Secondary schools invited to enter Stronger Than Hate Challenge
A powerful challenge which empowers secondary school students to tackle hate within their communities is being launched across the UK this week. The annual Stronger Than Hate Challenge encourages students aged 13-18 to use their creativity to show how testimony can bring communities closer together. Entries can take the form of a video, poem, song, blog or piece of art and a first prize of £5000 plus iPads is on offer. Full rules and submission details are available here. The Stronger Than Hate Challenge demonstrates the power of learning from the past and raising one’s voice to counter hate. The Challenge is presented by USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education (USC Shoah Foundation) and Discovery Education, the worldwide EdTech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Founded after the making of Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List, USC Shoah Foundation collects audio visual testimonies from survivors and witnesses of genocides around the world, preserving their stories for future generations. Pupils taking part in the Stronger Than Hate Challenge can listen to these stories and be inspired to produce a piece of work which reflects the power of testimony to tackle hate. “Student voices have the power to change the world. The Stronger Than Hate Challenge empowers students to raise their voices through the power of storytelling to not only counter hate, but promote empathy, understanding, and respect as well,” said Lesly Culp, USC Shoah Foundation’s Interim Director of Education. “We are eager to see the submissions this year and thank Discovery Education for their continued partnership. Together, we are building a more just and equitable society through education.” Previous finalists and winners submitted projects on a range of relevant and impactful topics that addressed hate in their communities. The 2021 UK winner – Elizabeth Stickland from Attleborough Academy in Norfolk – was awarded first prize after writing a powerful poem about how communities can overcome prejudice. Second place was awarded to Guildford student Callum Halkett, who wrote about the devastating impact of drugs. The Stronger Than Hate Challenge, which can be self-guided or teacher-led, provides students with a platform to address key issues in their communities by creating projects addressing the themes of identity, diversity, inclusion, and more. Stronger Than Hate is being launched for the third time in the UK along with special classroom resources to help teachers and pupils recognise and counter hate and discrimination. Freely available at TeachingWithTestimony.com/challenge-uk, these expert resources and videos will empower students to employ empathy, build critical-thinking skills and become inspired to create a brighter future after listening to first-hand accounts from survivors and witnesses of genocide. Discovery Education has also collaborated with USC Shoah Foundation to produce special age-appropriate resources for younger children in the UK. These are available to primary schools through Discovery Education Espresso – an award-winning, cross curricular digital learning service for teachers and pupils supporting the delivery of the National Curriculum and the successful integration of digital media into teaching and learning. “The Stronger Than Hate Challenge exemplifies the power of connecting students to social and emotional learning as a tool to improve the world,” said Lori McFarling, President of Social Impact at Discovery Education. “Since 2018, we’ve had the honour to collaborate with USC Shoah Foundation on this important initiative. Social and emotional wellness is critical for growth and confidence, and we are committed to empowering students with the resources they need to combat hate and build resilient empathy.” The Stronger than Hate Challenge closes on May 26th 2022. Learn more about the Challenge and the partnership at TeachingWithTestimony.com/challenge-uk . For more information about Discovery Education’s digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.co.uk and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Dealing with student suicide – help when you need it most
With students’ mental health being such a high profile concern after the last two challenging years, it may be a good time to ask if your establishment is prepared for the worst possible scenario? Being ‘suicide ready’ is an uncomfortable and unattractive notion. It is, of course, a devastating event if it happens in any school, college or university. What do we do? How should we respond? Where do we start? Samaritans specialist Step by Step service for schools, colleges or anywhere young people come together, is available to help. There is no charge for the service. The response to a suicide in any institution needs to be prompt, proactive and proportionate. It needs to have clear priorities. All of this can be achieved in a professional and well-organised manner if it has been thought about, discussed and planned in advance. A comprehensive ‘Critical Incident Plan’ which is specific enough to account for a death from suspected suicide, (as opposed to one through illness or accident) is strongly recommended. Samaritans’ Step by Step service offers these three strands of support. Helping to create an effective Critical Incident Plan A trained Step by Step Advisor can meet with staff to help create a ‘Death of a Student through Suspected Suicide Policy.’ A plan is created based on good practice gathered from working with a range of educational establishments. If there is no plan in place, the session can help create an outline which can be adapted to meet the school/university and its individual circumstances. If there is already such a plan in place, advisors can suggest refinements and identify any gaps. Support in the aftermath of an incident The second area of support is where a death by suspected suicide has just been reported. Following a phone call to the Step by Step administrator an Advisor is allocated. He or she will be available by phone or e-mail and if appropriate, in person, to help guide events, to ask and answer questions, and to assist in any way possible. This may, for example, be help with breaking the news, support for students and colleagues, handling the media, preventing suicide contagion, providing advice on the wording of communications, liaison with the family of the deceased, discussion about memorials, and so on. Most importantly it gives staff someone to turn to for confidential support and advice through an incredibly distressing and challenging time. Reviewing the effectiveness of the Critical Incident Plan after an incident Samaritans can also attend a review meeting, perhaps a month or two after an incident, to help look back at how well the existing Critical Incident Plan worked in managing the aftermath of a death. This has usually presented an opportunity to share good practice and has resulted in amendments to an existing plan in order to manage a more comprehensive response should it be required again. Samaritans Step by Step Advisors cover the whole of the UK and ROI. They have received special and intensive training for work in postvention, critical incident planning and support. All are also active listening volunteers on Samaritans helpline (Freephone 116 123). Step by Step can be contacted by any educational establishment, from primary schools to universities and other Higher Education Institutions. The service is ready and willing to help and support in distressing circumstances. It can be contacted on 0808 168 2528 or at stepbystep@samaritans.org. Content by Geoff Rickson, former headteacher and Samaritans Step by Step advisor
Teaching Crisis Looms with 90% set to quit the classroom before they retire
Fewer than one in ten teachers plan to stay in their jobs until retirement, a survey has found. Just nine per cent of teachers said they would only leave teaching on retirement – a figure that remained the same across the state and private school sectors. A wide-ranging survey of 4,690 teachers by Teacher Tapp for Bett 2022, the world’s biggest education technology event [MUST LEAVE] showed that parental engagement had become more positive with schools in the wake of the pandemic peak, with more carers asking the schools more about well-being than any other topic. Teachers also overwhelmingly found education technology more of a help than a hindrance during the pandemic, with two-thirds saying they found the platforms and apps connecting students and schools helpful or very helpful. POOR BEHAVIOUR AND LACKLUSTRE LEADERSHIP In a survey for Bett 2022, teachers were asked aside from hours, pay and conditions, what would be the biggest issue which would most drive them away from the classroom. Problems with their superiors and management teams were the biggest factor in making teachers decide to quit, with 34 per cent of teachers citing it as their main push factor. Private school teachers were a lot more likely to be driven out by management problems – with 49 per cent reporting it as the biggest deciding factor compared to 32 per cent in the state sector. Pupil behaviour was the second greatest contributor to forcing teachers out – with 18 per cent citing this as their top reason. Secondary teachers – 25 per cent – were more than twice as likely to quit because of pupil behaviour than primary teachers – 12 per cent. Just eight per cent of private school teachers would quit over behaviour compared to 19 per cent of state teachers. Shifting expectations on curriculum delivery was cited by 15 per cent of teachers while pressure from government to catch up pupils was the biggest motivator to quit for ten per cent. Parental pressure would be the main reason to quit for just six per cent of teachers – although more than twice as many private school teachers cited this – 11 per cent – compared to state – 5 per cent. EDTECH Around two-thirds of teachers have found EdTech helpful or very helpful during the pandemic. As lessons and timetabling switched online, teachers had to quickly roll out new ways of learning, getting to grips with technology that they may have barely used at all before. Some 63 per cent of primary teachers said they found the technology helpful or helpful while in secondary schools, the number was 68 per cent. Just five per cent of all teachers thought EdTech had not helped them in the pandemic. PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT One positive factor that has emerged from the pandemic is that teachers reported greater constructive parental engagement. One in three teachers found parents engaged with them more constructively since the pandemic, whereas 20 per cent said that engagement had become less constructive. Almost half of teachers saw no change in the level of engagement. Parents were most concerned about wellbeing and mental health, followed closely by academic results, curriculum, wanting to understand the exams process and engaging teachers over administrative issues and logistics such as timetabling. Headteachers were more likely to engage with parents over wellbeing and mental health (37 per cent) compared to classroom teachers (24 per cent). The survey was conducted by Teacher Tapp for Bett 2022, the biggest educational technology show in the world. Thousands of teachers and education leaders are set to attend the show, which takes place at London’s ExCeL centre on March 23-25. Eve Harper, director of Bett, said: “Our research shows the huge strain that the pandemic has placed on teachers. We must future-proof our education system by using technology to take pressure away from teachers. “There are solutions out there that can take away some of the administrative and repetitive burdens. There are also technological advances that can inspire and fuel a love for learning. This is underlined in our findings, that two-thirds of teachers found EdTech helpful or very helpful. “Parents probably remember their school days being filled with teachers struggling with overhead projectors. Those days are long gone and it seems that teachers have become digital whizzes, mastering a plethora of platforms and apps within weeks. “Nothing can replace a teacher though and it is for all of us, school leaders, parents and innovators, to show them they’re valued..” Research for Bett published recently (January) also showed that teachers feared pupils had been left at least 18 months behind by the pandemic.
‘Wobble stools’ and the positive impact of active learning for children with ADHD
With the success of the School Supplier wobble stool trial, why have they and standing desks had such a positive impact? Movement Breaks vs Active Learning We know some children with ADHD are more relaxed and more able to concentrate and retain information when they can move or fidget. It is difficult for many to sit still for long periods of time so naturally squirm in their seats or rock their chair on two legs, often displaying what we consider disruptive behaviour such as kicking desk legs or making noises. One solution employed by many is to introduce ‘ Movement Breaks’. Asking the pupil to leave the classroom to run an errand to partake in a pre-organised physical exercise. The issue with this of course is that the child is being asked to miss portions of the lessons and although may be beneficial to the rest of the class to reduce perceived disruption, we are failing the individual. Upon the child’s return, anxiety levels are instantly raised as they know they will now be asked to remain still again for a set duration, impacting upon behaviour, concentration, focus and memory. It is then common for ‘disruptive’ behaviour to return in a matter of minutes. Why Active Learning works: One of the principle influences on the way in which the brain of a child with ADHD works is something to do with what’s called dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is the pleasure based, reward-based neurochemical that helps significantly contribute to the ability to focus and concentrate. Children with ADHD have what’s called dopaminergic dysregulation. Dopamine is not being transmitted around the brain as effectively or successfully as neurotypical children and that impacts upon their ability to pay attention and focus, what we call attentional dis-regulation. Understanding this, we understand why a child with ADHD is feeling so much, because it stimulates the transmission of dopamine around the brain and helps them to focus and concentrate. It is of course not unique to children diagnosed with ADHD . There is a range of other conditions that would also benefit. Looking at children with dyspraxia, different ways of sitting at a desk or related to surfaces can work really well for them. The feedback has been amazing on our try before you buy scheme for the wobble stools such as below: “If you take the trial stool back, you have to take the child with you” “It’s really good it helps me focus” “We felt that they helped a couple of the children that we trialled them with to concentrate for longer while sitting at their table without needing movement breaks” We offer a trial for schools to ensure they are suitable as we know not every child is the same, so if you would like to take part, please visit www.schoolsupplier.co.uk , call 01704871901 or email info@schoolsupplier.co.uk
Dr Anna Kennedy selected as autism Ambassador of the Year by IAOTP
The founder of a UK autism charity is celebrating being honoured by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). Dr Anna Kennedy was recently selected as Top Autism Ambassador of the Year by the IAOTP. The award was for her outstanding leadership, dedication and contributions to autistic children, parents of autistic children, professionals, media and all who are concerned with autism. Dr Kennedy has more than 23 years of professional experience as an educator, mother and autism ambassador and campaigner after setting up a support group and later a charity in her name. After diagnoses of asperger’s syndrome for Anna’s eight-year-old son and Autism for her five-year-old son, Anna and her husband Sean started an autism support group. A stunning 275 families joined, sparking their idea to open a special school, a project they completed by remortgaging their home and raising a significant amount of funds.. Anna has now cofounded two schools and an adult vocational centre. As the Chairperson and founder of Anna Kennedy Online Autism Charity, her team of volunteers actively incorporates workshops, training, legal advice, and speaking engagements across UK. Additionally, they update social media and the AnnaKennedyOnline website to remain current. The President of IAOTP, Stephanie Cirami, commented: “We are honored to have Dr Anna Kennedy a part of the IAOTP family. “She is brilliant at what she does, has tremendous foresight and her advocacy skills are unmatched. We know she is an amazing asset to our network of professionals. We are looking forward to meeting her at the Annual Awards Gala this year.” Dr Kennedy is an active member of the autism community and serves as an ambassador for the Special Dreams Foundation, Includability and Born Anxious. She is a committee member of LOANI, Ladies of All Nations International Group, and a patron who supports DaisyChain, Square Peg Foundation, Kilmarock Horse Rescue, Autism Support Crawley, Cheshire Autism Practical Support and Hillingdon SEND. Throughout her illustrious career, Anna has received awards, accolades and was recognized worldwide for her commitment to raising autism awareness and helping those on the spectrum. Looking back, Dr Kennedy attributes her success to Patrick and Angelo, her two sons, who have been the driving force of her charity. She believes it is important amongst a growing community to make help, support and advice available to all. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and sharing her journey to inspire others. For the future, she will continue to fight hard for all diagnosed with autism, so their voices are heard and improve educational and other resources for individuals, families and care takers who are touched by autism. Dr Kennedy’s biography, ‘Not Stupid’, her story of the struggles she faced while setting up a school for her boys and how she improved the quality of life for her sons and other children with autism, is available on Amazon. For more information on Dr Anna Kennedy please visit: www.annakennedyonline.com
Fears over teacher and classroom assistant shortages
Three-quarters of education employers expect to encounter a shortage of suitable teaching professionals over the next 12 months according to new research. The research, launched by Hays Education found that the same amount (75%) of schools have experienced recruitment difficulties over the past 12 months. Classroom-based support staff have been the most difficult to hire over the past 12 months (45%) followed by teachers (43%) and other support staff such as administration, recruitment, and office staff (24%). Other areas of skills shortages include teaching professionals in science (22%), maths (21%), SEND (22%) and specialist teaching assistants (20%). The Hays Education Salary & Recruiting Trends 2022 guide, based on a survey of over 2,500 employers and employees from a range of education settings revealed that employers need to focus on career development opportunities to better attract and retain teaching talent throughout this year and beyond. Aside from salary, career development was cited as the most important factor in attracting staff yet close to two-thirds (59%) of professionals working in education said their employer doesn’t regularly discuss their career plans with them. Skills challenges affecting employee morale across the teaching profession As education settings battle with skills shortages, over half (55%) of education leaders report that skills shortages have had an impact on employee morale, with a third (33%) reporting an increase in absenteeism due to stress. 42% of respondents say skills shortages are negatively impacting teachers, with the same percentage (42%) reporting negative impacts for classroom-based support staff. Nearly half (48%) of respondents said they believe the main cause of skills shortages in education is fewer professionals entering the job market in the sector, alongside 26% who say the main cause is people leaving to join another industry. Almost a third (29%) of professionals moved jobs in the last year, and a further 35% considered doing so. The main reasons professionals left were because of a poor work-life balance (20%), their salary being too low (17%) and a lack of career development opportunities (16%). Commenting on the research, Paul Matthias, National Director of Hays Education, said: “It’s been a challenging couple of years across the education sector and it’s clear that skills shortages are not only having a negative impact on the potential to hire new staff – staff are also feeling the strain. As well as offering opportunities for upskilling across the sector, and hiring for potential, leaders need to be encouraging existing staff to identify their own skills gaps to provide the right training to support their development. Taking the time to discuss roles, responsibilities and putting career progression plans in place will also be vital – especially as the pandemic may well have caused some staff to take on additional responsibilities. A focus on facilitating a more positive work-life balance and putting practical initiatives in place to better support employee wellbeing will also be essential in supporting existing workforces, as well as helping to attract new talent.” In response to the survey findings, Stephen Morales, Chief Executive Officer of ISBL said: “ISBL was pleased to support Hays Education in undertaking this important sector research into salary and recruitment trends in education. “These findings should help school leaders, governors and trustees manage recruitment and retention risks and also identify new opportunities in the education labour market. “It is important that all education professionals continue to engage in meaningful CPD and that employers invest in the development of their teams. It is disappointing that 59% of those surveyed don’t feel supported or encouraged to pursue professional development opportunities. “Staff costs represent the largest proportion of school budgets. The retention, ongoing development and optimum deployment of this key resource are significant factors in the success of a school or trust.” To access the full report, visit: https://www.hays.co.uk/education-salary-guide
Headteacher criticises government refusal to ban mobile phones in schools
The Head of a local independent day and boarding school in Bushey, St Margaret’s, has spoken out today following the recent news that Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi has decided not to go ahead with the plan to ban mobile phones from schools across England. Like many other teachers, Lara Péchard, believes that young people’s relationships with their mobile phones have changed as a result of the pandemic and not for the better. Schools like St Margaret’s have already banned their use in a bid to redress the balance and nurture the right behaviours, but in a way that is also sensitive to the needs and pressures young people face today. Ms Péchard explained: “We have a ‘no mobile phones’ policy at my school. As a result, it is very unusual to see a student using their mobile during the school day. That said, banning phones is not the only consideration for schools. Like many others, I also have concerns about how we model good behaviour around phone usage, and I feel we have a duty of care to our young people to help them find a healthy balance.” Many parents with teenage children will have understandably struggled to maintain routines and rules around mobile phone usage, particularly during the past lockdowns. As a result, Ms Péchard believes that teenagers have enjoyed, or perhaps in some cases endured, more unfettered access, which can be difficult to manage. She continued: “We have started to tackle this issue with staff and parents through training and pastoral webinars, and we are considering carefully how we encourage screen-free time and balance. After all, it isn’t just teenagers who used their phones more often during the pandemic; we have all found distraction, comfort and social interaction through mobile phones. The average teenager will quite rightly be quick to highlight the hypocrisy of your overuse when challenging theirs, so modelling the right behaviour has to be the priority.” For St Margaret’s School, spending time on tackling the overuse and the need that the phone fulfils, is a key focus. “We need more open conversations at school and at home about the behaviour that we might not like. We need to do this in a way that engages and attempts to understand, empathise and support our young people. We should try to outline our concerns and consequences rather than offering sanction or judgement. In my experience, I’ve also found that real life cases, anonymised, create very powerful messages, such as the health risks around deterioration of eyesight and poor physical health,” said Ms Péchard. On the Government’s decision, Ms Péchard said: “It is disappointing that the Government has chosen to avert a ban in schools, particularly in light of the increasing cases of mental illness in our young. We should be doing all we can to protect their wellbeing and reduce the health risks, many of which are clearly associated with excessive mobile phone use.”
Leading education partner Whizz Education on hand to help with real time assessment
Recovery and Assessment By Emma Ringe, Schools Director, Whizz Education Real-Time Assessment and reporting on children’s progress across the whole school, are some of the most significant challenges facing schools today. It can come at a substantial cost yet often does not provide the information needed to gain the insights to make robust decisions. EdTech offers solutions but can over promise and under deliver if not implemented correctly and as part of an educational programme tied to clear objectives. Programmes need to be linked to real-time learning analytics into students’ progress and levels of learning in addition to capacity building, data-driven course correction, ongoing pedagogic support plus high impact tutoring. These elements need to come together to be able to monitor progress effectively and will have a higher impact on improving attainment than EdTech alone. In early 2020, Roskear Primary School was looking for a solution to target pupils with SEND and those not on track to achieve age related expectations, to support their learning goals in maths and make it easy to track progress. Miss Furnish, Headteacher, Roskear Primary School, explains: “Any investment in EdTech needs to be considered carefully as full commitment from teaching staff and students is needed to get the best out of any solution. Working in partnership and collaboration with Whizz Education ensures we have been able to achieve this engagement across our school, maximising our investment and the results now speak for themselves.” Jess Morris-Marsham Maths Leader, Team Leader for Years 3 and 4 and Year 5 Teacher at Roskear Primary School continues: “Every half term, we assess standardised age scores. The results have shown accelerated progress. For example, our most recent assessments identified the Year 2 pupils who were below ARE in the autumn. Following the after-school interventions, where children used the Maths-Whizz virtual tutor for two hours per week, each one of those children had reached ARE within six weeks.” Real-time, continuous formative assessment is one of the keys to addressing the issue of recovery. We need to know where children are in relation to their ability and attainment as this enables teaching staff to identify, prioritise and address gaps in learning. Virtual tutors generate data analytics in real-time, as an automatic by-product of their learning, providing continuous assessment data. This has allowed teachers and Whizz Education to track learning progress and loss. Roskear teachers are now empowered and picking this up themselves since staff training on ‘5-minute analysis of data’. They can now identify struggling students and know how to use the virtual tutor to address this. Roskear acts upon the data and has arranged after school clubs for extra access to the virtual tutor for the lowest attaining 20% of students. Meaningful assessment also requires a standard learning metric that benchmarks every student in a school. We have found that the Maths Ages of Year 6 students determined over time by continuous assessment informs teachers where to focus the class teaching. It means Data-driven instruction can be embedded in the school day. We use analytics generated by the virtual tutor, synthesised with qualitative feedback and reflections from our Education Success Partners to enable the implementation plan to be refined so students and teachers realise the full benefits of individualised tutoring. We refer back to the objectives of improving ARE and increasing the Maths-Age for example, by working in collaboration with schools to understand the context, any challenges and behaviours, and then we develop a course correction to improve performance. Data can also be used to compare students’ progress with performance in a school’s chosen third party assessment. For example: alongside the quality face-to-face classroom teaching, during Autumn term, the Maths-Whizz virtual tutor has helped 86% of Roskear children attending after school Maths-Whizz sessions increase their STAR Maths score. For children attending in school sessions 72% had increased STAR Maths score. Reliable data can be used to supply to boards of governors and OFSTED. Whizz Education collaborates with schools across the UK to identify specific learning objectives and develop strategic implementation plans. By working together, we can make a significant contribution to recovery through data driven, continuous assessment programmes designed to spot learning gaps and enabling teachers to give targeted support without additional burden. To find out more visit: www.whizz.com
Forest School and autism at Quorn Hall School
Forest School is a type of outdoor education that takes place in natural spaces and encourages participants to develop personal, social, and practical skills. Quorn Hall, a provision for students with social, emotional and mental health difficulties as well as autistic profiles, boasts an impressive amount of space for their own beautiful on-site Forest School site. Forest School became a phenomenon in the UK and was soon being offered to people of all ages and abilities. Amongst those who benefited from this way of learning were participants who struggle in a traditional classroom setting including pupils with autism. There is a growing body of evidence to prove a link between increased well-being, higher achievement, and access to nature. There are many individual stories illustrating the positive influence which Forest School has had on its autistic participants. What can Forest School at Quorn Hall School offer children with autism? When these approaches are brought together by an autism-aware practitioner, autistic children have an opportunity to thrive. As a result, Forest School at Quorn Hall offers: 1. A person-centered approach doesn’t only consider the differences or difficulties someone may have. Special interests are welcomed and encouraged in the woods and are a great way to engage people. 2. Quorn Hall’s Forest School staff recognise that autism brings with it various strengths. These are often selective and focused. Some participants may choose to engage purely on a visual basis by staring into a fire, for instance. As a result, they can be encouraged further by developing their fire starting skills, experimenting with a range of materials, they can be encouraged to learn about the fire triangle and how to sustain a fire. They can then go on and learn how to cook on an open fire. 3. The team at Quorn Hall encourages an interest in and a love for nature. Their Forest School develops participants’ skills, knowledge and understanding centered around nature. It also includes learning skills about survival and bushcraft. When this comes together with the passion and focus autism brings, great things can happen. 4. The UK has some incredible role models for young people with autism, who also share a love of nature. Sir David Attenborough, Bear Grylls and Ray Mears are just some of our best-known wildlife, bushcraft and survival experts. As well as presenting TV nature shows and being a best-selling author, Chris Packham is also a tireless campaigner for the environment and has been diagnosed with autism which he has written about and discussed on TV. 5. The benefits of being in an open and natural environment. This realisation helps the practitioner to better empathise with people who are experiencing differences in their sensory processing. Sensory rooms often seem to feature recordings of running water, wind or rainfall, and gently shifting light. All of this is often available in the woods, in the breeze through the branches and the clouds slowly drifting by above the trees. Forest School works in partnership with the participant and their supporters to meet their sensory needs. There is a rich sensory environment that can be explored in Quorn Hall or, if there is a need to reduce stimuli, quiet spaces can be created in sitting spots, dens, tents or hammocks. 6. Building up confidence, resilience and self-esteem are central to the Forest School approach at Quorn Hall. Recognising individual achievement is hugely important. For some participants, this may be through repeating the same exercise over and over again, or adjusting it slightly. It could mean that an individual tries a different type of food that has been cooked on the fire that they wouldn’t normally try, or they show an improved ability to interact with others patiently. 7. Social interaction can happen at the participant’s own pace. This approach allows space for people who are becoming overloaded, and people can join in with a group activity or seek their own solitary activities. Participants may lack confidence to begin with or simply feel content just sitting and watching before deciding to take part after gaining confidence to join in on their own terms. 8. The Forest School ethos maintains that everyone is a learner. Teachers, support staff, and Forest School practitioners are encouraged to reflect and learn alongside the children they teach. This is a great motivator for autism learners. This process encourages the adults involved in their support to learn about the autism child and to appreciate their individuality, gifts, sensory needs, and communication needs. The relationships built at Forest School, together with the observations made, can be carried over into the rest of the child’s education and help them to reach their full potential. To learn more visit www.quornhallschool.com