Easter Learning Games and Activities for EYFS/SEND Children Easter learning games and resources are great for use in several SEND-focused activities. I would use this with a wider age range than they are designed for. This raises questions about how age-appropriate each resource and I discuss this issue in this blog. Context in choosing resources … Read more
Multi-Sensory Stories For Key Vocabulary Sensory stories are a powerful way to teach key vocabulary through touch, sound, smell, and movement — especially for learners with SEND or in early years settings. This post shares two focused, free-to-download stories exploring the concepts of hot and cold. These easy-to-set-up stories use everyday objects to embed language, … Read more
How Important is Age Appropriateness in School? Whether an activity or interest is age-appropriate is an ongoing argument in SEND education. Frustratingly it seems to only apply to children with SEN. Particularly regarding activities for PMLD learners and the special interests of autistic children. Even more annoying is when we label something “not age-appropriate”. The … Read more
This post on the design and delivery of an inclusive remote learning strategy for all our children is published in response to the latest Government lockdown. Many schools remain open to vulnerable and critical worker children. However for a significant number of children there is no on site access to education. This may be due … Read more
Why Developing Communication is a Safeguarding Priority it is essential you ensure developing child voice for non-verbal pupils is a top safeguarding priority. You cannot overstate the importance of providing children with opportunities to demonstrate choices throughout their education. In early years education, this is acknowledged through EYFS documents (Early Years Foundation Stage). If you … Read more
Let’s Talk About Grief No one likes to think about death, let alone talk about it and who feels comfortable talking to children about death?! Being blessed with life means that we also have to cope with others dying and manage the associated emotions of grief. 2020 has sadly meant that we have all had … Read more
Multi-Sensory Christmas Carols These multi-sensory Christmas songs take the concept of sensory stories and apply them to traditional Christmas songs. Using a range of sensory stimuli we reinforce the key elements of the songs and bring them to life! To aim is to enthuse our sensory learners and enrich the experience for all those taking … Read more
Personalisation and Purpose of Reward Systems at Home and School I am a fan of personalised reward systems in schools as a way to achieve a very specific goal. As a behaviour modification strategy, I have struggled to find a suitable system. I have found star charts or token economy systems a good way for … Read more
Picture Books About Inclusion and Diversity For School and Home Diversity in society is a really important topic to start addressing with children as soon as possible. This is especially true for children in a special school they are already marginalised in certain sections of society. I found these books when looking to resource our … Read more
A guest post on great SEN apps. For many children access to school ended in March 2020 due to the coronavirus. Now that the spread is slowing down, however, they’re allowed to reopen fully. But a survey conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research found that 60% of school leaders feel ‘unprepared for some aspects of … Read more
Covid-19 Response & Impact on Children’s Mental Health Update August 2023: This post now seems to be an artefact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The comics and resources created to support children through the pandemic were creative and continue to influence practice today. We now know there has been a dramatic negative impact on children’s mental … Read more
Mental Health Support and Strategies for children and adults with SEND. Mental health support for children with SEN has always been a challenge. Many schools and settings are increasingly focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on pupil mental health. As a Youth Mental Health First Aider and pastoral lead in an all-through special … Read more
Life Skills Sensory Stories: Preparation for Adulthood Help your learners master real-world independence skills with our free Life Skills Sensory Stories. These engaging, multisensory tales are designed for SEND, EYFS and post-16 learners, focusing on key functional tasks like sorting socks, washing up, and dressing for the weather. Each story comes with a free downloadable … Read more
I teach in a autism specific classroom. The majority of the group are non-verbal and use a range of AAC (Augmentative and alternative communication resources). A common learning objective that links to a child’s EHCP targets is social interaction. This requires a commonly understood communication method. The key to this is using simple symbol/images which … Read more
Developing Independence at School and Home It is essential we educate our children for the life they will lead as adults. For safety, wellbeing and the ability to control their direction in life. Independence will be a sliding scale for many children but we need to enhance this wherever possible. Independence skills are a key … Read more
Waiting: Strategies for use at home & school Waiting can be a challenge for many children. As a teacher and a parent, I have had to find ways to teach children to wait for a whole range of things. Throughout the day in the SEN classroom, there are natural lulls in planned activity. This may … Read more
This post outlines the questions and suggested strategies from the #SENexchange discussion on Life Skills: Health and Hygiene routines. You can download a PDF of the collated discussion below. Please share if you think this will help someone. What barriers do people with Sensory Processing differences face with common hygiene routines? Update: check out this … Read more
Using Snack Time at School to Enhance Communication Snack time at school can be a great opportunity to develop a number of key skills for our pupils. Given the regular nature of mealtimes in school settings and the inherent positive nature of mealtimes for most children, this activity is an outstanding context for social communication … Read more
Year Six into Year Seven Every secondary school runs a year 6 to year 7 transition programme of some sort, comprising a few visits, summer holiday events and open evenings. Children with EHCPs and on the SEN register generally get something extra. Fran from Square Peg shares her thoughts and led an SENexchange discussion. The extent … Read more
A Sensory Recipe/Poem for Pancake Day Just a little bit of fun for Pancake day. a sensory story/recipe for encouraging messy play or adding a little bit of literacy and fun into food tech lessons. As always written with SEND children in mind this is a simple recipe with poem/Sensory story to go with it. … Read more
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