THE VALUE OF GETTING IT RIGHT: VIEWS FROM AN AUTISTIC YOUNG PERSON

14th December 2022Website Admin

The current education system in the UK is setting up many autistic young people to fail. This is especially true of the assessment practices where the current system relies heavily on out-dated and old-fashioned standardised exams and tests which are unable to capture a young person’s real strengths and abilities.  

Joshua is an autistic young person who did not attend Gesher but spoke at our most recent Critical Friendship Group meeting, sharing his lived experience of the assessment process and his insights into how it could be improved for neurodiverse young people.  

Here, Joshua, now aged 18, tells his story of mainstream education and offers his advice to schools.

The importance of school support

In my early years I struggled to make friends. Some of my earliest friends were basically asked by my teachers because they felt bad for me. 

I was diagnosed in the summer of 2012 between Years Three and Four though I wasn’t told until later that year because my parents were working with my school to find the right way to explain it to me and my peers.

During primary school, my needs were well provided for. When I got my diagnosis, the school helped my parents put together a small Powerpoint that was used to explain it to me. This was then lightly adapted and shown to my classmates so they too could understand better.

I could leave lessons to take a breather and a walk if I needed to, as I struggled to sit still and focus for extended periods, I had a dedicated space I could go to cool off if I had gotten into an argument or fight over something, which was common because I was easy to anger as a child. Any time I felt I had a problem, I knew where I could turn.

The school helped me nurture the talent I had, often letting me complete tasks in a different way to the usual methods if it meant I was able to do it “my way” which would often involve a very flashy Powerpoint presentation. 

When schools focus on results, not the pupil

When I got to secondary school, however, there came a change. The school very much ignored any kind of ability outside of traditional educational achievement: you either fit their mould for a good student or you didn’t. And if you didn’t, you were left in the dust.

At secondary school, support I had grown dependent on during primary was almost non-existent and the staff were not friendly towards students. Even the SEN staff seemed to be less than interested. 

I will never forget the time I went to our KS4 mental health advisor and told her about how bad my depression had gotten at the time, to which she laughed and told me that I seemed to be very good at telling jokes. A story I genuinely wish I was making up.

When it came to work, methods I had grown so accustomed to were shut off to me because the school only wanted results in one specific way. You did it their way, or you failed entirely.

How the current assessment system sets neurodiverse children up to fail

I moved from secondary school to a different sixth form where support was available and actively advised to be used, and where I could work how I worked best, even if that meant going back to the flashy powerpoints like I would have done aged 10. As I grew up and came to understand what autism is and what it is to be autistic, I found it easier to make friends, especially in cases where they were also autistic.

Despite being in a better school, I spent most of my A-level time suffering extreme mental health issues and it was a miracle I even made it to sit the examinations

And now there’s a big problem. I’m currently looking for apprenticeships in software development, but on my applications, I can only put my grades, not the fact that I have neurodiversity where often the pressures of the school can break a student so easily and so quickly.

Starting out on your career becomes really difficult when, even though you are a strong candidate, the only important thing is your grade which says:  “you got this – this is all you are worth”.

How schools can learn from students’ experiences

For schools, honestly, I think my main piece of advice is just to listen to autistic students. A lot of schools, teachers, and just people in general confuse autism with being unable to look after yourself and understand your own needs, when in reality, it’s very much the opposite.

I was very lucky as my primary school helped me every step of the way to understand myself and be as comfortable talking about it as I am now.

The person who knows best what the autistic person needs, will ultimately be the autistic person.

OFFICIAL OPENING OF OUR LEGO CHANUKIAH

13th December 2022Website Admin

With Chanukah just around the corner we got celebrations underway this week with the unveiling of our 18 foot tall, LEGO Chanukiah. We were hugely fortunate to have the Chief Rabbi visit to officially cut the ribbon and present our students with their own mini versions to build over the Chanukah holidays! 

This project has been in the pipeline for over a year and was inspired by our student’s love of LEGO. It finally came into fruition through one of our Teaching Assistants, Danny Cazzato, who in a previous role, worked at LEGO.

Work started on the project back at the start of the year with Danny coming up with a design for the Chankiah and presenting to our students for feedback. Then, at the end of the November the build began with students spending an afternoon at school constructing the nine candles for the top of the Chanukiah. These were sent away to a factory to be glued together and have their lights installed. With the candles complete, construction also began on the base and the main stem, this time by a LEGO ‘master builder’. Once complete, these 5 large pieces, made up of a whopping 80,000 bricks, were transported to Gesher and secured to a wall in the school hall in less than a day! 

Tamaryn Yartu, Gesher’s Co-headteacher, said: “It was really important for us that the Chanukiah was made from LEGO because it’s something that our students really love to be creative with, both at school and at home. It was also fantastic to have the Chief Rabbi officially cut the ribbon and wish our students a happy Chanukah. Festival celebrations are something we love doing at Gesher as it brings the whole school together really beautifully.”

This year, Chanukah will begin on the evening of Sunday 18th December and finish on the evening of 26th December so we won’t be at school to light a candle each day, but everyone at Gesher is very much looking forward to being able to do this next year, when Chanukah falls into term time.

GESHER ATTENDS ELNET EVENT

13th December 2022Website Admin

In November, Gesher attended a reception to mark the 2nd year anniversary of the Abraham Accords, hosted by Elnet UK and the Board of Deputies, the keynote address was made by Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.

Gesher’s blueprint and design principles have been informed by best practice from schools and learning communities all over the world including India, New Zealand, the United States and Israel. The school has been working with Elnet over the last year to highlight to central Government, in particular the SEND APPG, best practice in Israel in terms of teaching and learning and early identification of SEND. 

‘Life Changing’ Gesher School maintains its Outstanding rating 

12th October 2022Website Admin

Gesher School in Pinner is delighted  to share it has maintained its Outstanding Ofsted rating after an inspection in late September. 

Gesher is an all-through school for young people with mild to moderate learning needs. The school was last inspected in 2018 when it only had 13 pupils aged 4 to 7 based on a smaller site in Kilburn. This inspection was conducted at the school’s new site in Pinner with more than 50 pupils aged 4 to 14.

This is the school’s second Outstanding rating since opening.  Ofsted recently changed its inspection framework making it much more challenging for schools to achieve this status.

Based on the latest inspection, Ofsted said: 

Pupils receive an exceptional quality of provision. Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum which is taught by the school’s expert staff. 

Together, the curriculum and therapies encourage pupils’ independent living skills and emotional well-being very successfully. 

Therapists, teachers and teaching assistants work together seamlessly as one team. They truly understand how to meet pupils’ varied special educational needs. While staff are nurturing, they also have high expectations of all pupils. As a result, pupils work hard and learn well.  

Ofsted also drew attention to positive comments made by parents through the online survey they were asked to complete: “Parents often commented that their children are thriving at Gesher. They described the school’s work as ‘in a different league’ and ‘life changing’”. 

Download: Gesher Ofsted Report 2022

Leadership at Gesher was also described by Ofsted as “exceptionally strong” with “senior leaders are supported and challenged in equal measure by the school’s governing body”. 

Gesher’s Co-Heads, Tamaryn Yartu and Nikeisha Webb-Hardy said ‘We are extremely thrilled and proud of the hard work and commitment that our staff has shown resulting in such a phenomenal achievement. Our students have made us very proud, and we are delighted to share in this outstanding achievement with our parents and wider community. We remain resolute in ensuring that we remain a flagship school- leading the path to success for all our students. 

“What began as a small project and primary school has grown into a thriving all-through school. Under Tamaryn and Nikeisha’s stewardship the school’s innovative approach to education has taken root with students happy and flourishing. This recognition by Ofsted is important in cementing Gesher as an exceptional school in the community and we are truly thrilled and excited for what the future holds for our students” say Ali Durban and Sarah Sultman, Co-Founders Gesher School.

 

Under the Sea Project

28th September 2022Website Admin

This half term Zayit and Seorah classes have been focussing on the topic of ʻUnder the Seaʌ and the big question: ʻHow can I create my own story?ʌ

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In our launch week we visited an aquarium, read, listened to and talked about a variety of Under the Sea-themed books and explored the ocean through virtual reality. The classes then made their own story by creating characters, writing and recording the narrative using technology and this was then edited for a book launch to the school. During the project the children used Seesaw as a way to give their peers feedback on their stories. In art, we designed and created characters for our stories. In music, we made percussion instruments and recorded the audio to play as background wave music for the entrance to our exhibition. The book launch was very successful and the pupils then shared their story maps and books with other pupils in different classes.

Teacher’s Reflection

“Overall this was a successful project! All pupils were given student voice throughout, from creating their story to their own characters, and coming up with an ending independently. One of the highlights of this project was the children’s use of technology throughout the project. They all seemed to really enjoy it and it allowed children of all abilities to participate. Next time I would ensure clearer audio or that subtitles were added to ensure all children’s parts were able to be heard. I am most proud of how well the children all worked together to create their stories using story cubes, as this was a really collaborative project and the end project shows this.

The best part about the project was seeing the children’s faces when they saw they got to use iPads in the lessons and how much they loved using the Chatterpix app. Another thing that was the best was watching them watch their own videos back and recognising which of their friends were talking. They kept asking to rewatch it over and over again.

I found it challenging to record all the audio in only a week. I felt that if I were to do it again, I would allow longer for the recording of the narrative to allow pupils more time to practice and rehearse their lines.”

— Leigh Kennedy

Student Reflection

“I thought the project was fun. The highlight was using the iPads and I learnt all about sea animals!”

– Zephania

“This project taught me about teamwork and how to create a story.”

– Eli

“The highlight was the aquarium trip and the fish shop as it taught me all about sea animals, fish, octopus and whales!”

– Dylan

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Animals in the Wild Project

28th September 2022Website Admin

Gefen was very excited to do our project on Animals in the Wild. We answered the big question of ʻWhat do we know about wild animals in our community?ʌ

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To do this we looked at what makes an animal a wild animal! We also found out many facts about wild animals that live around us. Gefen used their literacy skills to write non-fiction texts about their animals and then put this information into a short animated video. We were able to take a trip to the zoo to look at wild animals and have animals come to our school! At the end of the project, we held a Go Wild Party which the parents and other classmates we invited. During the party the children played the wild animal games they created as well as showcased their animations, pictures and models they made.

Teacher’s Reflection

“I think the project went well as it was a topic the children were interested in. It was good for them to find out facts about animals that they could see in their area. They were engaged in the trips we went on, particularly the zoo trip and they enjoyed looking at the different animals. The visit from Wild Fangs was also a great experience as the children were able to hold and touch the animals and find out different information about them. Many of the children were initially reluctant to hold the animals but their confidence increased after they spent time with the animals. They enjoyed presenting their findings in a different way, such as through animated videos and by creating their own games which they presented during the Wild Party to their parents and other children.

I would like to continue to use more ICT in future projects. It would have been nice to have seen some wild animals in our area but unfortunately, on our walk, we did not see any!”

— Stephanie Sungtong

Student Reflection

“My favourite part was the trip to London Zoo. I learnt about what animals eat and where they live.”

– Leon

“I liked the project because we got to use Chatterkids (animation app).”

– Ari

“I liked the project as I liked learning about the animals and I liked the ants at London Zoo.”

– Yoni

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Electricity Project

28th September 2022Website Admin

This term we explored electricity and why electricity is important to everyday life. We looked at the science behind electricity and learned how to make our own circuits, how to be safe using electricity and how to encourage others to do the same.

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We wrote ʻA Day in the Lifeʌ explaining all of the technology we used and why it makes our lives easier. We had photographer, Jeremy Coleman, host an Expressive Arts workshop on how to take photos with different light sources. We also built our very own electronic toys and created Dragonʌs Den pitches to try and sell our toys to the Senior Leadership Team. Their Speech and Language sessions focussed around developing their presentation skills, whilst OT helped develop strength in their hands, to be able to use crocodile clips to make circuits!

Teacher’s Reflection

“The pupils were really engaged doing a science-based project as it was different from previous ones. They were able to do fun experiments and learn about a variety of different scientific theories. It was a great one to link in with literacy and OT skills, especially when making the toys.

Another highlight was the way we created companies and the pupils worked really well as a team most of the time. They took the roles seriously and were all invested in creating quality work. Originally, we wanted the pupils to make their own toys, but in hindsight, this worked a lot better. We created posters and manuals to go along with the toys, but next time I would get them to do that independently to allow a variety of different ways of working.

I really enjoyed their pitches for their DragonÊŒs Den episodes. All pupils got a role to play and worked together as a ‘company’ using simple business skills. It was great to see how much they enjoyed it.”

— Leah Coombes

Student Reflection

“I thought it was fun — although I wished to have learned more about how to set up appliances.”

– Francesca

“I learnt how lightning is made and that was fun! The highlight of the project was the exhibition.”

– Daisy

“The highlight of the project was the DragonÊŒs Den pitch which taught me how to present.”

– Ben

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