Rachel

I am a highly experienced SEND Intervention Teacher with over 18 years in private practise and schools working in both Primary and Secondary, covering mainstream SEND settings and specialist SEND settings, teaching English, Maths and Sciences .

Currently I am a Specialist Intervention Teacher in a 'whole school SEND provision', to children ranging in age from 2.5 to 19 years with complex needs.

Within my role as Specialist Intervention and Reading/Phonics Lead teaching English and Maths, I have proven success in raising attainment by delivering one-to-one, focused Phonics, Maths and English lessons planned and personalised to each pupil's individual learning needs, outside the whole class setting. The children I work with are classed as having the most complex significant needs, for example ASD, ADHD, SEMH, anxiety, MLD, Cerebral Palsy, final pathway treatment, cancer and also EAL; also the lowest 20% ability of the children within the school.

Tutoring Experience

I read English at University before training as a teacher. I have spent many years studying child development, SEMH, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, ASD and many more areas of SEND and also how children acquire maths and English skills to be able to support their learning and understanding.

I have worked in SEND as both a teacher and tutor, privately and contracted by local authorities for children unable to access the school environment, for many years to be able to offer tailored learning to support children with extra needs above and beyond those that can be supported in a standard classroom setting. I continue to take part in and also deliver professional development training to ensure my SEND skills are current and relevant.

I excel in providing teaching to children needing support in Primary and Secondary English and Maths, SATs Preparation, Entrance Exam readiness, Functional Skills and A Level English Literature and Language. Prior to being a teacher I was an adult educator and was particularly heavily involved in working on and delivering the initial rolling out of the Early Years Framework.

SUBJECT EXPERIENCE:

My experience teaching Maths:

I have taught mathematics to children between the ages of 3 - 21 (Early YearsGCSEs/Functional Skills) both in classroom settings and through private tutoring. I have 17 years of experience in a classroom and over 19 years of 1:1 maths tuition. In both iterations I adopt practical activities before moving into written activities using the fabulous 'Very Special Maths' theory. I trained to teach maths because of my own early experiences as a child with maths. As a teacher I felt that schools were lacking a fundamental step between the input in Early Years that relied on practical based, sensory, fun activities and the more abstract written methods as children moved through the school. By making maths a 'whole-body’ sensory experience makes it more achievable for the child. I enjoy making maths fun and hands-on, thus making the learning accessible to all. I have taught GCSE maths for many years and always use material taken from exams to make the individual feel more confident in answering a range of questions. Using such material we can look at a number of the same questions on a particular topic until mastery is established. Most of my learners are taught a systematic approach to answering questions. This muscle memory approach, I teach, once embedded is like breathing. Taking the time to teach this, increases an internal confidence and confidence is key to acing the exam, so I make sure to target this in my lessons.

My experience teaching English

My degree specialism is English and I have a passion for both the early acquisition of reading and English Literature. To read, is THE ULTIMATE SUPER POWER. I have recently completed studies with the Witherslack group where we have looked at the premise that children are only 'sight readers' due to 'TBI' or 'chromosomal differences' and found this statement to be implausible. All children can be taught to blend a word, if given the right tools for them. I work a lot on the topics of creative and story writing, the purpose of this is to enable the student to develop their writing expertise so they understand why authors use the language they do to tell a story in the way they do, this impacts the PEEL technique and process when analylising text. I spend significant amounts of time ensuring the student utilises PEEL each time they write, using checklists, to help structure their paragraphs to present single clear, logical, accesible and focused arguments. I also ensure that their work becomes a intrinsic part of writing. Again it is about unlocking and cementing their toolchest in a structured way. Reading is a unique learning skill, the way I speak is different to the way you sound, so naturally letters sound different depending on the speaker. My knowledge of this has enabled my learners to take control of their reading through their own voice recordings, blending their own sounds as they read. My dyslexia learners haven't been taught 'tricks' they have been taught strategies that work for them. Strategies that mean they don't have to feel 'less than' or 'different to' others. As someone that is a dyslexia specialist I feel it my duty to make this clarification for the learner.

SPECIALIST SEND EXPERIENCE

My specialist experience supporting students with ADHD and ADD:

I have worked as a teacher and tutor with children with ADHD and ADD for many years, I also have personal experience of ADHD as my daughter was diagnosed when she was young, I feel this gives me a unique insight and empathy towards my students.

I use effective time managed strategies to motivate the student, with a deep understanding that it is not that they are not willing to learn, it is just because their brains are not equipped to grasp the same teaching methods implemented for regular students. I focus on their strengths giving short tasks and brief instructions, repeating as much as necessary, using visual aids, clear segmented worksheets and colour which helps the child take the information onboard. The pace of the lesson is driven by the child’s need for a certain tempo, often rapid and intense, this keeps them focused on the task. As children with ADHD are intensely competitive, I build short competitive tasks into the beginning and end of the lesson.

My specialist experience supporting students with Autism:

I have extensive experience working with children with Autism both in school and private practice, I aim to provide a learning environment which enables the student to overcome difficulties communicating, learning and life skills allowing them clear choices and structure. Learning can be hugely challenging, so I support the child by providing them with techniques and strategies to access learning, this builds a positive relationship based on clearly established expectations both for the student and myself.
Early on I establish routines, which enables the student to thrive, and gain an understanding of the child’s sensory needs, planning ahead I allow time for the child to decompress to help them feel energised and avoid Autistic ‘meltdown’ or shutdown. By using environments and strategies that are calming and engaging my lessons help to avoid the student feeling overwhelmed.and avert intense emotional responses.
Often my students with Autism need to ‘Stim’, I accept this is part of who they are and encourage it, I feel it is essential to accept the symptoms as part of who they are, this helps to build trust and breaks down any social impairment symptoms during lessons.
Alongside the teaching of core subjects, I build in activities which embrace things the student is passionate about which helps to maintain focus, build social skills and assist the child to recognise social cues. I also use resources which help to build empathy particularly in English by asking them to view the story from someone else’s perspective, this helps them to recognise emotional cues by helping them to view the world from the perspective of another person. I build sensory stimulation, engaging sight, hearing and touch into the resources and my lessons which helps the student be ‘present’ and comfortable.
My specialist experience teaching students with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia
I work with many students both before and after formal diagnosis of Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, alongside the teaching I support the families through the diagnosis process and their communication with school which at times can be stressful and frustrating. Having a subject expert supporting you can make a huge difference to a successful outcome. When teaching students with Dyslexia and Dyscalculia I use modelling of tasks in small steps alongside tools such as coloured overlays or paper which both allow the child to access text more easily. I use visual aids to build metacognition, this allows the student to understand instructions and the task they are working on.

My Specialist experience supporting students with Executive Functioning Challenges:

I provide individual interventions to many students who live with Executive Functioning challenges in addition to other disabilities. I always believe my students are trying their best with the skills they have, my teaching of students with Executive Function challenges provides scaffold supports which encourages the development of memory, organisation, planning, self-monitoring and time management skills to allow them to thrive in school or college. We work together to build structured routines, organisation skills, rules and expectations that change as little as possible. I work with the student and parents to establish SMART targets and support day-to-day planning, managing emotions, task management and language which have a positive impact on studies and the home, social and learning environments. I teach skills such as flexible and adaptive thinking and learning, questioning, focus, regulation of stress and emotions and self-control which are all foundations of the students learning by supporting them to manage and sort information. Through mastery of these skills my students build resilience and the positive connections that establish executive functioning. I ensure the student can practice executive functioning skills in every lesson and individual activity by creating self-directed, real-life scenarios which require the analysis of possible solutions and consequences to a challenge, we do this collaboratively to build planning, goal setting, flexible thinking and focusing skills.

My specialist experience teaching comprehension skills:

When learners comprehend, they interpret, integrate, critique, infer, analyse, connect and evaluate ideas in texts. I teach my students to understand and interpret texts to allow them to be able to ‘talk their topic.’ I encourage them to relate them to their own life, or something they have read, seen or talked about with others. I ask them to explore where they have seen something similar? My lessons begin with the basis of comprehension which comes from understanding the principle that, for example, if I read the word ‘cat’ I expect to see a cat not a dog. Through visualisation and organisation of the written word practically, my learners quickly comprehend what texts are trying to tell them (interpret) and from this they can also begin to see what they are not telling them. So if I visually show a learner, ‘the girl walking down the street’ in a picture and ask “where are they not walking?” the learner can infer, they are not walking in the road.

Through cloze questions and scaffolded answers, pictorial, concrete and abstract (written) representations (using ICT where needed), I support the learner to critique the work they are reading to foster comprehension.
Using multi-sensory approaches to a particular topic – giving a ‘hook’ to a subject adds a fun environment for learning that enables another level to the comprehension of a subject. When teaching inference and deduction, having a crime scene scenario set up and the learner solve clues is better than written instructions. Embedding the learner in a situation leads to a greater understanding.

My specialist experience teaching children with Language Disorders:

In my role as a Specialist SEND Intervention teacher the majority of the children I teach have language disorders and Developmental Dysphasia of varying degrees. My role is to assess the children and once a baseline is recorded, begin to build vocabulary at a pace appropriate to the student through repetition and scaffolding which models speech patterns. I allow the child to verbalise at each step, to support and build their self-confidence. I also support the student to build word sequencing and word order. I reinforce and encourage students to use non-verbal communication as verbal communication skills are developing. I use the child’s interests and hobbies to develop tasks and goals which enhance language through fun activities which are also practical and tangible. During sessions I actively encourage to express when they are becoming frustrated or stressed so that I can organically modify my teaching, this helps to diffuse strong emotions and builds confidence that these feelings are understandable when they struggle with language.

My specialist experience teaching children with Anxiety and Compulsion disorders:

A large proportion of my students struggle with anxiety, compulsion disorders and low self-confidence alongside cognitive impairments which inhibit their ability to understand why they are anxious which makes it difficult for them to access learning. I address each need to make each learner feel good about themselves and to encourage independence in learning. At the beginning of each lesson, I always discuss the topic and allow the child to talk about anything which is causing anxiety or stress. For each subject, I break the learning down responding to each hurdle or challenge at a time, this creates a learning environment in which the children can feel valued and anxieties reduced. I use positive praise, rewards and reassurance, frequently reinforced to ensure the child is both psychologically and physically at ease. I set realistic and achievable targets which the child can see they can achieve and exceed; this boosts self-esteem, building confidence and reducing anxiety around the topic and learning in general. By carefully creating fun and interesting resources I am able to ensure that the learning comes from the child, always mindful that topics can increase the child’s anxiety and tailoring each session around this the learning can be engaging and enjoyable. From the outset, I endeavour to gain the child’s trust and ensure they are comfortable during each lesson.

My experience supporting students with Self Confidence and Self Esteem challenges

The core philosophy within all my lessons is to build self confidence and self-esteem through positive communication, regular encouragement, and rewards for each achievement no matter how small. I encourage each child to communicate their feelings and together build positive experiences, through this we build a healthy sense of their abilities, personal qualities, and pride in their achievements. I support the child to explore each new topic at their own pace, using small steps to make the big steps seem less daunting and to break out of the cycle of overthinking which allows them to embrace their potential through the small steps towards each goal. Setbacks are inevitable in learning, by building resilience and positive experiences together I assist them to overcome mistakes with ease and avoid crippling anxiety.
To help the learner enjoy the process of learning it is important to facilitate self-talk to express the learning and building upon each acquired skill. I have always seen self-esteem, confidence and independence grow and become useful in all aspects of life when the learning that is undertaken by my pupils has been made possible. My teaching style is continually positive, including the positive learning experience that can come from making mistakes. I give praise constantly for good, purposeful reasons. I share the aims of each learning session with each individual child, enabling them to understand and appreciate each important step.

My Specialist Experience supporting students with Pathological Demand Avoidance

I currently teach several children with PDA. My approach is to develop individual strategies which allow them a sense of control, asking without asking, while limiting the range of choices available to avoid intense emotions, anxiety and a sense of panic developing. My expectations are always flexible and presented carefully, reassuringly and using calm and collaborative discussions which avoid emotional overload. I always endeavour to use the positive qualities that my students with PDA have, in my lessons, such as resilience, creativity and determination, this supports their development of coping skills and self-awareness.

My Specialist Experience teaching and supporting children with FASD:

Alongside teaching FASD students at the SEND school where I am based; my youngest sister was born with FASD which resulted in neurological, developmental, behavioural and some physical developmental delays. Through unfortunate family circumstances I was her primary carer from her being ages 11 to 16. I feel this gives me a rare insight into the day-to-day life of someone with FASD and their families. I emphasise structure and routine with all my students, I also build creativity, fun and most importantly humour and patience during the lessons when my students struggle with a concept or is overwhelmed. I place a lot of emphasis on working as a team with parents for all my students.

My specialist support for Exam Preparation and Question Skills:

I currently tutor in GCSE English exam preparation for the Language and the Literature papers. With each pupil, we jointly create an adaptable written answer format that can help if the mind panics under exam conditions. Repeated practice of written answer structures builds the confidence to form ideas in response to questions, secure in the knowledge that the ideas will fit into the learnt and practised written answer structures that the muscle memory will reproduce. Understanding how to incorporate quotations into sentences that support each idea brings a joyful confidence to pupils as the importance of providing evidence for their ideas is explored and used with understanding. Language exam practice includes inference skills and a creative written response to a stimulus, learning how to create an image or an atmosphere with words that can bring an emotional response to the reader – the examiner.

My specialist support in mentoring students:

I have many years experience of mentoring secondary age pupils which naturally brings in helping to manage self-esteem and confidence academically as well as socially. I do believe that helping pupils to develop strong executive functioning skills is a key pathway to success in all subject areas as well as in all aspects of life. From providing opportunities to think about and activate their brains to plan their time or plan a task, initiate a task, organise their materials, keep their focus, maintain a positive mindset to be open to learn from mistakes and to try new strategies when stuck, I have regularly enjoyed watching and hearing about how my pupils have persevered until the completion of a goal in all situations including new ones, often expressing enjoyment of seeing themselves come through something that they didn’t initially feel able to do. It is my belief that all children have the ability to learn; I do believe that it is the environment in which making a mistake is valued as part of the learning process that enables children to make progress with confidence, self-esteem and independence.

Communication with Parents:

I also understand personally and relationships with student’s parents. My ethos has always been to work alongside the parent to help the child flourish and thrive. Above all though, I feel that I am fundamentally there as the guide to assist the child on their pathway through their education. They are the expert on themselves, and I am here to understand how they learn and unlock a learning style that works for them. Through constant discussions, re-evaluations and feedback with both the child as the expert and the parents, the child will excel, and the learning becomes ‘natural.’ I also ensure that I guide the parents on ‘next steps’ and how these might be achieved as we move through the learning journey. Within my day to day I am involved in Joint Goal Setting as part of a Multi-Disciplinary Team, I write and liaise on ECH plans, Annual Reviews and Personal Learning Plans for the learners.

Tutoring Approach

As a teacher I believe it is important to focus on how each child learns. Each lesson is broken down and planned for the way the individual will best benefit from the lesson. My experience as a SEND teacher means I am able to adapt the delivery of the curriculum so there are no barriers to learning.

My approach to teaching is by breaking down tasks and topics into creative steps that relate to the individual’s interests and life in general, thus making the learner a stakeholder in the ‘teaching’. This builds interest and fun in ways that allows my students to engage and make the learning feel more relaxed and less ‘formalised.’ This lessens and even removes anxiety. We work together building the student’s belief in their own abilities with a ‘partnership’ where both learner, educator and
parents are working ‘together’ to discover, rather than teach and learn, this enables skills to be acquired quickly and be solidly embedded. I have always seen selfesteem, confidence and independence grow and become useful in all aspects of life when the learning that is undertaken by my pupils has been made possible. My
teaching style is continually positive, including the positive learning experience that can come from making mistakes. I give praise constantly for good, purposeful effort.