Delivering Outstanding SEND
Provision Conference
Adapting and personalising the
curriculum on offer in your school to
meet a wide variety of need
By
Gareth D Morewood
Director of Curriculum Support, Priestnall School, Stockport
Honorary Research Fellow, University of Manchester
21st March 2013
Setting the scene…
• A truly comprehensive secondary school
with approx. 1210 students aged 11-16
• Priestnall School – ‘outstanding’ (OFSTED,
2011) including ‘outstanding’ provision for
young people with SEND (OFSTED, 2004,
2008, 2011)
• Working with a range of students, trainees
and UoM in developing provision
What’s going to happen…
• Consider the ‘inclusive curriculum offer’
• Highlight some important factors at
Priestnall School:
– Nurture Group
– Supported Learning KS4 Pathway
– Trainee Educational Psychologist placement
• Consider the importance of the curriculum
in supporting SEND in the current climate of
change
Central to this has to be that …
Every Child Still Matters?
• Being Healthy
• Staying Safe
• Enjoying and Achieving
• Making a Positive Contribution
• Economic Wellbeing
Consider the context first…
Ideological change
Inclusive education policy
Broader education policy and the concept
of autonomous schools (e.g. Beccles)
Curriculum (‘dissent’) and assessment
(‘sheep and goats’)
Parents as choice makers and ‘in control’
‘Front-line’ services
Economic change
Especially The Local Offer
• Local Authorities to work with schools re:
Local Offer …
• However - at odds with the Academy policy
and segregation of provision?
• This ‘offer’ should cover services/provision
from 0 – 25, in line with EHCPs
• This ‘offer’ should also include complaints
procedures and what to do when things go
wrong
• Clear ‘local offer’ for families with local
services, including schools, outlining what is
available – including an ‘inclusive curriculum’
• This will be set out in law as a broad
national framework (balancing consistency
requirements with local policy, provision and
practice)
• Simpler school SEND policies (curriculum,
teaching, assessment, pastoral support)
developed with parents/carers
So – what we do…?
• Some specific examples…
• Along with more generic ideas and ‘offers’ to
consider…
• What would suit your school?
• Remember the ‘Bananarama’ Principle
(Higgins, S, 2013)
It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it…
Our Nurture Group … starting
points...
• Identified the need for a more pro-active
model
• Moving from a ‘reactive’ LSU-style
mechanism [yr 9, 10, 11]
• To an early identification of vulnerable
young people from primary schools
• The shift to a pro-active therapeutic model
is well documented through the Curriculum
Support Policy and additional papers, and is
echoed in the provision across the whole
school [see www.gdmorewood.com]
• It is important to note that is part of the
whole-school provision, not simply an
additional class
Identification
• In year 5 and 6 we gather data
• Identifying early on potential vulnerable young
people
• Using the modified McSherry Readiness Reintegration scale, we have also developed a
bespoke measure
• This is in addition to primary information,
transition mentor visits and traditional transfer
data (now enhanced by TEP arrangements –
more to follow)
Students are then invited in for
taster sessions
• We invite a number of students in for
taster sessions
• Observe them against the developed
measure
• Then triangulate that information with the
primary data and other information
The offer of places
• Places are offered to students after an
additional parents/carers evening
• It is vital that parents/carers and students
are all in agreement and ‘buy-into’ the
provision
• Some parents/carers ask for additional
meetings, but most have received enough
information and are extremely keen
So what actually is our Nurture
Group?
• Our group is based upon providing a
unique opportunity to develop a bespoke
participation and learning methodology
that truly embraces personalisation
• The focus is on supporting personalised
skill development in a ‘safe’ environment
• In addition to working in key curricula
areas – especially literacy skills
Evolving methodology
• Based upon an analysis of the somewhat
controversial work of Dr Bruno Bettelheim
and Emmy Sylvester in the 1950s and 60s
the developing philosophy emerged
• The idea of combining therapeutic
teaching methods, in developing skills
alongside ‘traditional lessons’; was the
basis of our Nurture Group
• This allowed the freedom to work with the
vulnerable learners in a safe, and trusting
environment – and respond to needs
‘inclusively’
• It also allowed us to develop an
environment based upon Bettelheim’s
notion of a ‘therapeutic milieu’
Therapeutic Milieu
• A therapeutic milieu is a structured group
setting in which the existence of the group is
a key force in the outcomes - Peer Support!
• The keys to a successful therapeutic milieu
are support, structure, repetition and
consistent expectations
Dovetailing PLTS and Skill
Acquisition with Academic
Progress and Assessment
• A important stage in development was the
ability to maintain academic progress
whilst working within this therapeutic
alliance of skill development and
personalisation
• This is not easy to establish and structure
changed significantly over time
• As the ultimate aim of the Nurture Group is
for all students to integrate into mainstream
lessons, as and when skill development
indicates they are able to do so, it is
important to maintain links and progress
alongside the academic curricula of their
mainstream peers
• We established a re-integration policy and
also ensured that the students were aware
of their own personal targets metacognition!
Inclusive SALT and OT provision
• As part of the provision across the school,
we offer SALT and OT groups
• Personalised timetable allow students with
language and communication needs and fine
and gross motor difficulties access to
provision as part of their bespoke curriculum
offer
• More info and articles – www.gdmorewood.com
Always positive - rewards
• Lots of positives associated with the group
–Postcards home
–Positive texts home
–Letters
–Student of the Week certificates
–Recycling drinks tokens from canteen
–Notes in planners
–Golden Time / reward sessions
–....to name but a few....
Deep Learning Days
• DLDs allow all students opportunities to
explore themes and topics freely
• To develop skills associated with the PLTS &
curriculum requirements
• They offer a depth of learning and
participation not easily afforded through
traditional curriculum models
• These were an integral part of the wholeschool timetable
Evaluating the provision
• There have been two sets of parent/carer
questionnaires
• All replies indicate extremely positive
outcomes from parents/carers and
students
• Attainment data shows some remarkable
achievements as well – first cohort now
year 11 …
The Supported Learning Pathway
• A key element to our inclusive provision is
the curriculum offer
• Year 7 – foundation year
• Year 8 – consolidation and KS3 objectives
• Year 9 – start of KS4 curriculum (for some)
• Years 10 & 11 – a variety of inclusive
pathways and more ‘traditional’ models
• A whole-school approach is essential
Dovetailing additional support…
• An inclusive curriculum offer provides the
best quality teaching – and isn’t ‘filled up’
after everything else…
• Specialist literacy support timetabled
alongside English lessons supports
students with specific needs inclusively…
• Less ‘withdrawal’ and more ‘up front’
inclusive support…
TEP arrangements…
• Developing our ‘local offer’
• Supporting early intervention and high-
impact strategies: (Higgins, S. et al, 2011)
• Metacognition and self-regulation strategies
• Peer tutoring and peer-assisted learning
• Effective feedback
• After two terms assessment of provision has
been remarkable…(see article in delegate pack)
What is the ‘impact’?
• ‘Going very well, has had a big impact on
•
•
•
•
students and the results are obvious’
‘Great; we have been able to train staff and
work with students’
‘Some of the work with a year 4 student has
been really powerful’
‘Parents/Carers are really pleased’
‘It has been great as we can respond to need –
we are really pleased’
Enhanced Special Provision
• Is outward looking (connected to mainstream and
the work of SENCos)
• Offers in-reach for students and staff from partner
schools
• Maintains its ‘integrity’ (with clear core and support
service roles)
• Supports the professional development of its own
staff, with a particular emphasis on enhancing skills to
support colleagues in mainstream schools
• Is reflective and self-critical with regard to both
provision and pedagogy, recognising the importance of
academic and broader educational outcomes
The Front Line…
‘To transfer power to professionals on the
front line and to communities we will: strip
away unnecessary bureaucracy so that
professionals can innovate and use their
judgement; establish a clearer system so that
professionals from different services and the
voluntary and community sector can work
together; and give parents and communities
much more influence over local services’.
Support and Aspiration (2011, p.5, para 7)
Ofsted and Inspections
• Half-day notice now ‘settled on’
• Clear focus on ‘age’ and ‘starting point’ re:
progress of groups (especially SEND)
• Looking for ‘rapid’ & ‘sustained’ progression
• Still place of specific ‘stories’ and ‘case
studies’
• Cannot be ‘outstanding’ without teaching
being judged so; a new limiting factor
A whole-school approach
• A Whole-School Approach ...
• Our success has been built upon a truly whole•
•
•
school approach
Training ALL staff is a vital part of improving
provision and outcomes
A corporate responsibility is essential in
improving provision for all students
An understanding of measuring impact –
relating to age and starting point is essential
Working with parents/carers is key…
• Leading Parent Partnership Award •
•
•
•
•
www.lppa.co.uk
A structure to support parental engagement
Positive texts – www.teachers2parents.co.uk
Positive postcards - www.vistaprint.co.uk
Letters... ‘Phone calls... E-mails...
Remember parent/carer judgements can stem
from lack of information and/or understanding
– why not help?
Learning isn’t always the same ...
Thanks for listening...
Gareth D Morewood
Director of Curriculum Support, Priestnall School
& Honorary Research Fellow, University of Manchester
www.gdmorewood.com