School or setting
- Authored by:
- Kate Bargh
- Co-authored by:
- Michelle Smith
- School:
- Rushall JMI School
- Type of school:
- Primary
- Type of setting (if Early Years):
- LA maintained school
- Local Authority:
- Walsall
- Region
- West Midlands
- Free school meals:
- 20 - 35%
Learners
- Year groups:
- Early Years, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6
- Gender:
- Both
- Specific group:
- Special Educational Needs
- Whole school:
- Yes
- People involved:
- Support staff, Governor, LA adviser, Middle leader, Parent, Phase leader, Senior leader, Subject leader, Teacher, Year group leader
- Number of classes:
- 7 classes (Reception -Year 6), Nursery and Communication Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP)
- Number of adult learners:
- 42 staff including visting teachers and 6 parents of pupils with Autism Spectrum
What were your reasons for doing this type of development work?
Rushall JMI School is a one form entry primary school. The school is funded for fifteen pupils with varying communication needs, including pupils with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and pupils on the Autism Spectrum (AS). The school's reputation in the field of SLCN and Autism is widely acknowledged across the borough of Walsall. As a result the school has an increased number of pupils with SLCN and AS within the mainstream school. Currently the school has 6.4% of pupils with an Autism Spectrum diagnosis. The children come to the school at different times in diagnosis process and therefore parents come to the school with a variety of experiences of the help and support that is available for them and their child.
Following the launch of the Autism Spectrum Inclusion Development Programme (AS IDP) in June 2009 the school was selected to be a pilot school for the programme. This programme has provided the school with a framework to support staff and parents in the area of Autism Spectrum, a need which had been previously identified following consultations with staff and parents.
The need for a coherent partnership between home and school is an essential part of child's academic, social and emotional well-being. In light of the Every Child Matters Agenda (2004) and more recently the Lamb Report (2009), which highlights the need to promote greater parental confidence in the area of special educational needs (SEN), the school wanted to address the need for a more consistent approach within the school and relaunch home-school partnership.
Who might find this case study useful?
- Headteacher
- LA adviser
- Middle leader
- National Strategies consultant
- Parent
- Senior leadership team (SLT)
- SIP (School Improvement Partner)
- Subject leader
- Teacher
- Teaching assistant
Key points
Point 1
Improving and promoting parental confidence in the area of Autism Spectrum (AS) and special educational need (SEN)
Point 2
Increasing knowledge and building capacity as a school in the areas of Autism Spectrum and SEN
Disclaimer: Please be aware this is User Generated Content "UGC" and remains the property of the author. For more information regarding this, please refer to UGC section of the Terms and Conditions.
What
The intention was to help teaching staff collaborate with parents and have a greater understanding of children on the autism spectrum. Approaches included whole-school training and Communication Passports.
Impact
Pupils participated more and were less anxious. Teachers had greater awareness and confidence; using multi-sensory approaches and concrete strategies. The school's leadership team were committed to partnership working and saw greater engagement with parents.
Summary
There were several crucial things that made a difference: a whole-school approach with senior leader support, and the time to work through the programme resources.
