Interconnections Multi-Disciplinary Information Service


6. Sunfield Professional Development Centre
SUMMER PROGRAMME April – July 2005 For further information and outlines of each course, please contact:- The Administration Manager Professional Development Training & Research Department (PDT) Sunfield Clent Stourbridge West Midlands DY9 9PB Tel No: (01562) 883183 Fax No: (01562) 881316 Email: Rosew@sunfield.worcs.sch.uk 20 April - Mums the Word - A WORKSHOP FOR MUMS PDC/180/05 Co-ord. by: Sally Conway, Family Services Co-ordinator A day for mums of children with special needs. The morning will enable mums to share experiences and listen to Gail Hanrahan and Charlotte Moore (author of George & Sam). While the afternoon will enable mums to be pampered and experience alternative therapies administered by students from the Royal College for the Blind, Hereford and a local therapist, Jane Doyle. Please see separate flyer for details. Course Cost per Delegate: £10.00 9 May 10 May (repeat) 12 May (repeat) Teaching Assistant’s Conferences Communication – the challenge to the child with Autistic Spectrum Disorder PDC/185/05 PDC/186/05 PDC/187/05 Led by: Team from Sunfield School Building on the tremendous success of our previous Teaching Assistants Conferences, we are offering the one day course on 3 separate days to ensure there will be places for everyone who wants to attend. Through short lecture inputs, workshops and discussion, we will seek to explore some of the current approaches used by practitioners to support the development of communication skills in children with ASD Course Cost per Delegate: £25.00 11 May - Autism as a Fruit Salad *(half day – 2.00 p.m. – 4.00 pm)* PDC/190/05 Led by: Donna Williams Donna Williams is a person diagnosed with Autism, a Sociologist and qualified teacher and the author of eight published books including Autism; An Inside Out Approach and her international best-selling autobiography Nobody Nowhere (all available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers www.jkp.com). Donna is an international public speaker, a consultant, as well as a painter, sculptor and composer. There is NO ONE THING CALLED AN 'AUTISM SPECTRUM CONDITION'. What if Autism Spectrum Conditions are the combined developmental effect of combinations of things and not single conditions? What if they are ‘cluster conditions’? What if an Autism Spectrum condition is not like a piece of fruit but more like a fruit salad? The combinations in those fruit salads might differ from person to person and, so, the best collection of approaches, treatments and adaptations would differ too. One-size-fits-all-approaches which assume they address a single condition would be limited. But, if we could identify the ingredients in each person’s ‘fruit salad’, then we might have the basics for an individualised program based on the systems at work for that particular person. All people with an Autism Spectrum Condition have an ‘information processing difference’ to non-autistic people. Commonly though, they may also have anxiety, mood or compulsive disorders and combinations of more 'Autistic’ personality traits, each with their own set of natural motivations and distresses, which may run counter to non-autistic ‘normality’ and which many non-autistic people may find as 'odd', 'strange', 'abnormal' or alien as the non-autistic person's world may look to the person on the Autistic Spectrum! This lecture will lay out the ingredients commonly found in those ‘fruit salads’ and the very different treatments, approaches and adaptations found useful in reducing the disability issues associated with each so that the abilities can more easily shine through. Course Cost per Delegate: £10.00 (Parent & Carers) £25.00 (Professionals) 19 May Sherborne Developmental Movement – Level 2 PDC/195/05 Led by:George Hill, Sherborne Consultant Having first been taught by Veronica Sherborne in the mid 1970’s George has been involved with S.D.M in many varying roles – firstly using it with client groups made up of adults with learning difficulties, latterly as a lecturer, leading courses in the U.K and abroad. He is also a founder member of the Sherborne Association U.K. This course is a follow up from S.D.M – Level 1/Taster day (delegates are expected to have attended this level). Aim: To share and reflect on practice, to develop observation and analysis skills; to develop planning and management skills and to extend personal movement vocabulary. This course will benefit you by: Building on knowledge previously learnt. Extending your knowledge and awareness of the theory and principles of S.D.M. Strengthen your practice through the sharing of experiences with fellow participants. Through knowledge gained, increase your confidence in the use of S.D.M. Widen your ability to use S.D.M from a broadening perspective. At the end of this course those participating will have: Acquired access to further training in S.D.M. Had an opportunity to develop and sharpen skills of observation and analysis of movement experiences. Been given the tools to develop movement experiences in a creative way, thus broadening personal movement vocabulary and repertoire Course Cost per Delegate: £97.50 8 June - The Life Limited Child PDC/205/05 Led by: Erica Brown – Head of Research & Development, Acorn Children’s Hospices Erica Brown is Head of Research and Development for Acorns Children’s Hospices. She was formerly Director of Special Education at Oxford Brooke’s University and has longstanding senior management experience in mainstream and special schools, colleges and universities. Erica has published and lectured nationally and internationally in the fields of special education, spiritual, religious and cultural care, palliative care and bereavement. Erica is a qualified school inspector and the mum of twins born with a life-limiting illness. In the United Kingdom there are over 10,000 children with profound and complex disabilities. Many of these children have associated chronic medical conditions and some will have life-limiting illnesses. For many children and their families school provides a place for the celebration of personal achievements and social interaction, but caring for this vulnerable group of children makes huge demands on staff. The course sets out to help participants gain greater insight into the valuable role schools and individual staff make in helping families cope with the fact their child is dying. The impact that illness has on children’s holistic development will be explored and course members will have opportunities to reflect on ways of supporting families (including brother and sisters) and how to care for colleagues and themselves. Finally we will share ways to mark a child’s death. The course will benefit you by: Providing an insight into the statutory framework for the education of life limited children; Helping you to consider the impact of life-limiting illness on individual pupil’s holistic development, including their educational attainment; Helping you to understand individual life-limited children’s emotional response and cognitive understanding of their illness; Providing scope to explore ways of marking a child’s death. Suggesting strategies for supporting families, colleagues and yourself. At the end of the course those participating will have: Increased their understanding of life-limiting illnesses and its impact on individual children and their families; Increased their understanding of the caring role of the school in supporting life-limited children and their families; Participated in workshops and discussions; Had an opportunity to view and purchase a range of resource materials to support them in their professional role. Course Cost per Delegate: £80.00 22 & 23 June Structured Teaching for Pupils with ASD – An Introduction (2-Day) PDC/210/05 Led by: Iain Chatwin & Deb Rattley, UK TEACCH Trainers Deb Rattley is a UK TEACCH Trainer. She has wealth of experience in teaching children with special educational needs. She is Assistant Head of Education at Sunfield. Iain Chatwin is also a UK TEACCH Trainer with over twenty years experience of working with young people with learning difficulties and ASD This course will look at the key elements of a structured teaching approach, from principles to practical implementation. Examples will be drawn from both classroom and home-based applications. This course will benefit you by developing your awareness of the impact of ASD on people’s learning and providing practical advice on using a structured teaching approach. At the end of the course those participating will have the basic knowledge required to develop individualised structured teaching programmes Course Cost per Delegate: £185.00 24 June - Sex and the 3Rs – Rights, Relationships & Responsibilities PDC/215/05 Led by: David Stewart, OBE - Head Teacher, The Shepherds School David Stewart OBE is Head Teacher of the Shepherd School in Nottingham where he has taught for the last 25 years. The school has been actively working in the area of sex and relationship education for the last twenty years and David has a national reputation for work with schools and families in this area of work. He was instrumental in the revision of “Living Your Life” a major resource for young people with learning difficulties and the development of the recent resource “Listen to Us”. The school is an active supporter of Healthy Schools Standard and holds the Pamela Sheridan Award for its work in Sex Education. All young people require support as they grow up but for those with special educational needs, ensuring that they have access to supportive and effective Sex and Relationship Education is vital. If we are to ensure that they lead safe and happy lives they require an education which provides accurate information and strategies to enable them to cope with what can seem a very confusing world. Schools have a lead role to play in this education and it is important they feel confident to support pupils and students and work closely with parents and families as well as with other agencies to ensure consistency of approach. The course covers many areas in aspects of learning, the law, policy and practice in schools, issues of personal and intimate care, resources, as well as ideas for working with young people. The course will benefit you by: Providing information and ideas and opportunities for staff to discuss what can be complex areas of learning for both staff and pupils. Discussion of policies and practices within schools Exploring strategies for teaching SRE Exploring resources. At the end of this course those participating will have: Improved knowledge and skills Greater awareness of the issues involved Greater confidence to approach this area of learning Course Cost per Delegate: £97.50 25 June - Sex and everything you need to tell your son/daughter with special needs - A WORKSHOP FOR DADS PDC/220/05 Led by: David Stewart, OBE - Head Teacher, The Shepherds School This workshop is specifically for dads of youngsters with special needs and will help to give them the confidence to tackle what can be a delicate subject for all parents. Please see separate flyer for details. Course Cost per Delegate: £10.00 28 June - An introduction to Makaton (basic sign language) PDC/225/05 Led by: Linda Hardy & Jan Millward, Makaton Trainers, Sunfield Linda and Jan have been Makaton tutors since 1998. They have worked at Sunfield for a number of years and currently have the responsibility to train all staff on Makaton, as well as working as Team Leaders looking after children with severe and complex learning needs. This course will benefit you by: • Giving you the skills and confidence to implement Makaton in your workplace. At the end of this course those participating will have: Understanding and knowledge of stages 1 – 4. Brief insight into stages 5-8. Additional signs from resource pack Course Cost per Delegate: £60.00 28 June - Workshop for Adult Siblings PDC/230/05 Led by: Monica McCaffrey – Director, Sibs This workshop is for adult siblings who have grown up with a brother or sister with a disability or chronic illness. It is an opportunity to share experiences with other adult siblings and to take away helpful strategies for dealing with current sibling issues such as future care. Monica McCaffrey is the founder and director of Sibs, the only UK charity specifically for siblings. Sibs is for people who grow up with a brother or sister with special needs, disability or chronic illness. Monica leads workshops on sibling issues for children and young people, adult siblings, parents, and professionals, across the UK. See separate flyer Course Cost per Delegate: £10.00 29 June Managing Incidents of Challenging Behaviour and working towards having less of them PDC/235/05 Led by: Dave Hewett, Freelance Trainer & Consultant Dave is a freelance trainer and consultant for staff working in the field of learning difficulties. Previously he was head teacher of Harperbury Hospital School, Hertfordshire, but has been working nationwide with staff from all professions over seven years. He has published extensively on challenging behaviours including ‘Challenging Behaviour: Principles and Practices’. This course will be of interest to staff of all disciplines who work with adults and children with learning disabilities. The emphasis of the course is on the practical – what staff can do to work effectively during incidents of challenging behaviour and then help the person to progress so that incidents are less likely. Course members are shown principles for making judgements about how to intervene effectively without relying on dominant and controlling measures, but rather by using techniques such as calming and defusing to work towards effective outcomes to difficult situations, as well as staying calm and reducing the stress on workers. The course will include small and large group work and extensive use of video examples. Comprehensive hand-outs will be given. Course members should expect to work in an informal, humorous and supportive atmosphere. Course programme includes: principles of effective incident management working effectively by avoiding needless conflict and confrontation. skills for defusing incidents. staff communication skills – face, voice and body. the stages of an incident – making judgements about what to do. factors contributing to the production of challenging behaviours. working long-term to help the person to progress and develop the aftermath of an incident: resolution, record-keeping and evaluation. psychological preparation for work teamwork and supporting each other Course Cost per Delegate: £110.00 30 June PowerPoint for PMLD (A hands-on course) PDC/240/05 Led by: Martyn Maltby, Deputy Managing Director, Liberator Ltd For 12 years, Martyn’s first job was in a Day Centre for adults with learning difficulties, after which he spent five years as a lecturer in the Learning Support Department at South East Derbyshire College. He was then an ICT Co-ordinator and a member of the Senior Management Team at Bridge College, a specialist college for students with physical and or Learning disabilities. He was at Bridge College for five years working with PMLD students using Assistive Technology to develop communication skills and systems. The following two years were spent at Talbot School in Sheffield as ICT Coordinator, before Martyn moved to Liberator in 2002 to run the education and training department, delivering training on Assistive Technology and Communication in Schools Colleges and other Centres throughout Europe. This course aims to provide the participants with the necessary skills to produce a range of PowerPoint activities for their students, from simple Cause and Effect Programmes and talking books to puzzles and communication systems. PowerPoint is so versatile that anyone with basic word processing skills will soon be able to create and customise activities using their own photographs and pictures, sounds and videos to create PowerPoints that are recognisable, relevant and appropriate for individual learners, or groups of learners. The course will benefit you by: Equipping you with the skills to go away and start creating individualised activities for your learners whatever their ability level. Your learners will benefit from using software that meets their individual needs with pictures sounds and videos that are recognisable, personal and appropriate. You will also have the knowledge of where to find further resources to use in your PowerPoints At the end of this course those participating will have: A knowledge of the many different uses and applications that PowerPoint can be used for when devising educational activities for all learners, but especially those experiencing PMLD. The skills to produce activities with Text, pictures sounds and videos. A knowledge of where to find further resources to use in their PowerPoints Course Cost per Delegate: £110.00 (Limited Places Available) 1 July - Drama for Pupils with Autism & Severe Learning Difficulties PDC/245/05 Led by: Dr. Melanie Peter Melanie Peter has worked in special education for twenty years, and is internationally known for her innovative approaches using the arts, and as the author of a number of publications. She is Senior Lecturer in early childhood and special needs at Anglia Polytechnic University, and a tutor on autism for the University of Birmingham. Together with Dave Sherratt, based on their extensive research and experience, she has pioneered Play Drama Intervention as an approach for socially challenged children. Melanie has a son with autism, and is also involved in developing partnership practices and advocacy issues. This course is aimed at those working with socially challenged children, including those that are hard-to-reach and/or at early stages of learning. It explores an approach that establishes the foundations for social understanding using drama as a narrative intervention. Developing drama from story enables participants to explore issues embedded in text, and supports their understanding of why people think and behave as they do, and consequent sequences of events. Delegates will have the opportunity to develop their confidence working in role, and in planning drama to meet their children’s learning needs. This course will benefit you by: Indicating the potential of drama as a narrative approach for developing children’s social understanding using text Offering a motivating intervention using drama with hard-to-reach children and those at early stages of learning Presenting an inclusive developmental framework to enable children to progress in their knowledge, skills and understanding of drama as a cross-curricular learning medium and art form At the end of the course those participating will have: Understood the significance of drama for promoting children’s understanding of social narrative Gained strategies for developing drama that are inclusive of hard-to-reach children and those at early stages of learning Consolidated a developmental approach to drama to meet their children’s learning needs across the curriculum Course Cost per Delegate: £97.50 5 July - An Introduction to Widgit Symbols (A hands on Course) PDC/250/05 Led by: Jan Cook Jan is the IT Training Officer at Sunfield and is responsible for the delivery of all aspects of IT to the large staff team. She has had 14 years experience of working with students with SEN and Challenging Behaviour. She is also TEACCH trained. The course is aimed at those working directly with adults and children with learning disabilities, professionals who need to use writing with symbols to produce accessible information for non-text readers. By the end of the workshop participants will have experience in: Why, when and how to use symbols Knowledge of the software and symbols available to use. Effective importing of photos and images to wordlists Using grids and environments. Skills required – a basic understanding of computers is preferred, but beginners are also welcome. Course Cost per Delegate: £60.00 Limited Spaces Available 12 July - Rhythm and Thyme – Spice up your day the West African Way PDC/255/05 Led by: Bobbie Stormont & Julie Latham Bobbie Stormont has worked as a teacher since 1975 and trainer and workshop facilitator since 1993. Her teaching has mostly been with children, young people and adults with severe and profound needs where her approach to music making includes experimenting with sound, movement, chants and rhythms, improvising and making music more spontaneously so everyone can join in. Bobbie was a co-founder of “Beat That!” a partnership specialising in using simple and effective techniques in live music-making to promote listening and communication skills and empower people to make and lead music. Julie Latham began her drumming career in London in 1981 as a freelance dance accompanist, playing hand drums and piano for a range of classical and contemporary dance classes. In 1999 Julie was a founder member of BEATS WORKING, a partnership specialising in West African drumming workshops, projects and courses for primary, special needs, secondary, further and adult education and inset for teachers, as well as with youth and community groups, and in arts centres, prisons and festivals. Julie continues this work as a freelance artist today, as well as collaborating with other musicians, dancers and theatre practitioners. Bobbie and Julie have worked together in schools and at conferences, combining their considerable skills and experiences to provide a rich source of musical magic for all participants. This course is designed to give both primary teachers and teachers of children and young people with moderate and severe learning needs a tool box of musical activities and approaches and the skills and confidence to use them! Starting with the rich musical traditions and culture of West Africa, Bobbie and Julie take you on a journey of songs and rhythms that will have you humming and tapping all the way back to school! This course will benefit you by: teaching you basic skills in West African drumming developing your confidence to use music activities anywhere anytime giving you the opportunity to learn, create and perform music with others, using traditional West African drums and a range of other percussion instruments showing you six techniques to take away, use and develop in our own sessions using a range of practical ideas and starting points for music making activities experiencing how music making can be used to enhance inclusion At the end of the course those participating will have: had fun! increased confidence in music-making made music with others as part of a group developed skills for playing traditional West African drums explored a wide range of musical activities for use in the classroom learned some traditional West African rhythms and chants gained an insight into the music and life of West Africa tried out some creative music-making ideas Course Cost per Delegate: £97.50