Class teacher – Caroline McAleavy
In a recent conversation with Caroline a year 1 class teacher, Gwyn from Positive Eye asked her what she thought of the new product ‘Positive Outcomes for Children with SEND, to be launched in March 2017.
How will the resource better enable you to support schools to implement the reasonable adjustments for a child with VI/SEND so that they can reach their outcomes?
Caroline says: Attempting to teach to the national curriculum and ensure that all children are given the same opportunities to make good progress is a common issue for myself and my colleagues. Most classes contain some children who have an additional need/s, making it more challenging for them to access the curriculum and also demonstrate that they have met the criteria for what is ‘expected’ for their year group. This resource offers a range of suggested methods to support teaching and learning – all linked to the relevant aspects of the national curriculum core subjects. provide support strategies to implement in my planning and teaching to support those children with specific needs to reach their own individual outcomes. The strategies suggested would also support whole class teaching – in a mainstream primary school there is often limited adult support so therefore it is sometimes not possible to teach in small groups. The strategies suggested here would enhance the learning for all children – not just those with additional needs.
What do you find the most useful about the resource?
Caroline says: The support strategies are very useful and many are things I had never considered (for example, I work with a child with poor hand/eye coordination and a VI, who really struggles with letter formation – I have never thought of using a 2B pencil to enable him to see the letters more clearly, and I am excited to try this!) The recording booklet also gives a clear, concise way of recording each outcome as it is met.
Is it easy to use/teacher friendly?
The resource is presented in a clear way that is easy to understand and follow. Any professional used to following the national curriculum would be able to quickly use this document, and identify the relevant aspects of the curriculum they might be looking to adapt to specific children.
Would you recommend to others and why?
Yes. Just from looking at this resource objectively I have come away with ideas that will support my future teaching. I believe it would be a useful resource for any teacher working with children who require additional support in order to follow the national curriculum effectively.
