With Steve Phillps and Julie Cowpe-Stephens

Teaching or working in a special school is both rewarding and challenging. This course is ideal for teachers, classroom practitioners or teaching assistants who are new to working in special schools or with learners with SEND.

We look at the range of needs learners with severe and complex needs and/or autism present with, in a special school setting. We identify the common characteristics of learners with severe learning needs; profound and complex learning needs and autism. We then establish what their sensory needs may be and how these impact on their learning. You will also have the opportunity to profile the sensory needs of a learner you currently work with.

We will make clear the terminology used to describe the conditions or disabilities your learners may present with. We move on to outline the impact that certain disabilities can have on learning i.e. Rett’s Syndrome, Muscular Dystrophy or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. We discuss the impact of the senses in successful learning.

We will provide you with a range of practical ideas for implementing an engaging curriculum in your classroom.

We deliver this through a mixture of presentation; video; round table discussions and practical hands on activities.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the day you will:

have an awareness of the changing school population in special schools
be able to identify the needs of learners with multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD) and autism
understand the importance of engagement in successful learning
understand a sensory profile and how to use it
have an awareness of the implication of sensory impairment on learning
be familiar with CASP – a Consistent Approach Support Plan which supports a pupils’ learning
be able to link sensory profiles to a CASP
understand how to create enabling classroom environments to facilitate engagement and learning
understand engaging teaching strategies to implement the curriculum for learners with profound/severe complex needs and autism including:

planning themes/topics/environments with suitable resources
creating a themed learning environment – what to do and what not to do
developing communication/interaction and engagement activities with resources
adapting resources so that all learners can access learning
using a sensory story

6 February 2020 – Newcastle

10 February 2020 – London

13 February 2020 – Manchester

Who should attend?

This will be appropriate for teachers, classroom practitioners and teaching assistants who are new to special education or learners with SEND, from special schools and colleges, mainstream settings with specialist SEN provision and early years settings.

Course notes?

The learning continues after the course has ended with an online copy of all pertinent presentations, video & documents from the day on our website, for you to share with your colleagues and continue your learning journey long after the training has finished!

Times & housekeeping?

We begin the day from 9am with coffee and registration with presentations beginning at 9.30am. We will finish around 3.30pm. All refreshments and a lovely lunch are provided!

Cost?

£265 plus VAT per place including refreshments & lunch.

Who is presenting?

Steve Phillips is an Independent SEND Consultant, who was, until the end of 2017, a senior leader in an all age specialist SEN school, where he had lead responsibility for designing, managing and implementing a new curriculum approach to meet the changing needs of the school’s learners.

Julie Cowpe-Stephens has worked in Special Education for thirty-seven years. Her main area of specialism and passion is in Sensory Approaches to Learning and understanding sensory preferences and aversions. She is skilled at mentoring staff on understanding sensory behaviours; producing CASP plans (consistent approaches to support pupils’ learning) and sensory profiles linked to CASP. She has also developed planning strategies with teachers to embed a sensory rich curriculum through themes, topics and stories using high- and low-tech sensory resources, sensory rooms and interactive studios. She enjoys creating sensory learning environments both within the classroom and in other areas in a school environment.

Book one of the New To SEND Below