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"Snapshot" guidance has been produced considering
the key areas of special needs that may create barriers
to learning. The areas taken from the Code of Practice
(2001) are:
- Communication and Interaction
- Cognition and Learning
- Sensory and/or Physical Needs
- Behaviour, Emotional and Social Development
- Medical Conditions
Specific guidance and differentiation ideas for science
have been written according to these five areas. These
provide a manageable overview including key points,
additional ideas and places where further information
may be found. Some teachers will already be following
many of the suggestions listed, which demonstrates their
good practice and knowledge of this area.
Generally speaking, special needs means pupils experiencing
some difficulty in accessing the full National Curriculum
of Science. Some special needs might be temporary and
others long term. These extremes have been considered.
- The links and ideas are worth exploring since there
is a great deal of material that can enhance both
mainstream and special school teaching.
- A useful summary for teachers to include in their
term planners.
- For continuing professional development.
- Some departments could use the suggestions to fuel
discussion in departmental INSET.
- It can serve as a checklist highlighting areas that
may need further attention.
- In a similar way, the suggestions could be useful
as part of the school-based NQT continuing professional
development schemes.
- Useful for ITT and school-based tutorials for teacher
training sessions with student teachers.
In all areas we would encourage communication between
schools and specialists to enable the sharing of expertise.
Visits by mainstream teachers to special schools (and
visa versa) can prove to be time well spent.
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