SEND
The importance of celebrating personal achievements alongside academic attainments In her latest column for Education Today this
month, Jayne Foster, CEO of Ethos Academy Trust, urges educators to look beyond the academic results and celebrate the person behind them.
Like many young people across the country, our pupils at Ethos College (our AP college for pupils aged 14-16 years old) have been celebrating their results and getting ready for the next stage of their journey. They’ve done well – particularly in English, Science and Art this year.
What is extraordinary about our pupils’ set of results, however, is that prior to arriving at Ethos College many of our pupils have significant gaps in their education, with some having been unable to access any formal education at all. Expectations for some were worryingly low, and aspirations were non-existent. It is down to the expertise and experience of our ambitious and devoted team at Ethos College, and the nurturing environment they provide, that our young people literally turn their lives around.
As part of our pupil-focused provision, we offer a wide range of GCSE options such as Health and Social Care, Psychology, Hospitality and Catering, Film Studies, PE, Child Development, Public Services and Enterprise. Once we have encouraged and supported our pupils back into a formal setting and helped to build their trust and confidence in education, it is vital that we engage them fully with the subjects they find interesting – which in turn helps build their confidence in the core subjects. With a renewed love of learning many of them achieve wonderful A level and BTEC results and go on to excel in further education.
Whilst we really do believe national results matter, we know that for many young people across the country academic attainments only paint one part of the picture. They are certainly not reflective of their character nor their journey.
We wanted to introduce an award that underpinned our values - a meaningful measurement and validation that would encourage personal improvement - outside of the typical academic or sports accolades. Our young people that come to Ethos College have already overcome many personal challenges just to get to this point. We know that education is life-changing but first we need to encourage our pupils to trust us enough to want to re-engage. Therefore, it made sense to create an award system that recognises and rewards positive behaviours and outcomes (including attendance) and inspires our pupils to be the best versions of themselves every day. Praise and recognition really help to boost self-esteem, confidence and pride – it also instils a feeling of belonging – sadly, many of our young people arrive at Ethos with very little experience of that!
Our biannual Laura Griffiths Awards was aptly named after a beloved member of our team – she was adored by everyone, staff, pupils, parents and carers - and a power force behind our holistic approach. When Laura sadly died three years ago it was fitting that we created this award in her memory – it is a legacy that will always be part of the care and education provided at Ethos College and across the Trust.
Throughout each term, nomination invitations are sent to every member of staff, and they are asked to consider why they are nominating a particular pupil. Laura’s family are always in attendance and are invited to present the awards. It has become a much-coveted accolade and the awards ceremony is an unmissable event on the calendar.
Our award winners are truly remarkable young people and incredible role models. Some are also our top performing academics, some are not. Regardless of their academic achievements, our winners share what we feel is just as important as their grades, even more so. They share a strength of character, a resilience and a joy of life and it’s such a privilege to play a part in their journey,
If anyone in the sector would like to be part of our journal, and is willing to share their success stories and best practice, please contact me on
jfoster@eat.uk.com
October 2023 Using AI to
support teaching and learning for neurodiverse pupils In her regular column on SEND
this month, Emma Sanderson, Managing Director of Options Autism, discusses the capabilities of AI tools to support teaching and learning for neurodiverse pupils.
After the initial speculation circulated about the pros and cons of AI on teaching and learning, the DfE launched a consultation into the use of generative AI in education settings in England. The call for evidence ended on August 23rd, and hopefully the results will highlight the benefits - and any potential risks - of using tools such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, Claude and Midjourney. Currently many of our children and young people are not receiving ‘qualitative, equitable and inclusive education’ – their human right – and I believe AI tools may offer part of the solution. Generative AI has the capabilities to offer additional support to both learners, teachers and clinicians, not in place of the teacher or as a replacement for direct clinical input, but to enhance educational experiences and reduce teacher workload.
One of the key benefits of AI is its ability to bridge the communication gap. Whether for autistic learners, pupils who struggle with reading and writing, or for those new to English. Human-like AI robots, QTRobot among others, have proved successful with autistic learners. Programmed to behave in a predictable way, interactions with robots are less threatening and help pupils develop a mental model of how the robot will react. Other reports cite autistic children developing conversational skills through interactions with intelligent assistants like Siri or Alexa, and subsequently applying these to interactions with people.
AI provides speech-to-text or text-to-speech tools for learners who need support with reading or writing. Using AI teachers can generate simplified texts providing age-appropriate material for older but less confident readers, or sample sentences to teach a grammar point. Complex tasks can be made into accessible steps or concepts clarified.
Many autistic individuals struggle with verbal communication, whether it’s difficulty expressing themselves or understanding others. AI provides a more intuitive and accessible way to communicate through natural language processing, helping translate complex ideas into simpler language, allowing them to express themselves more effectively, and understand and connect with others more easily.
AI translation tools allows English language learners to understand written content in their native language in real-time, while chatbots provide an opportunity to practice conversational English in a low-pressure environment.
Poor executive functioning skills impact planning and organising, making completing tasks or achieving goals a challenge. AI can be used to provide pupils with personalized and targeted support and interventions, such as reminders, schedules, or prompts, to help them stay on track.
Additionally, AI can also provide real-time feedback and monitoring, which can help autistic individuals to identify areas where they may need additional support or intervention. As technology continues to advance, it is important that we continue to explore the ways in which AI can be used to support and empower neurodiverse individuals.
www.education-today.co.uk 19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
