Individualised Learning is the title given to provision for all pupils at the King’s Academy, who have a special educational need, be it Moderate or Specific Learning Difficulties, Sensory Impairment, Physical Disability or Gifted and Talented status.
It is not our intention to invent a new piece of jargon with a new set of initials – “Individualised Learning” reflects our commitment to finding the best possible way of meeting the educational needs of individual children.
Within the Individualised Learning provision are two particular specialisms which are of a sub regional importance. These are the provision for children with visual impairments and for children with hearing impairments, including the profoundly deaf.
Parents of children with Special Educational Needs who would like their child to attend The Academy should contact Mr Lister. They should also speak to Mr K. Flanagan (Middlesbrough LEA Inclusion Service) - Visually Impaired Pupils.
The King’s Academy provides a forty five place Support Base for pupils with statements indicating that they have Moderate Learning Difficulties. The students carrying such statements are fully integrated into the Academy both academically and socially. The MLD department is committed to improving the pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills and to encouraging the students to become independent learners, well prepared to follow their chosen career, when they leave the Academy.
MLD staff includes two teachers, five full-time and three part-time teaching assistants. Mrs P. Mc Kenna is the Learning Co-ordinator supported by Mr. J. Bowring. Both are well experienced and qualified in the area of MLD support. In addition, Mr. Bowring is presently introducing ‘The Bowring Code.’ This is a visual learning system that assists students in developing their literacy skills and enhances their retention of words and their meanings in all subject areas within the Academy. The Bowring Code is a groundbreaking work which The King’s Academy is justly proud to be pioneering.
All the support assistants have acquired teaching level expertise and often additional knowledge in the area of specific learning difficulties. Two assistants are employed directly by the LEA to support ‘named students’ who have additional hours. The MLD team take every opportunity to participate in the training of mainstream staff, highlighting issues concerning MLD students.
All MLD pupils are fully integrated into the Academy. They will be found in mainstream classrooms. The school does not operate a system where students carrying an MLD statement are educated separately from their peers. The students do receive small group, one-to-one support for specific reasons, e.g. in order to improve their literacy or numeracy skills, keyboarding practice or when additional behaviour support is required.
The curriculum at Key Stage 3 includes the opportunity for many extra visits and activities. Year 7 visit the Roman Wall as part of their History Course, or Whitby is included as a link to a text being studied in English. The pupils are also encouraged to join the theatre visits organised by the English Department on a regular basis.
At Key Stage 4 the MLD students can follow the full range of GCSE courses. They access special arrangements for their examinations such as extra time, a reader or amanuensis. Vocational courses are also offered under the title’ King’s Award.’ This includes courses at Middlesbrough College, and in other areas offered within the Academy such as Performing Arts, Health and Social Care, and Entry Level Courses in Food, Life Skills and Engineering Technology. All MLD pupils participate in the Academy’s Work Experience Programme.
MLD students belong to tutor groups and are encouraged to participate in the full range of extra curricula activities including inter-house competitions.
Facilities
The resources at the Academy are second to none. In all classrooms there is access to ICT and a Sound Field system that benefits all students. In addition there is the MLD Resource room, where a range of reading, numeracy and other learning equipment is available. The department has also invested in good IT programs which can be used on a 1:1 basis. Teachers within the Academy provide excellent, differentiated materials for MLD students. The support team also develop additional games, worksheets and practical equipment. Laptops and voice activated recorders are used when appropriate.
Links
The MLD Support Base works closely with a full range of outside agencies. The Middlesbrough Educational Psychology Service provides advice to help improve students learning and behaviour. The Middlesbrough Inclusion Service supplies a Support Assistant whose focus is solely Behaviour Modification. This department has also trained the MLD assistants in the use if IT programs. Connexions works with all MLD pupils, especially at Key Stage 4, to ensure they have a full range of Careers advice. When necessary other agencies are involved such as Social Services, the C.A.F. team and NACRO.
Sixth Form
MLD students are welcome to access the successful Sixth Form at the Academy. They can follow an individually planned timetable that meets their needs, interests and future aspirations.
Conclusion
The MLD team is dedicated to providing individual support to each student carrying a statement for their Moderate Learning Difficulties. It encourages the pupils to function independently within the mainstream school, participating in the wide range of activities and experiences on offer. High standards of work and behaviour are set by the team with a view to producing confident, happy students. The MLD students continue to benefit from the excellent standard of educational provision provided at the King’s Academy.
Daef and Hearing Impaired (D/HI)
The provision for children who are deaf and hearing impaired is a new creation at the King’s Academy – in the sense that, for the first time, the whole range of specialist, resourced provision is at one school and under one umbrella.
This is not to say that the provision lacks experience or expertise. The D/HI department has developed from two predecessor schools. Coulby Newham School provided places for children with hearing impairments for 25 years, while Deaf education in Middlesbrough has a history going back 100 years. The former Beverley School for the deaf provided for Deaf children for over 40 years before moving into King’s.
Staffing
The staff of the Academy includes 9 teachers of the deaf and 9 teaching assistants with qualifications and experience in hearing impairment. In addition, we employ a BSL Tutor who is herself Deaf. We have a teacher of the deaf on the Senior Management Team of the Academy in Mr. A. Lister, Assistant Principal, and a second, Mrs K Alley is a member of the Leadership Group and an Assistant Vice Principal. Provision for Deaf and Hearing Impaired pupils is led by Mrs. M. Broome, Learning Coordinator. Mr D Brinkley, Audiology Co-ordinator, is responsible for the day to day management of hearing technology as well as liaising with James Cook University Hospital. Many teachers take advantage of our “in house” training opportunities (led by Deaf staff) in order to develop their Sign Language skills and deaf awareness. We currently have two colleagues who are deaf, offering excellent role models for children and staff alike.
Facilities
The Academy buildings, opened in September 2003, were purpose built with the needs of hearing impaired children central to the architect’s brief. We have one of the largest soundfield systems in Britain, with every classroom equipped as part of the building programme. This equipment helps to deliver low volume, high quality sound, throughout every teaching room. It also powers the radio telemetry system, so that children do not have to approach their teachers with transmitters and microphones. High acoustic specifications, carpets in most areas, double glazing and ceiling treatments all help to produce excellent acoustic conditions. A completely new radio telemetry system for deaf children was also purchased as part of our start up plan.
Links
The Academy works closely with James Cook Hospital to offer pupils access to audiological services. Hearing tests, ear mould services, hearing aid replacement and repair are all undertaken in school by qualified, Health Service professionals. We have close links with the Connexions service and are able to offer excellent support from a dedicated careers officer. Middlesbrough LEA currently offers us the services of an Educational Psychologist who specialises in working with deaf children and who is the mother of a deaf child. We also work with the Health Service Speech and Language Therapy Department wherever possible, making time and space available for their staff to work in the Academy.
We engage a Sign Language Interpreter for all major Academy events (Parents Evenings, Open Evenings, Dramatic Performances, etc), so that access is open to all pupils and parents who prefer Sign as their communication mode.
Curriculum and Hearing Impaired Pupils
The mission of the King’s Academy is to provide the very highest quality of educational experience to all our pupils. This is most certainly equally true for Deaf and Hearing Impaired children. All pupils are equal members of the Academy, belonging to tutor groups and our House system. They are encouraged to play a full part in all aspects of Academy life, from drama productions to football teams and from playing music in assembly to the inter house quiz (these are just some of the actual achievements of hearing impaired children in the first years of the Academy). We also run an after school Deaf Club at which deaf and hearing impaired pupils of all ages are encouraged to meet and socialise. This group has included sport coaching and a weekend visit to the Lake District amongst its activities. We also run a Sport Ability club after school, where coaching and enjoyment are offered by staff from the Disability Sports Association.
When it comes to the really serious business of lessons, we again want all children to join in groups at their own ability level. They may be supported in this by LSAs or teachers. Children with hearing impairments can, and do, find themselves in any group, from the very highest academic level to the one offering most support to children with learning difficulties. However, in recognition of the very particular learning needs of some deaf children, we are also able to offer lessons designed and taught by teachers of the deaf. This small group provision, where needed, is the equal of anything offered at a special school for deaf children. We feel that this makes the provision at King’s very special indeed. The overall impact of this range of provision is to offer hearing impaired children a unique educational experience – All the benefits of a top quality City Academy are combined with key features of a special school for the deaf in one establishment.
Sixth Form
Another new opportunity, never previously available to children with a sensory loss in this area, is our 6th Form. Pupils at the Academy are encouraged to think of their school as an 11 to 19 school, at which they are able to continue their studies beyond the statutory leaving age. The opportunity to enjoy the level of support which is available at the Academy represents a significant broadening of the range of choices available at 16+. We have Visually Impaired and Profoundly Deaf students in our first 3 6th Form groups. These students are encouraged to play an equal part in the life of the Academy – Not just through academic work of a high standard, but through leadership and role modelling. We expect 6th Form at King’s to be a great success and are delighted that pupils with a sensory loss are able to share in that success.
Any student who has not been at King’s is very welcome to approach the Academy to find out more information about the opportunities we can offer.
Conclusion
As a school which is home to a community of deaf children, we are constantly looking to improve our deaf awareness and to improve the suitability of both the design and delivery of our curriculum. Hearing impaired children who come to the King’s Academy should expect to work hard, behave well, and achieve success in their studies. We offer what we believe to be an outstanding range of opportunities and we are proud to be able to share those opportunities with hearing impaired children from across the North East.
Visually Impaired (VI)
Our aim is to provide an inclusive education for all pupils with visual impairment within the King’s Academy.
Pupils with visual impairment will enter a community where they will be encouraged to develop their personal, social academic and adaptive skills, through interacting with their sighted and visually impaired peers. They will realise their potential and develop the skills required to lead full lives.
Provision for the visually impaired in Middlesbrough has developed over many years, allowing the King’s Academy to draw on a wealth of experience. Since its opening The King’s Academy has been proud to offer educational opportunities to children with a range of visual impairments, including Braille users.
Who are pupils with a visual impairment?
Visual Impairment is a medical diagnosis which has a massive impact on the pupil’s ability to access the curriculum. The term, “visually impaired” covers the full range of impairment, including those “grey” areas where pupils require a mixture of teaching approaches and those pupils who are registered as blind. We believe that the King’s Academy is able to offer an outstanding range of educational opportunities to these children.
Which pupils may be able to come to the King’s Academy?
Some pupils will have attended Sunnyside Primary School which has a primary resource for the VI.
Some will have attended mainstream primary schools, but are recommended to attend a school with a resource base at Secondary stage.
Not all of these children will have been educated in Middlesbrough – other LEAs can apply for places if they feel unable to meet pupil needs in their own schools.
Students admitted to the King’s Academy are often referred through the Children’s Service for the Visually Impaired, based in Middlesbrough Teaching and Learning Centre, who liaise with the Inclusion Service of Middlesbrough LEA.
Staffing
The staff for visually impaired children is led by Mrs S. Patel, Qualified Teacher of the Visually Impaired (QTVI), our Learning Co-ordinator for VI. She is supported by two full time, qualified and experienced support assistants. In addition we have 3 part time members of staff who work with individual children. Visiting staff currently include a fully qualified and experienced Mobility Officer for the Visually Impaired who is employed by the CSVI.
Selected pupils are taken for mobility training, which includes routes around the school, around the school area, home area and in the area in which the individual pupils use (e.g. local libraries, shops etc.). The Mobility Officer will always be involved at times of change…e.g. one school to another, school to college, work experience placements, or if a pupil’s vision deteriorates.
Inclusion/curriculum/social
All pupils with visual impairment are equal members of the academy, belong to tutor groups and are members of the house system. The rules and regulations and expectations of the Academy apply equally to the pupils with VI. Pupils with VI are encouraged to play a full part in all aspects of academy life, including in recent years, the swimming gala, the productions of Oliver, Bugsy and Hello Dolly, the annual talent competition, and singing in assembly. Pupils with VI have moved on to 6th form, a new opportunity which is available to them for the first time at King’s, and have already achieved outstanding results.
Pupils with Visual Impairment are included in academic mainstream groups at their own ability level. They may be supported in the lesson by the QTVI or by a learning support assistant. There is always a member of support staff in practical lessons, such as food, and science experiments.
Much of the work of the Visually Impaired Department goes on “behind the scenes” - Resources that are used by the mainstream teachers in their lessons have to be adapted for use by the pupils with visual impairment.
Facilities
The Academy building was designed and built to be accessible by children with visual impairments. The building is easy for them to find their way around; there are Braille labels on all the rooms and colour coded areas for those who can see and who have full colour vision. VI pupils learn their way around quickly with the help of the mobility teacher and other pupils.
The computer facilities are excellent and are accessible to all the VI pupils. The IT support department ensure that profiles are individual to the VI pupils.
There is a screen reader system and a Braille translation programme.
The VI Resource has specialist equipment for the pupils to use, including for example, task lighting, “talking” microwave, jug kettle, scales, thermometers, and tape measure, a supply of magnifiers for close work and telescopes/binoculars for distance. The large CCTV is placed in the library to provide magnification of books in situ.
The soundfield system and excellent acoustics which are a feature of the building, are particularly useful to VI pupils who find lip reading difficult and rely heavily on audible information.
Sixth Form
The King’s Academy is an 11 to 19 school and pupils are encouraged to think in those terms. There is no obligation to move on to a new location at 16 – In fact, we are able to offer continuity of support and quality of support which is not available elsewhere. We would like the King’s Academy to become the natural place for children with visual impairments to continue their education beyond the age of 16.
Conclusion
The King’s Academy offers an outstanding range of educational opportunities for children who have visual impairments. They should expect to work hard, behave well and succeed in their studies.
Deaf and Hearing Impaired children at The King’s Academy