Meeting the needs of Students with Learning Difficulties

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Meeting the needs of Students with Learning
Difficulties
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The inclusion agenda encouraged schools to meet
the needs of all children 20 of the school
population have additional needs at some point in
their education 2 of children have their needs
met in Special School The range of difficulties
include physical difficulties, emotional, social
and behavioural difficulties, visual, hearing and
multisensory. Moderate learning, autistic
spectrum disorders and speech, language and
communication difficulties.
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Inclusion Development Programme
IDP 2008
-2011 Aims to improve the outcomes for all
children with SEN and disabilities. Year 1
Speech language and communication including
dyslexia Year 2 Autism National strategies
are designed to provide support and challenge to
LA and schools
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• Key Principles
• Overcoming the barriers to learning
• Setting suitable learning challenges
• Responding to pupils diverse learning needs

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• Practice
• Identify need
• Prioritise learning
• Recognise progress
• Record progress

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They plan lessons carefully so that all
pupils are able to participate can access
the key learning at their own level take some
new learning away with them.
What do good inclusive teachers do? Inclusive
teachers believe that all pupils in all classes
have an entitlement to effective teaching that
raises their learning attainment.
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In successful lessons, pupils are made aware
of what is to be learned how this fits in
with what they already know what the next
steps in their learning will be where the
learning is going over time. that learning can
be fun
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• In the classroom children will achieve if
• Activities are appropriate
• The learning outcomes are appropriate
• The learning environment is secure
• The resources match the needs of the children
• The children receive good quality teaching

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• Meeting the needs of children with SEN
• A graduated approach
• School Action
• School Action Plus
• Statement of Special Educational Need

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SEN Levels

• School Action A 200
• School Action Plus P 75
• Statement of SEN St 30
• (Including 8 DSP pupils)

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At Beckfoot School

• KS3
• Class support. 11 literacy work.
• Spelling and Reading groups. Nurture Group Y7.
• Behaviour support. Anger management. Social
  Skills.
• Self esteem work. Parental support / reviews.
• LSS intervention. Ed Psyc referral.
• Break and lunch time games club( safe haven)
• Homework after school support 2.45 -3.30
• KS4
• Curriculum Support. Youth Award. Life Skills.
  Social skills.
• Class support. 11 literacy. Cooking for life.
• ALF. WRL opportunities. Curriculum options.
• Lunch time ALF support.

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Children with literacy difficulties have very
real problems accessing the curriculum. When the
reading age of the text is inappropriate and
students find difficulty reading and making sense
of it further issues arise. The reading age /
learning levels of the students must be known by
the teacher in order to set the tasks at the
right level.
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SMOG Index

• Used to calculate Reading Age of text
• Select a text
• Count 10 sentences
• Count the number of words which have 3 or more
• syllables
• Multiple this by 3
• Circle the number closest to your answer
• 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81
• Find the square root of the number you circled
• 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81
• 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
• Add 8. This is your readabilty level.

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Reading Age 6- 7 years
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Reading Age 7-8 years    
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Reading Age 9-10 years
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Just because a student can read something does
not mean that they can understand the text.
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Spelling Age Problems with spelling are not
always a sign of low intelligence Some highly
intelligent people cannot spell but they are
frustrated by this inability.
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• The effects of a poor spelling age
• Students try to use words they can spell rather
  than the more sophisticated language they can use
  orally
• People can judge work more by spelling than
  content
• Exams are a great problem

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Original text with a spelling age of 11-12
years Its time to leave
This will be the
last issue of the T. J. Times. Unfortunately,
the paper has neither sold enough copies, nor
enough advertising space to pay its huge bills.
Paper has gone up in price and printers' wages
have increased. The editors hope you have enjoyed
reading the paper and writing articles for it.
Please go on writing letters and articles. What
you think is important and writing is an
excellent way of passing on your thoughts to
other people.  
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Removing Barriers

• Methods for improving access through removing
  barriers might include
• 1 Removing reading barriers through
• Providing a reader staff or student
• Recording information
• Enlarging print
• Simplifying text
• Illustrating text
• Replacing text with pictures/symbols
• 2 Removing writing barriers through
• Providing key words
• Writing frames
• Cloze procedures
• Allowing pictorial recording
• Using tape recorders

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Differentiated Activities to support
reading/writing development

• True/False exercises
• Ask students to state whether statements are
  true or false.
• Categorising
• Ask students to arrange information or
  statements into categories according to what they
  believe or have learnt (eg Materials which
  conduct electricity/Materials which do not
  conduct electricity.)
• Matching Questions and Answers
• Classic comprehension but without the demands of
  independent writing.

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• Cut and paste exercises
• Similar to above but more kinaesthetic. Could
  be taken down to the level of matching key words
  with appropriate pictures.
• Cloze procedure
• Passages with words missed out. These can be
  subject specific words to test knowledge or words
  that convey meaning to language. Words may or
  not be given underneath.
• Sequencing Activities
• Reading material is chopped into chunks,
  paragraphs or sentences. Students have to
  arrange them into a meaningful passage.
  Particularly useful for reinforcing instructions
  and sequential lists eg recipes or experiment
  instructions.
• Underlining or Highlighting
• Ask students to underline or highlight answers
  in a passage.

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Differentiation by resource

• Paper Colour
• White paper can cause glare especially on a
  sunny day. Students with specific learning
  difficulties may find it hard to concentrate on
  white paper as it may encourage the words to
  dance. Use pastel colours or provide coloured
  overlays. Colour coded worksheets may help with
  organisation.
• Space
• Give a paragraph or passage its own clear space.
• Text Size/Style
• Text should be easy to read. Use a simple font.
  Size should preferably be at least 14 and never
  less than 12. However, variation in size and
  font can help with emphasis.

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• Emphasis
• Almost any change will give emphasis within
  text bold, italics, change of size, change of
  font. You might for instance want to emphasise
  keywords or concepts.
• Line Breaks
• Make line breaks at phrase or sentence ends
  where possible try not to orphan odd words or
  spilt important names or concepts.
• Is the reading level appropriate?
• Avoid long sentences with lots of clauses. Do
  not avoid technical language but provide
  definitions if necessary.
• Illustrations
• Relevance and clarity are crucial they need to
  enhance text rather than distract. For
  struggling readers you can replace words with
  pictures/symbols. Make sure that pictures are
  near enough to the relevant passage but not so
  near that they encroach on space.

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Useful sources of information
www.teachernet QCA www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/nati
onalstrategies www.dcsf.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk w
ww.teachingexpertise.com www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk
www.ican.org.uk www.pscales.com www.nasen.org.uk
www.nas.org.uk
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Thank you