AEN in Action at The Marsh Academy
Small Group Work As directed by teaching staff, CSAs may work with small groups of students. This support is normally provided to boost skills in a particular area, or to ensure that a particular task is completed.
In Class Support CSAs work closely with the teaching staff and provide support in the classroom. This will ensure that identified students have further support where required helping with understanding and completion of tasks.
Testing and Monitoring all students are closely monitored by both Teaching and Support staff. The AEN Referral Process allows any concerns to be brought to the attention of the SENCo, so that further observations and testing can be conducted. If required additional support and interventions may be arranged to support the student.
Transition Group Work students may have been highlighted at meetings with primary schools as requiring additional support during the move to secondary school. Where necessary Social Skills and Life Skills workshops are provided to help students adjust to their new surrounding and peers.
ASD Induction Day We have found that some students benefit from this extra day before they join the school. The small group of students follow a transition programme designed by ISIS to specifically tackle any issues that can cause anxiety and distress.
Social Skills Groups Some students require additional support to improve their social skills with peers and adults. These small groups are carefully selected and follow a programme designed to boost social skills and confidence.
Conversation Group this group work is the next phase from Talk About Group Work. The students will be encouraged to continue to build on their confidence with communication and social skills required to hold conversations with adults and peers alike.
Life Skills Group Work Some students require additional support to help them cope with life at a secondary school. These small groups are carefully selected and follow a programme designed to boost social and communication skills and confidence.
ASD Group Work CSAs work with a small group of carefully selected students to build up confidence with socialising and conversations skills. The staff providing this service are monitored and supported by the Speech & Language Therapy Service and use the 5 Point Scale to help express feelings and emotions.
Talk About Group Work CSAs work with a small group of carefully selected students to boost confidence with communication, social and conversations skills. The staff providing this service are monitored and supported by the Speech & Language Therapy Service and follow the Talk About programme.
ASD Individual Support Trained CSAs meet with ASD students each week where necessary, to help them deal with any social or academic issues that may be causing anxiety. The students will be taught to use the 5 Point Scale to help communicate and manage their emotional stress levels.
Speech & Language Support NHS therapists work closely with CSAs to undertake assessments as required. Support is devised to meet individual needs and may be offered in several different formats. Group work can be used to encourage social and communication skills. Individual support may focus on vocabulary or key word skills, to improve comprehension. Therapists closely monitor and support the CSAs providing these interventions.
Outside Agency Support Termly meetings are held to discuss support required for identified students.
Numeracy Small Group students are monitored closely to ensure that they are achieving their potential. Some students may benefit from small group work to help boost their numeracy skills.
Numeracy Individual Support Some students may benefit from more intensive support to boost their numeracy skills. This additional support can boost confidence and understanding so that they are better able to cope.
5 Minute Box The Five Minute Box, Box 2 and Number Box, are multi-sensory teaching systems, designed to establish early literacy and numeracy skills, for children who find it difficult to keep up with the pace of classroom learning.
Lexia Reading software supports reading skills development in students of all ages and abilities. From Reception through to Adult, it builds skills with explicit practise in phonemic awareness and phonics while promoting gains in fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Used in thousands of UK schools and many colleges, Lexia has a proven record of success.
Sounds-Write - an exciting, approach to the teaching of reading, spelling and writing. The intensive courses have now been attended by over 7,000 classroom practitioners, educational psychologists and members of local authority support teams. The programme is already being used extensively in primary and secondary schools throughout Devon, Wigan, Salford, Kent, Milton Keynes and Bedfordshire, Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic and Australia, as well as in dozens of individual schools around the country.
Hand Writing Support CSAs work with students either individually or in very small groups, during tutorial twice a week. The students will follow a programme to improve formation of letters and therefore legibility.
Exam Support Some students may be entitled to additional support to help them at exam times, if their normal way or working in class includes help with reading, writing etc. A trained CSA uses a full and comprehensive range of testing materials to ensure that the appropriate support is approved by the Exam Board.
Extra Time Some students may have a slow hand writing speed or processing (thinking) speed and require Extra Time (normally up to 25%) to complete their exam.
Scribe Some students may need help in class with written work. If this is their normal way or working, they may be entitled to a Scribe to help with appropriate written exams.
Reader Some students need help in class with reading and may be entitled to help in their exams as well. If they struggle with any reading during the exam they may ask for assistance from trained support staff.
Modified Paper Some students may struggle with comprehension and require an exam paper which uses more simplified language and terminology.