What

What specific curriculum area, subject or aspect did you intend to have impact on?

• All aspects
• All subjects

How did you intend to impact on pupil learning?

The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) wanted all staff to include and meet the needs of all pupils on the autism spectrum (both diagnosed and undiagnosed). In addition the school wished to engage with the Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) specifically to enable teaching staff to plan for the individual needs of the pupils within their lesson planning. The overall aim was to create an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) friendly school environment at every level throughout the school, so that these pupils were fully engaged and could reach their full potential.

What were your success criteria?

• Increasing staff confidence ( Self-Evaluation Form (SEF) pre and post)

• Improving national curriculum levels and specifically tracking reading ages

What information or data did you use to measure progress towards your success criteria?

• CVA data
• Data comparison of cohorts
• Learning walks / study visits
• Logs or interviews
• Observation outcomes
• Periodic teacher assessment
• Pupil consultation data
• Pupils' work
• Test results

What did you do? What teaching approaches (pedagogy) did you use to achieve the intended impact?

• Assessment for Learning (AfL)
• Collaborative group work
• Cross-curricular work
• First-hand learning
• Independent learning
• Interventions
• Learning how to learn
• Other
• Peer coaching
• Problem solving
• Self assessment and peer assessment
• Simulation and virtual learning
• Teaching sequences
• Use of pupil talk for whole-class teaching
• Use of thinking skills

Describe the teaching approaches you used

The school journey started with the identification of a pupil on transition who was included in a PILOT project called Baby Matterz. The project enabled the school to follow a fresh approach to teaching and learning based on first-hand learning, collaborative learning, etc. The pupils involved in the project had a range of SEN and Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and benefited from a very structured approach to learning. This generated a great deal of interest from the media which in turn promoted these individuals and the project within school. This experience then led the SENCO to look for a way of developing this approach and these kind of teaching methods throughout the whole school for all staff.The IDP proved to be the vehicle to do this.

In the Baby Matterz Project the pupils worked in small groups with a real baby and parents. The groups were structured, practical and used visual timetables and photographs.  Preparation for each session included Social stories or rehearsal of information and scenarios and then included revisiting and analysis of information and scenarios where necessary after the session.  This approach was then developed further by other staff with other projects such as Creative Minds where film projects were used to develop pupils' literacy.  This project allowed pupils to learn skills in script making, film making and acting. The project also aimed at developing social and emotional skills as the pupils expressed their ideas in a more social setting. 

The next step was for all ASD pupils to receive this type of teaching and learning experience (as experienced with the Baby Matterz and Creative Minds) across the curriculum and in all of their lessons. The IDP provided a whole school CPD with which to explore why the more practical/visual approaches had been so successful.  The IDP enabled the whole school staff to work together across departments to gain an understanding of why ASD/C pupils achieved such good results in the previous projects and why they were so engaged in learning.
All staff completed learning logs which were analysed by the SLT for any recurrent issues or resources that were needed.

Staff have started using visual timetables, Social Stories, rehearsal and revisiting of topics across the curriculum and this will be followed up through the performance management process and lesson observations.

What did you do? What approaches to CPD and learning for adults were used?

• Classroom enquiry
• Coaching
• Demonstration
• Leadership enquiry
• Learning conversation
• Lesson observation
• Lesson study
• Mentoring
• Modelling
• Partnership teaching
• Training
• Work scrutiny

Describe the CPD approaches you used

Initially SENCO and IDP lead met and completed an action plan bespoke to the school. This included an introduction of the IDP to the SLT. At this meeting the Headteacher and the SLT fully endorsed the IDP and agreed to include the IDP in all planning with the expectation that all staff would be enabled to study the IDP. This included an introduction to staff, the development of a Learning Log and the set up of IDP twilights with a timetable of supply cover for different departments. Self evaluation forms were completed pre and post IDP which showed a huge shift on staff confidence at levels 3 and 4.

What CPD materials, research or expertise have you drawn on?

The ASD IDP materials were completed by all staff with a Learning Log published to enable staff to learn from each other, inform new staff and establish if there were any recurrent issues or resource implications.

Primary and Secondary Inclusion Development Programme – supporting pupils on the autism spectrum http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/173574

The IDP Lead was able to share best practice from around the NW region.

Baby Matterz http://www.babymatterz.com/

Who provided you with support?

• External agency
• Middle leader
• Senior management
• Subject leader

How were you supported?

The IDP Lead from the LA supported the project and action planning and shared best practice from other schools. Also the HT and SLT fully supported the roll out of the IDP and this was crucial to the success of the project and the fact that all staff participated.

Upload

• IDP Action Plan (DOC-34 KB) Attachments