FEATURE FOCUS: SEND
The purpose of education
There is broad agreement that education exists to serve the needs of individuals and bring benefits to society. A cursory reading of the literature suggests education helps people become better citizens, get better-paid jobs, and learn the difference between good and bad. It civilises, feeds the mind, optimises life-chances, and enhances people’s quality of life.
Education is about more than the transmission of knowledge in academic subjects. More broadly, it represents an endeavour that aims to support the development of individuals to their fullest potential. This worthy goal spans both the acquisition and use of learning in ways that are functional and meaningful for the learner and for society. In essence, education prepares learners for a lifetime of learning. Such is the importance of education that in most developed nations it has become a fundamental human right, enacted in law.
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n our first look at the many facets of SEND and its provision this month we were delighted to catch up with Sandy Toogood. Sandy is Head of Clinical and Behavioural Services at Chester’s Abbey School, an independent day and residential special school for young people with autism, and here he discusses what education is for, and how to help SEND students get the best out of it.
Students with special educational needs find aspects of learning more challenging than students considered typical. Educators may ease the challenge by thoughtfully adjusting the curriculum, timetable, and lesson plans and asking themselves who should be taught what, by what means, when, and by whom. To this extent teachers ensure learning is functional and meaningful.
Functional and meaningful curricula are 26
www.education-today.co.uk
comprehensive and expansive - a blend of standardised and individualised components that correspond to the needs and abilities of the individual. Learning outcomes and opportunities are tailored so that they make sense and bring benefits for the individual and others, including society. Functional and meaningful outcomes for some learners could mean that gaining mastery over personal selfcare carries equal or greater weight than targets for literacy and numeracy.
Creating autonomy
Perhaps creating autonomy is what makes content functional and meaningful. We all value the sense we have of being able to act independently and to make decisions about our lives – the big things, like where and with whom should I live, and the small everyday things, like what should I eat at breakfast? No one is born knowing how to choose. We all learn through opportunity, rehearsal, and consequence. The scope for exercising autonomy increases as we grow up and our skills and abilities develop. This happens through the acquisition and application of learning accrued across myriads of situations, contexts, and time.
The more we can do for ourselves, the freer we become, to the ultimate benefit of ourselves and to society. Thus, we may think that one of the purposes of education is facilitating the
October 2023
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