I have over 23 years experience in mainstream education. As a previous Assistant Headteacher in a school with over 700 pupils I maintained excellent teaching practice and am now dedicated to the tutoring of SEN pupils.
My skills and experience working with students with SEN to develop trusting and meaningful relationships; I have an exceptional record in building relationships with SEN pupils and their families. I will ensure ongoing communication is clear and thorough and I understand the importance of the ‘team’ around the child: family, educators, health care professionals and the need for all to work collaboratively.
My specialist experience teaching autistic young people; When working with autistic young people I understand the importance of fully comprehending their individual needs and adapting my practice accordingly. I give clear guides of what the session will look like. I use visual aids, adapt my use of vocabulary, alter my tone and volume of voice, segment tasks and guide children to ensure they have access to learning. For those children who also have PDA I work collaboratively with them to set up individual agreements to encourage focused learning which are negotiable and flexible.
My experience teaching young people with ADHD; When working with children with ADHD I know how important it is for that child to have movement breaks, learning aids to assist them, clear guidelines of expectations and rewards / sanctions to aid this understanding. I ensure children with ADHD have the tools to aid in socialising and managing emotions to enable them to build relationships with their peers.
I have experience in teaching the ‘Mind Up’ curriculum which enables children to understand how their brain works and how to use it effectively. This also involves brain breaks and together with an understanding of the brain, children can self-regulate and improve their focus and concentration.
My experience teaching young people with speech and language needs; I have worked with individuals who have varying barriers to enable communication. From the outset, I will gain a clear understanding of what the young person can do and what they need me to do. I will employ visual aids and adapt my practice constantly to enable my intentions to be clear. I will provide physical equipment and tools to reduce frustration, as well as patience and understanding constantly to enable communication and learning.
My experience teaching young people with sensory processing difficulties; I understand the importance of identifying triggers for a young person’s responses, and to then guide them through verbalising their emotions. I will then work with them to explore strategies to identify and reduce reactions. When teaching young people with SPD I will give them regular movement breaks and a suitable working area away from distractions. I will use a chair with a band around the legs or a wriggle board to sit on. I always create a calm space that is uncluttered for the student to use if they are becoming overwhelmed. I will use specific sensory toys depending on the individual’s needs.
My skills and experience teaching children with anxiety, low self-esteem, low confidence and mental health needs: Every year of my teaching has seen pupils with these issues in my classroom. I pride myself on how they have changed when they leave my care a year on. I immediately use positive vocabulary in all communication with them and work to instil a ‘can do’ attitude. I give pupils time to verbalise their emotions and trust me. I seek out interests they may have and use these to connect with pupils. Using their strengths is a way of transferring skills to areas young people are nervous in, therefore I will seek out, for example, their ability on the sports field and show them how to transfer these skills into their learning behaviours.
My specialist experience providing engaging sessions to inspire a love of learning; I fundamentally believe that children learn best when they are happy. Therefore, when planning and delivering lessons I have what the child will be doing at the forefront to ensure they are engaged throughout. I will actively adapt, pause, alter my plans depending on how the child is responding. I will use music, art, movement, films and objects as stimulus. I draw on the child’s interests to engage them in the learning.
My skills and experience supporting students to develop their independence; I teach self-organisation of resources and equipment and an understanding of why this is important. I encourage the child to take personal responsibility for their learning, behaviour and belongings and I provide appropriate guidance and support to achieve this.
My specialist experience working with auditory processing difficulties: I have worked with children in a busy classroom environment who have auditory processing difficulties. I understand the importance of where they are located to ensure minimal background noise. I will back up verbal instructions with written ones and ask the child to repeat back information to check their understanding.
My experience teaching reading, writing and phonics to early years children; I have worked in early years from Nursery to Year 2. I have experience of an array of phonics programmes including more recently ‘Read Write Inc’ to teach phonics, spelling and writing.
My specialist skills and experience teaching children with study skills and issues with executive functioning skills: My extensive experience of teaching has enabled me to build up a wealth of tools to aid children with their study skills and executive functioning skills in order for them to revise for, and access, exams and tests. I have ensured that children have built their resilience over time and can manage their stress by breaking their learning down, prioritise tasks and time manage effectively.
