How a child with Special Educational Needs can thrive

It’s no secret that all children need love, support and a healthy environment to help them learn and grow. Students with special educational needs can find it particularly difficult to progress in standard linear schools with conventional teaching methods. Cavendish Education Schools are an excellent example of how a child with special educational need can thrive in the right setting.

Focus on progress

For a child with special educational needs, it should not be about how many As they can get, but rather the improvements and progress they are making. Students with special educational needs often come from backgrounds where they have been told or made to feel like they are not intelligent enough. By acknowledging progress rather than results, you are actively encouraging a child to continue working hard rather than compare themselves to other people and, in turn, increase their own self-confidence. This way of viewing learning will lead to an increased sense of self worth, building a sense of pride and achievement. Inevitably, the child will actually perform better academically, as they will not get bogged down by fear or give up when they encounter a difficult task.

Acknowledge the individual

It is always important to acknowledge the different learning styles of children, for students with special educational needs especially, this is paramount. The schools in the Cavendish Education Group have a spectacular track record because of this, as they really unpick and explore what each individual is struggling with.

The schools’ non-linear curriculum structure means a student excels in their strongest subjects while receiving any extra help where needed. For example, a student at Cavendish can be completing their Art A Level while simultaneously resitting their Maths GCSE. This method of teaching means that children are not made to feel incompetent as is so often the case, but rather understand that they can work at their own pace and will be able to meet their goals.

Tailored teaching

Often is the case in many schools that children with special educational needs are taught in the same class as everyone else, and will later go over the lesson with a teaching assistant. Not only can this be draining for the children and staff involved, but it’s also not a wise use of time or resources – teaching should be conducted in a special educational needs-friendly way from the beginning. Sending your child to a specialist school such as one of Cavendish’s can make a huge difference to the learning progress and morale of your child.

At Cavendish schools, learning is made easy from the beginning – language is kept simple, instructions are clear, lessons are shorter to help those who can’t focus for long periods and multi-sensory methods are used to aid with memorising information. All of these specialist teaching techniques allow a child with special educational needs to significantly progress and thrive in a well thought out and balanced environment.