GENERAL POLICY
The college is committed to complying with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA).
NON-SPECIALIST
The college is, and has been, pleased to offer non-specialist provision of education for students with a statement of SEN. Each such application to the college will be dealt with on its own merits and a place offered if the college believes the student will benefit from education at Ashbourne and not seriously disrupt or impede the education of the main body of the college.
For example, Ashbourne has happily dealt with students with severe physical handicaps, dyslexia, mild Asberger’s syndrome and emotional/behavioural problems.
In general the college treats all students equally with regard to adherence to college rules and policies. Thus any serious deviation from these may lead to suspension or expulsion.
In all cases of SEN the college has worked closely with Social Services and provided an appropriate Individual Educational Plans (IEP). Such documents have been updated and evaluated through half-term reports and face-to-face meetings with all concerned.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) at Ashbourne
Ashbourne enrols one or two students each year with a statement of SEN. As we are not specialists in this area, these places will have been offered (and accepted) provided we believe that we can offer appropriate assistance and the child will benefit both himself and the entire school community.
These needs may be broadly categorized as organizational (dyslexia) and emotional (Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and lack of self-control).
Our strategies for the former are outlined below, where you will discover many useful tips for dealing with students without specific SEN. Both emotional and organizationally difficulties are assisted by Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and the constant attention of teachers and Personal Tutors.
Identification
It may be that a student may have a learning difficulty which has not been identified. You may find the following helpful in determining if such exists.
Specific indicators may be:
Hesitant and laboured reading
Omitted or repeated lines and untidy work
Confusion of words which look alike (no/on, for/off)
Difficulty taking notes at speed
The disregard of punctuation marks
Disparity of ability between spoken and written language
Difficulty completing work on time
Confusion of similar letters (d/b, p/q)
Difficulty understanding complex instructions
Laborious, uncoordinated handwriting
The same word spelt differently in the same passage of work
Bizarre spelling
Difficulty remembering what materials to bring to class.
Helping the students with Specific Learning Difficulties
Students with SLD require the following:
Access to the curriculum
They will benefit from:
A variety of teaching approaches
Clear, short instructions
Selective, relevant correction of written work
Use of visual displays
Preparation for lessons rather than follow up to lessons
Aids for note-taking – e.g. photocopied notes
Reinforcement in all areas of the basic rules of spelling
Extra time for tests whenever possible
Skill work
All tutors can be involved with helping students improve their skills.
Work on a number of “key” subject words aiming for accuracy, fluency and maintenance
Basic work on phonics
Stressing the visual and semantic links between words rather than allowing dyslexics to rely upon auditory analysis
Encouraging a certain amount of “guessing”. Dyslexic students tend to rely very heavily upon phonic approaches and may abandon the use of context altogether
Organisational and Study Skills
Dyslexic students will find the following helpful:
A timetable with them at all times
A planned time for homework
Planning using spidergrams and webs
Help with high order skills such as skimming and scanning
Assistance with note-taking and précis
Tolerance of “off” days. Few dyslexic students can sustain motivation and concentration through the whole working week. The tutor needs to distinguish between “off” days and avoidance techniques.
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