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Tag Archives

SEND

Hiring: Play Therapist (part time)

30th April 2025Website Admin

Band 6/7 Play Therapist

Required for: September 2025

Banding: Band 6/7

Hours: 2.5 days per week, 8am – 5pm (paid school holidays)

Gesher School is a twice Ofsted Outstanding independent all-through school providing a specialist, meaningful and functional learning environment for young people with mild to moderate special educational needs. This includes Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia, Down’s Syndrome and MLD.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, creative, and passionate Play Therapist to join our therapy team at Gesher School.

At Gesher school, creative psychotherapy is integrated throughout the school week for all students, following a trans-disciplinary and holistic therapeutic approach.

The Therapy team is currently comprised of:

  • 3 Speech & Language Therapists
  • 3 Occupational Therapists
  • 1 Dramatherapist
  • 1 Art Psychotherapist
  • Therapy Assistant
  • Family Support Worker

You will work in close partnership with your fellow Therapists, the SENDCO Team, Teaching and Support staff, and families/carers to help our children reach their full potential and support them in accessing all areas of the curriculum. The Therapy team at Gesher work onsite on a full-time basis (or part-time equivalent), and utilise a three-tiered approach: Universal (for all), Targeted (for small groups), and Specialist (for individuals). The role features relevant training, support and supervision alongside paid school holidays, dedicated administrative time and enhanced CPD opportunities. You will be a fully integrated and integral member of the whole school team.

The successful Therapist will:

  • Plan, deliver and evaluate 1:1, paired and group evidence-based therapy interventions; to support the development of social, emotional, and mental health needs in order to enable children’s learning, engagement and relationships.
  • Deliver SEMH/social communication recommendations on students Educational Healthcare Plans (EHCP) and contribute to the Annual Review/ EHCP process.
  • Demonstrate a willingness to work flexibly within the therapeutic boundaries of the profession in line with the Gesher School model of integrated therapy.
  • Develop effective working relationships with school staff and liaise regularly regarding implementation of programmes, provision of in class support and suggest advice and strategies.
  • Plan and deliver staff training and parent workshops to support the ongoing development of social-emotional and creative-expressive skills.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work independently, and as part of a team, under the supervision of a senior Creative Psychotherapist.

We offer fantastic opportunities to develop your skills as a practitioner within an innovative, supportive and collaborative team environment. Some of our benefits include:

  • Regular clinical supervision and the support of an onsite therapy team
  • Half day admin day which can be taken at home
  • Paid half-day Friday closure in the winter months
  • 12 weeks of paid holidays plus (pro rata) plus paid extra Jewish holidays throughout the year
  • Additional days off awarded following long service
  • Monthly well-being events and inset days
  • Regular social opportunities

You will join a supportive staff team where teamwork, flexibility and a positive personality are essential attributes.

To be successful you must have the following: 

  • Postgraduate qualification in Play Therapy.
  • Registered member of HCPC(Health Care Professions Council) or registration in process.
  • Experience working as a paediatric therapist, and/or experience working in a school setting (desirable but not essential).
  • An understanding of creative psychotherapy processes/interventions in a school setting (desirable but not essential).
  • Excellent communication, organisation and time management skills.
  • A willingness to become involved in all aspects of school life and culture, e.g. clubs, school festivals and social events, parent meetings, etc.
  • The ability to work well as part of a collaborative team.
  • A right to work in the UK.

See us in action here:

https://vimeo.com/407682934/a9a6af1bc8

For more information relating to the above role, or to apply, please contact our admin team at 0207 884 5102 or email [email protected]

Front Page News,Uncategorized Hiring play therapist SEND

Word-finding Difficulties & Strategies

4th July 2024Website Admin

A word-finding difficulty is when a person knows and understands a particular word, but has difficulty retrieving it from their brain to use in their speech. This is similar to how we sometimes feel something is on the ‘tip of our tongue’. Children might not able able to find the word at all, they might retrieve a word that sounds similar to the one they want or they might produce a nonsense word. Check out this website to learn more about the signs that indicate a word-finding difficulty and how you can help support at home. The linked document below also contains prompts which we use at school to help support retrieval of the word they are looking for. 


Useful Articles and Reading autism SEND word finding

Blanks Levels of Questioning

4th July 2024Website Admin

Ever seen ‘Blanks Level’ written in your child’s PLP target or annual review report? This refers to a language model which we can use to map and model understanding and use of abstract language. There are 4 levels which go from talking about things directly in front of you to talking about abstract ideas. Below is a video, plus one of our resources. 

Gesher’s Guide to Blanks Questioning

 

Useful Articles and Reading blanks questions SEND

Gestalt Language Processing

4th July 2024Website Admin

There are two ways in which we may learn language: ‘Analytical’ processing and ‘Gestalt’ processing. Typically we think of language development as learning single words and building them up to full sentences – this is called analytical processing of language. Gestalt Language Processors on the other hand, will start by using whole ‘learned’ phrases, progress toward using single words, and then build their back up to more functional and ‘spontaneous’ phrases. Understanding which way our children are learning language will not only help us to understand them more effectively, but also help us to further support their development of functional communication.

Below you can find a video which explains more plus a link to one of our PDFs on the topic and a website which contains some top tips for parents.

Gesher’s Guide to Gestalt Language Processing 

Top tips for parents 

Useful Articles and Reading autism Gestalt Language Processing SEND

Introducing Gesher and United Synagogue’s Lead Advocate for Additional Needs

31st January 2024Website Admin

We are delighted to announce that Gesher School have partnered with The United Synagogue so that we can work together effectively, to make Jewish Communities more accessible, not only for our Gesher children, but for all children and adults with additional needs. In line with this, we have appointed Rivka Steinberg to harness the expertise of Gesher School and share it with our communities, in the role of Lead Advocate for Additional needs. She will be spending her time both at Gesher School and the Finchley US office.

In a previous chapter of my life, I spent many years working in scientific research. My interest in improving the quality of education and health services for children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND), developed, when my eldest daughter was diagnosed with a physical disability in 2005 and with it the requirement to become a strong advocate for all her additional needs. I trained with IPSEA (Independent provider of SEND legal advice) to develop a strong knowledge of the SEND legislation and I have used my broad knowledge and skills gained over many years, to advise parent carers on SEND matters. I have also worked for voluntary organisations, specialist settings and parent advocacy with Local Authorities.

My personal and professional experiences have seeded a desire and passion to share the knowledge acquired in my own journey and to work closely with leadership in the community, to enable all children and adults, to lead a high quality of life, regardless of their additional needs. This is all about breaking down barriers so that children and adults with needs, are more fully integrated and supported to embody Jewish life in ways that are meaningful to them without feeling compromised.

It is no longer enough that we raise awareness outside of Gesher School, neither can we allow this vital work to be regarded within the framework of a charitable agenda. Rather we need to actively share Gesher’s expertise and resources so communities will make room for difference, engaging wholeheartedly in access and inclusion work, so that children and adults will be enabled in all facets of Jewish community life. It’s about seeing the ‘ability’ in Disability.

I am very excited to be part of Gesher School and to really make a difference as the Lead Advocate for Additional Needs. Some of the projects we are looking at include:

  • Supporting the preparation of Inclusive services, Chagim, sessions and events
  • Sharing strategies, resources and tips
  • Engaging more members and families in US.

If you have any suggestions or you would just like to be in touch with me directly then please do reach out to me at [email protected].

Front Page News Additional Needs SEND Staff United Synagogue

Reimagining Assessment: Views From an Autistic Young Person

13th June 2023Website Admin

Reimagining Assessment: Views From an Autistic Young Person

Joshua Gross


Since the 1990s, the way we assess young people has been dominated by a culture of public accountability and competition, leading to the unhealthy belief that the grade is everything. The idea is now so important that many exams, like GCSEs and A-Levels are referred to as “high-stakes” tests because of the way they determine the next stage of someone’s life.

Those who create the high-stakes assessments claim that they are the fairest and most rigorous tool we have to demonstrate student achievement. However, the evidence used to back up these claims is often insubstantive (Richardson, 2022). One of the consequences of these high-stakes assessments is that young people’s outcomes are reduced to a number or letter which only reflects a very small proportion of their experiences and achievements at school and usually only in academic subjects.

Whilst this affects all young people, data has shown that, on average, autistic young people do not achieve the same levels of academic success as their non-autistic peers assessed in this way. The most up-to-date government data shows that 64% of non-autistic students achieved a Grade 4 or above in Maths and English, compared to 31% of autistic students – and this data is not a one-off. The same pattern exists in the previous three years’ data. While the statistics alone are striking, even more profound are the hidden stories behind the data. As such, in this piece, we share the reflections and experiences of Joshua, an autistic young person who has the lived experience of feeling let down and misrepresented by the current system and who has vital ideas on how it might be reimagined to prevent the same thing happening to others.

“The big problem with existing assessments is that they are the be all and end all when you leave school.” Joshua

The same idea is expressed in the opening sentence to this article and yet what this means for young people can often get lost in the statistics. For Joshua, who at the time of writing is applying for apprenticeships, the implications are clear.

“I can only put my grades, not the fact that I spent most of my A-Level time suffering through extreme mental health issues and that it was a miracle I even made it to sit the examinations, not the six times I almost dropped out and came back to them later… It becomes really difficult to come out the other side and still be a strong candidate when the only important thing is what grade you got.”

Joshua’s solution to this problem would be for schools to recognise the skills that young people have through a more flexible approach to curriculum and to assessment. In Joshua’s case, he has a talent and passion for computer programming and, while he was able to take this as an A-Level, he was still assessed within the constraints of that curriculum and the conventions of exams.

“In my A-level computer science class we had people who had never opened the Python Editor before and we had people like me who had made full video games in one day before… I would be running off doing these ultra-complex things at home that would never be recognised because they weren’t even remotely related to the curriculum. Like, I can make a video game using languages that the curriculum doesn’t even know exist. And I’m just sitting there doing these things, but none of them get recognition. I can do all this stuff and it doesn’t matter because it wasn’t what I was told I had to do. I didn’t fit that specific guideline and therefore it’s not good enough.”

By having a curriculum that is less constraining, less of a rule book, there would be more scope for teachers to work with young people in their area(s) of interest and strength, aligned with their passions. While this would have benefits for all learners, there would be particular benefits for some autistic young people who often have a special interest or aptitude. Recent research by King’s College London, for example, has shown that when adults are accepted as having a special interest, and where it is responded to positively, recognised and valued, this can lead to them excelling in the linked curriculum area (Wood, 2021).

As not all neurodiverse young people will have a special interest that can be assessed within school, it is also worth considering other ways in which a more flexible assessment process would be beneficial. Here, Joshua has further important ideas to share.

“Assessment as it is now is not actually really a test of knowledge, but more a test of memory. I found often that those kinds of assessments really did not work for me, but one that I really excelled in were the two B-techs that I took in Business and Digital Media. Instead of having this one assessment that you’re building up to and studying in unhealthy ways for, you’re working on it throughout the entire course. It’s not one giant thing, it’s a bunch of smaller things. Break one big problem down into a bunch of smaller ones, and suddenly it becomes less of a big problem.”

Joshua’s views about coursework are echoed in the academic literature, which has shown the pedagogical benefits of such forms of assessment, as well as the fact that students prefer it to exams (Richardson, 2015). Despite this, under the current assessment system in England, none of the Maths, English or Science GCSEs have a coursework component which counts towards a student’s final grade. As such, the work that a student does across two or three years of study is condensed and assessed through a few hours of exams. This in turn then shapes their future opportunities. Joshua considers this system to be a particular challenge for autistic young people as “Often the pressures of the school system can break a student so easily and so quickly. And it becomes really difficult to come out the other side and still be a strong candidate when the only important thing is what grade you got.”

There are two more things that we know about the lack of fit between the current assessment system and neurodiversity. One was well articulated by Joshua: “If you emphasise ‘standards’ and ‘standardisation’, then by definition this will not work for autistic young people who are, by definition, non-standard.” The other, which is linked, relates to the idea of “spiky profiles”. Autistic learners are less standardised, less conventional – they have great strengths alongside different challenges. An assessment model that emphasises the challenges (e.g. writing essays) and minimises the strengths and passions (e.g. technical capability, creativity) will serve both autistic youngsters and the system badly.    

Endnote

Joshua’s views are those of just one student, but the dearth of autistic voices in both the academic and non-academic literature in this field makes this a provocative contribution and one that we hope is built on by further activity in this area.

References

Richardson, J. T. (2015). Coursework versus examinations in end-of-module assessment: a literature review. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 40(3), 439-455.

Richardson, M. (2022). Rebuilding Public Confidence in Educational Assessment. UCL Press.

Wood, R. (2021). Autism, intense interests and support in school: From wasted efforts to shared understandings. Educational Review, 73(1), 34-54.

 


Professional Prompt Questions

  • What rings true for you in Joshua’s comments?

  • You will almost certainly have neurodiverse learners in your school. Might a small piece of research or a focus group with them help to unearth challenges they face to which you could respond?

Article,Issue three,Learning,SEND,Teaching & Learning with Neurodiverse Children,The Bridge autistic experience Issue Three SEND The Bridge

How Can People Help Minibeasts Project

16th May 2023Website Admin

In Spring Two, Zayit Class worked on an exciting project linked to their topic of ‘Minibeasts’, They focused on improving their knowledge of scientific vocabulary, how minibeasts are important to the environment and how people can help to protect them.

The main focus on their project was to develop their art and design skills by designing and making minibeast hotels. Through this task the students also worked on giving and receiving feedback about their designs.

The exhibition for the project involved Gesher’s Senior Leadership Team cutting the ribbon as part of the grand opening of the hotels.

Teacher’s Reflections

  • Engaging with all children involved the different learning and play opportunities
  • Rewarding to see all the children make great progress towards their communication targets
  • Challenging to build the minibeast hotels, however with a lot of teamwork and encouragement the children made great progress

Students’ Reflections

My highlight of the project was going to the environment centre.

The project was fun and I learnt how to make a minibeast hotel


View all project cards

Project Cards,Resources for Schools,The Bridge bug hotels Exhibitions EYFS mini-beasts PBL Primary Project cards SEND Year 1

Dyspraxia Food for Thought

31st January 2023Website Admin

Click here to see the interactive PDF 

Ideas for Home dyspraxia SEND talents talking to young people toolkit

Dyslexia Food for Thought

31st January 2023Website Admin

Click on this link to view the interactive PDF

Useful Articles and Reading dysleixa neurodiversity SEND thinking toolkit

Top Tips for Dyslexia-friendly Learning Environments

31st January 2023Website Admin

Top Tips for Dyslexia-friendly Learning Environments

  1. Backgrounds – Change your smartboard backgrounds and/or font colour to another colour to make it easier for everyone. If you have a child who already has a preference, use that, otherwise, opt for a whole school colour. Light blue is a popular choice. 
  2. Books and overlays – Some pupils may find it easier to write in books with coloured backgrounds and have a coloured overlay. 
  3. Dyslexic-friendly fonts – There are fonts specifically designed for dyslexia that everyone can read. https://opendyslexic.org/. Alternatives are Ariel, Comic Sans, Verdana, Century Gothic, Tahoma, and Calibri. 
  4. Visuals – All children benefit from visual processing. It improves retention and supports retrieval. We do this well and know to use a range of visuals.  
  5. Graphic organisers – Graphic organisers are fantastic to support learners’ thinking, processing, understanding and organisation. This includes using writing frames, but also mind maps and flow diagrams.  

Try this link for older students where you can sign up for free https://www.mindomo.com/ or to create simple to more complex ones for all students: https://www.canva.com/graphic-organizers/templates/

  1. Speaking – ensure we are breaking down information into smaller chunks.  
  2. Don’t ‘pick’ on them to read – This can be seriously demotivating and traumatic in a whole class situation and may be detrimental to their reading progress. They can read to you on their own or with a trusted peer at any time.
  3. The usual strategies – Such as natural brain breaks to avoid cognitive overload, memory aids such as word mats, a clear line of sight to the teacher and a seat close to the front to aid non-verbal communication.
  4. Mark positively – Start with what they can do and build on that. You don’t want to stifle amazing ideas on account of worrying about grammar and punctuation.
  5. Spelling – if students can’t spell a word, spell it aloud for them, and at the same time, write it on the board – provide key spellings for them to refer to. You can also use the RWI sound board so students can ‘try out’ spellings with alternative phonemes (ee, ea, etc). If using the computer, having the spelling and grammar aids on is good! 
  6. Limit the copying they have to do – give them copies of the learning that they can have in front of them and present with appropriate fonts, backgrounds and sizing in manageable chunks. 
  7. Technology – Explore advances in technology with your dyslexic learners. Is there a use for a reading pen, a smartpen or some text-to-speech software? Microsoft accessibility has many free features to explore. When using chrome books or iPads, there is accessibility software available with fantastic programmes such as ‘Immersive Reader’. 

Pupils with dyslexia also have skills such as a strong memory for stories, a wonderful imagination, great spatial reasoning and can think outside the box! You can find more details at Dyslexia Help.

Useful Articles and Reading dyslexia Learning environoments neurodiversity reading SEND Technology writing

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