, sight
words and chunking.
For the learners themselves the program
is rewarding; they get immediate feedback
at the end of each activity, whether this
is the sound of clapping or a picture of
someone cheering. Importantly, it provides
just the right amount of interaction
and stimulation for our students, who
sometimes struggle with sensory overload.
I think part of the success of the
intervention is that it is delivered on a
computer, which many of our children
respond well to, mainly because they see it
as fun not work. In fact, students often ask
if it is their turn to go on ReadingWise;
they want to go on it and are motivated to
use it.
An annual site licence for ReadingWise
from IdeasWise is £5,000.
www.readingwise.com
Nicola Parker
is the literacy
coordinator at
Billing Brook
Academy, a
special school in
Daventry
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Talking point
Primary pupils turn
publishers for the day
Age 11 might seem a little young to be trying your hand at a spot of work
experience. Not so, says Ros Kimber
Jane Trapmore’s book-writing
project (Special Children 222)
struck a chord. We too have raised
standards and aspirations through
a publishing project, but in our case
it involved the whole of Year 6,
who spent a day at the London
headquarters of an award-winning
global media firm.
I had been wanting to build business
links for some time so that our older
pupils could have the chance to get a
taste of life in the workplace. We are a
Place2Be school and the mental health
charity brought us together with one
of their partners, information provider
Incisive Media.
The company had only ever done this
sort of work with secondary schools
before, but when I put forward my
suggestion, they were really keen.
The challenge
After many weeks of liaison between
myself and Claire Connelly of Incisive
Media Foundation, we reached a decision
on what the children would do. Then we
divided the year group into two halves,
who would visit on two separate occasions.
The children were hugely excited by
the prospect of becoming real journalists
and broadcasters for the day. Working
in mixed-ability groups of six, they set
about preparing a project on a theme of
their choice. They had to come up with
an article and a logo for a magazine page,
which they would lay up on the day of
the visit. Their second task would be to
conduct a video interview with some
members of Incisive Media staff.
One of their greatest challenges was
coming to an agreement on what they
would write about – compromising,
listening to other people’s opinions,
taking their suggestions on board,
learning to accept that even if their
own idea wasn’t chosen, they could still
participate and have fun. I would say that
was where some of the greatest learning
took place.
52 Special Children 223
they were happy with the presentation.
These were then printed out and laminated
to provide a lasting keepsake.
In the studio
Two pupils proudly display their magazine page
From classroom to press room
At around the same time, they selected
someone to design the logo, and we sent
their sketches off to the publisher. When
these returned looking really professional,
the children were amazed.
Spurred on by their early success, they
began drafting their articles. Reluctant
writers rose to the challenge and displayed
a level of creativity we had never seen
before. Again, teamwork was crucial,
and because they were supporting each
other and building on different people’s
respective strengths, everyone was able to
access the work and contribute.
When the big day came, the groups laid
their scripts up on the page – adjusting the
columns, working together to select pictures,
experimenting with fonts and colours until
The rest of the children’s time was spent
practising for the interview, learning to
adapt their questions, share equipment
and take on different roles – they couldn’t
all be interviewers! Those who did take
on this role discovered that the producer
might instruct them to ask a question they
didn’t want to ask – but if the producer
wants you to do something, that is what
you do.
Preparations over, they headed for the
studio. Pupils who had been disappointed
to be assigned to the control room found
they actually enjoyed it, directing the
action, filming it, changing the camera
angle, adjusting the sound and giving
directions through the earpieces.
Something to be proud of
When the edited film clips arrived back at
school, the children were blown away, again
because they looked so professional. Now
they all want to go and work at Incisive
Media when they grow up; better still, they
feel this is actually achievable. It has raised
their aspirations and given them insight
into an area of work they wouldn’t normally
have the opportunity to find out about.
Meanwhile the second group – who
will be visiting London in the spring – are
doubly inspired having seen what their
classmates produced.
Ros Kimber is assistant headteacher
of Allfarthing Primary School in
Wandsworth, London
For more information about the work of
Place2Be, see Special Children 219
Year 6 broadcasters interview
two members of Incisive Media staff
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Email us at [email protected]
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Successful Classroom
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Gareth D Morewood
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