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Hillside Specialist School and College is an all age, county wide special school for pupils with diagnosis of Autism. We got involved with Skills builder to enhance curriculum development at Key stage 3, 4 and 5 as a tool to develop our Preparation for Adulthood pathways.
Overall impact
For our most able pupils it has provided more of a focus on careers and skills required for possible employment or college interview skills. For our lower ability pupils it has supported teachers to identify key skills to feed into their EHC plan targets.
Keep it simple
We have looked to develop consistency in using language and symbols for students across the age groups and ability groups, through the use of visual information, structure and routine. A high priority for pupils at our school is to develop effective communication and listening skills and be able to generalize them across settings and a range of activities. This has been achieved through a step by step approach to introducing symbols, structure and encouraging students to reflect on their learning.
Start early, keep going
Essentials skills are included in pupils' IEP targets and recorded through the Evidence for learning assessment tool that is already established in school. This has the facility to involve parents to become involved over time.
Measure it
Skills builder skills and language is included in our termly assessment of targets, which is recorded through Evidence for learning . Targets are linked to annual targets in the EHC plan Reviews, which are taken from the pupils' EHC plan, creating a 'golden thread' of targets.
Focus tightly
The curriculum and qualification pathway provides regular opportunities for pupils to build on their skills. One-to-one work, small group and whole class activities are used to deliver these opportunities. Pupils have their own individual targets to work towards over the year and an individualized accreditation pathway maps out their preparation for adulthood.
Keep practising
Pupils build their skills through the curriculum and their accreditation pathway. There are frequent opportunities to revisit and practice skills in different settings and activities. Skills are built on through structure and predictable routines to support the learning of students with Autism.
Bring it to life
It is essential for our students that they develop skills in real life situation across a range of settings to consolidate and generalize the se skills. Real life challenges include educational trips, life skills in the community, replication of skills in the home setting, work experience based activities and visits to other settings.
What's next
We will continue to deliver the skills builder ethos to consolidate and develop our pathways for learners entering KS3 next year.
