Furthering Your Studies in Special Educational Needs

I feel like I learn something new everyday in school, the children we work with are such a valuable source of information to inform our planning and teaching. I always feel like I have more to learn about my role as an ASD class teacher and love doing CPD courses. After a year of working …

Typing Programmes

Here are some typing programmes I have used in the past or that have been recommended by others. It can be hard to choose a programme, luckily most of them have free trails. Definitely check with the child's Occupational Therapist if possible for the best suited programme for the child you're working with. Keyboarding without …

Creating A Timetable in an ASD Class

Timetables can be confusing and in an ASD class, they can change a lot. This is the process I find works best when creating or changing a timetable. Hopefully you will get some useful tips or tricked from reading this. Begin by dividing your day into appropriate time slots to suit the children. E.g. I …

Edmark Reading Program

This is a program that was recommended while I was completing my Grad Dip in SEN. I had a few children on my caseload who had struggled with any reading scheme or approach I had tried, and I had tried a lot! I have seen Edmark work for various different children, some children who had …

Teaching in Australia

I loved my time in Australia, I spent a year working as a Primary School Casual Relief Teacher in Melbourne, Victoria. I worked in Special Schools and Autism Specific Schools. The application process and experience will differ from state to state in Australia, I can write about my experience in Melbourne, Victoria and some tips …

July /’Summer’ Provision 2020

Home and School Based Home Based July Provision usually involves working 1:1 with a child, going to their house to engage in some activities with them and/or going on social trips or outings on some days. In other years, some tutors doing July Provision link up with each other and arrange to go on social …

Morning Reading Session

What do the children in your setting do in the morning time? In my experience, children often arrive to school at different times and they all have different needs first thing in the morning. Once the children have completed their own morning routine and settled, a Morning Reading Session is a lovely activity to do. …

Writing an Individual Education Plan (I.E.P.)

Writing an I.E.P. can be so daunting. I have put together this blog post to hopefully make the IEP process clearer and less daunting for some. I have divided this blog up using the headings: Steps to Writing an I.E.P., Gather Information About The Child, Assessments, Writing the I.E.P. Targets, The I.E.P. Meeting, Who Attends?, …

Morning Work-Packs

What do the children in your class do first thing in the morning? Sometimes the morning can be a little be unstructured with children arriving at different times, some children needing a movement break or OT straight away, some needing to eat etc. Morning work-packs are something that have worked well for me to bring …

Diversify Your Bookshelf

I’m unsure what to say so I’m just going to get straight into this blogpost. I spent today educating myself on how I could do something that might make even a small difference. I decided to start by putting my energy into how I could make a difference in my own classroom. I researched books …