EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR)

GCE Health and Social Care New Specification

Unit HSC01 Effective Care and Communication

Example Portfolio

March 2013

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR)

AQA would like to thank the centre which kindly offered to let us issue this completed portfolio to all teachers of Health and Social Care.

Please note: This work has not been marked or graded. AQA will issue example portfolios for the AS units with marks and grades after the grade boundaries have been established at the first award of grades in summer 2013. However, it has been suggested by the Principal Moderator that this would be considered as a ‘middle’ piece of work. With this in mind, it may be helpful for you to use it as a guide when assessing the work of your own candidates.

This piece of work contains relevant sections, clearly labelled and has appropriate links and references to the setting throughout.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR)

HSC01

I have visited St Samuel’s school and have produced a handbook displaying communication and caring skills to be presented to each member of staff and newly qualified staff in dealing with children in the school. Throughout the hand book I am representing myself as a member of staff and the standards we upheld at St Samuel’s.

SECTION A: INTRODUCTION

My chosen sector is children and young people. The client group are reception class children ages 4-5 and the care setting is a primary school. All names of children and staff in this handbook have been changed for confidentiality purposes.

Work of the Sector

The Department for Education in the UK was setup in May 2012, the Minister of Education is Michael Gove and he along with a team of others are responsible for education and children's services. All children between the ages of 5-16 are entitled to a free place at a state school. Most state schools in the UK include: community, foundation, academy, grammar schools who all follow the national curriculum.

The National Curriculum of England was developed as a result of the Education Reform act in 1988 and introduced in 1992. It encompasses four key stages: Key Stage 1: Years 1 and 2 (up to age 7); Key Stage 2: Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 (age 7 to 11); Key Stage 3: Years 7, 8 and 9 (age 11 to 14); Key Stage 4: Years 10 and 11 (age 14 to 16). The Foundation Stage (Reception classes, nurseries) also became part of the National Curriculum in 2002. Key Stages 1 & 2 is taught in primary schools, 3 & 4 taught in secondary schools. The National Curriculum consists of a set of core and foundation subjects. The core subjects are: English, Maths and Science; the foundation subjects are: DT, ICT, history, geography, art & design, music, PE, modern foreign languages (KS 3 only) and citizenship (KS 3 and 4 only). Religious education is taught according to agreed local syllabus. Pupils are assessed by National Curriculum tests at the end of each Key Stage, with Key Stage 4 being assessed by levels of achievement acquired at General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) level. Having completed GCSEs, pupils have a choice of whether to continue with further education at school or college through AS/A2 levels or vocational qualifications or to undertake employment.

Within the London Borough of Bexley, there are: 37 community primary schools; 2 foundation primary schools; 2 voluntary controlled primary schools; 3 community special schools; 18 academies (including both primary and secondary schools)

Comment [N1]: Remember, this is not essential.

Comment [N2]: Sector identified.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Within the Borough of Bexley there are 13 voluntary aided primary schools. These schools tend to be faith schools. Faith schools can be different kinds of schools such as voluntary aided schools and free schools, but are associated with a particular religion. Faith schools are mostly run like other state schools, they have to follow the national curriculum except for religious studies, where they are free to only teach about their own religion. Admissions to faith schools can differ to state schools because they mostly have to follow the religion of the school to obtain a place, although anyone can apply.

Care Setting

St. Samuel’s Catholic Primary School (named changed for confidentiality) is a faith school situated in the South East of London in the borough of Bexley. It is a mixed voluntary aided primary school catering for the primary education of boys and girls from the age of five to eleven years old with currently 420 pupils attending the school with a two form entry (two classes to every year group). Recent Ofsted report of 2011 states: ‘St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School provides a good education for all its pupils as well as a good level of care, guidance and support. Pupils feel safe in the bright, airy environment. Parents and carers, pupils, staff and the governing body are all rightly proud of the school, and the shared commitment to the strong Catholic ethos results in a harmonious, supportive community. Adults are good role models and there are strong relationships across the school.’ They further commented ‘Good and sometimes outstanding teaching is characterised by a lively pace and activities which engage and excite pupils.’ Overall the effectiveness of the school was graded a 2 (Good) with promising steps for improvement. (See Appendix 2) The school places great significance of ensuring every child’s needs are met to make certain the child is able to reach their potential and in connection with the Special Educational Needs Provision and the mission statement of the school, the staff ensure the substantial amount of help is offered and monitored, around 25% of the pupils receive extra support in class. St. Samuel’s has a strong spiritual link with the local parish (situated at the end of the school grounds) and together the partnership helps create a vibrant Catholic ethos (Catholic beliefs are upheld throughout the school with each class reciting a morning and evening prayer, as well as the children saying a prayer before meals, the school also have various Catholic messages around the school with quotes from the religion and a statue displayed of Christ in the main foyer area) This is upheld amongst the local community and within the school. The ethos helps the pupils strive in their learning and year on year achieve their best throughout their time at primary school.

Staff at the Care Setting

Within this primary school you will find many members of staff including a Head teacher, Deputy head teacher, receptionist, secretary, school business manager, classroom teachers for the different year groups, a variety of teaching assistants (TAs) who individually may be employed to help a specific child with a specific need or just a TA who helps the class in general, special educational needs co-operator, school nurse, lunchtime/meal supervisors, care takers, site managers, assistant site managers. Many of these individuals work in cooperation as part of a care team who work for the benefit for the care setting.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) SECTION B: CARING IN THE CHOSEN SETTING

All the students at St. Samuel’s primary school are very important and need to have a positive experience; consequently the following Life Quality Factors are important. Here is a guide to their application.

Life Quality Factors:

Occupation:

This is having something to do.

The after school club supervisors provide this to the children through making sure they are mostly occupied such as giving the children reading books whilst at the after-school club waiting for their older siblings to pick them up.

Stimulation:

This is having interests, fun and excitement.

The teacher provides this for the children through giving them activities which will challenge them and stimulate their intellectual development. Such activities include giving the child a thread and beads with a design to copy and recreate which will allow them to coordinate their colours and patterns.

Effective communication:

This means being informed or listened to.

Natalie who is visually impaired, the teaching assistant ensures that the print of the tasks sheet are in bold and in bigger lettering in order to fit her preferred needs and requirements in order so she can access the curriculum as well as her fellow class mates.

Choice:

This means having various options.

The playtime supervisors give the children options such as asking the children what activity they want to do and not just having one option – such as offering them whether they wanted to play with the bikes or the musical instruments.

Autonomy:

This means having personal control and power.

The Teaching Assistant of the class provides this by letting Jack who has autism co-ordinate getting himself dressed before and after PE as it shows he is able to co-ordinate his own self and can manage.

Comment [N3]: Definitions are not needed and do not attract credit. Students may wish to include them as ‘setting the scene’.

Comment [N4]: Examples are relevant to the setting, but are quite brief.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Equitable treatment:

This means being treated fairly.

The class teacher would teach no two children the same as each individual child will have their own needs and so the teacher should recognise these. Such as they may need to be more hands on with a child who is deaf using sign language and hand gestures to communicate the work effectively, whereas to another class member they may just need to recall the information for it to be carried out, this is not treating them the same, but equally as they both can access the curriculum effectively.

Social contact:

This means being around other people.

If a child appears to be shy and lacking in confidence the class teacher would ensure the child is surrounded by class mates and friends to be around and ensure the child is integrated within the class by encouraging the children to share toys and play games together therefore the child won’t be isolated alone and feel excluded.

Social support

This is having other people to share your problems.

A child who has a speech impairment (slurred words), would have support from the speech and language therapist on a 1 to 1 basis who would be there to listen to the child and any concerns they may have associated their difficulty in speech and help them to overcome this to ensure the child will be successful in their learning.

Approval:

This is being liked and or praised.

The librarian could show praise or reward to a child if they have completed a reading book challenge by giving them approval such as certificates, stars recorded on a chart or book tokens for further books to be read by the child which will be a visual indication in which the child can be proud of and continue to work hard.

Dignity:

This is being treated with respect.

The teacher can provide a child with dignity through addressing them by their preferred name. If the child has a preferred name to be called, this should be shown on the child’s records and the teacher should respect the name they preferred to be called and ensure they call them by their preferred name so they respond effectively.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Confidentiality

This is personal information being kept secret.

The teachers in the care setting such as the SENCO would keep the records and information of the child with a visual impairment kept secrets such as on the database on the computers or in a locked filing cabinet so they can only be accessed by those professionals who need to know about the disability and how it affects the child’s learning.

Psychological security:

This is the feeling of safety.

The teacher can provide the children with this life quality factor by ensuring when the children are walked down to the gate at the end of the day by the class teacher, the classroom teacher can familiarly recognise the child’s parents/carers before they let the child go with the parent/carer. This is to ensure the child is safe and in the right hands and not in any sense of danger.

Exercise:

This is done to feel better with long term health benefits.

The PE sports coach can provide this for the children by once a week for a lesson for 30 minutes take the children to the gym in the hall and set them on a course of apparatus. As a result, the children will begin to build up their physical strength and stamina by completing exercises such as running between two designated points, walking along a balance beam with the aid of the teaching assistants to build up their balance.

Nutrition:

This is having a balanced diet to remain healthy.

The lunch time supervisors would provide nutrition for a child with Diabetes Type One by ensuring that the free school meals the child consumes conforms with the requirements of their daily allowed diet and ensure the child takes their daily cycle of insulin before they eat their lunch.

Physical safety and hygiene:

This is the absence of serious risk of injury or infection.

The class teacher would provide the children with set rules for their safety such as no running in the corridors. This would ensure that when the children are passing through the corridors of the school they would not cause accidents or endanger themselves or others.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Physical comfort:

This is the absence of excessive cold, heat or unpleasant stimulation.

This would be applied that the children are kept warm in the winter, by the teacher shutting the door to keep the cold air out of the classroom. This ensures that the children feel at ease and are not in any way unpleasant or agitated by the cold weather.

Freedom from pain:

These are techniques of pain relief and pain management.

These are provided by the school nurse and playground supervisors ensuring that if a child was to fall over and hurt themselves they would receive the appropriate pain management such as plasters or bandages to heal their wounds.

Caring Skills:

Social Perception:

This is the ability to read other people’s emotions.

If the child was distressed or upset (e.g. crying) as they enter the classroom in the morning, the teacher should not react in an aggressive manner, but should sit the child down maybe in a quiet area away from the class to try and calmly talk about what is making the child distressed.

Observation:

This is looking and gathering information of a client/individual.

This could be carried out by the class teacher to a selected child whom is being observed for showing behavioural patterns which are out of the ordinary e.g. keeping themselves to themselves, rejection to playing with others, in order to asses the development of the child emotionally.

Communication:

This is showing an interest, asking questions/listening to answers as well as non verbal such as hand and facial gestures.

This could involve the teaching assistants talking to a child about a common interest such as the weather e.g. snow, where the child can share stories helping to improve their personal communication skills, by listening to one another as each person speaks.

Comment [N5]: A more relevant example might be checking understanding of the lesson content.

Comment [N6]: Much more could be done here.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Encouraging/rewarding adaptive behaviour:

This is behaviour that increases the well being of the client, a change for the better in the way they act.

This teaching assistant would reward Sophie who has autism when she sits quietly on the carpet to listen to the teacher. Although to the other children in the class, it may be the norm, to Sophie who tends to fidget and not stay still, rewarding her through spoken praise such as ‘Well done Sophie’ when she behaves in a manner which is positive encourages her to feel good about herself and repeat this over again.

Creating trust:

This means acting in such a manner that the client is likely to judge the carer to be reliable.

The teacher may promise that every Friday afternoon after the last playtime the children get to do ‘show and tell’ before they go home. The children expect the teacher to remember their promises and consistently follow through with them otherwise, the trust between the children and class teacher in the future may be in jeopardy.

Reducing negative feelings:

Sometimes negative feelings can affect the way someone behaves, and one way in which teachers can help is to reduce this by acting in a positive manner in the way they respond to the child.

If the situation occurred where a child has an accident and accidentally wet themselves, the teacher may discourage the negative feelings felt by the child such as embarrassment/upset by reassuring the child by telling the child that their not the first for it to happen, that it could happen to any child and its something that can get easily cleared up for them not to worry or feel ashamed.

Gaining compliance:

This means getting the children to do what is required of them.

In the classroom, children have a choice whether to comply or not, but in most situations will. One way in order to get compliance is to offer choices for example ‘Billy, would you like to miss this playtime or the next one, you choose?’ This will give the child control over to which he chooses, but still complying to the situation, another is if the child is reluctant; to gain compliance you may need to explain the situation to the child ‘Billy, you are going to miss you playtime because I had to ask you three times to listen and you still refused’ in order for the child to feel they are not being punished without sufficient reasoning.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Eye contact/facial expressions:

Eye contact and facial expressions are types of non-verbal communication.

Eye contact can help signal to the client that they are being listened to and taken seriously- it can also being used to support speech and establish trust between the child and the teacher. Facial expressions are also important and can present a clear indication of the mood of the person. The head teacher could use facial expressions and eye contact by looking at the child to recognise them as an individual (out of the hundreds of children in the school) who has stood out because of their hard work and being friendly to others and use facial expressions such as smiling to show the child the joy they have in recognising and praising the child’s efforts towards learning.

Disengagement

This means temporarily withdrawing from contact with the client.

If the situation occurs when a child is constantly craves attention from the class teacher to help them with their spelling by repeatedly shouting out ‘Miss’ – to disengage the teacher would explain to the child they will not help them until they calm down and stop demanding attention, in the meantime help another child who is waiting patiently with their hand up. This would show the child that they are not the only one who is struggling and the teacher cannot just help them all the time, this may encourage them to be more considerate of their fellow peers and to act in a patient manner when asking for help.

Physical contact:

This is appropriate touching, which can be used to comfort someone who is anxious or upset as well as show approval.

The teaching assistant can provide this through guiding Emma a visually impaired child by gently holding her elbow to ensure she feels trust in her guider who can lead her in the right direction.

Distraction:

This is trying to take someone’s mind off of something by changing the focus/subject of the conversation.

The teaching assistant could distract a child in reception through games or songs such to reduce negative/upset feelings if they miss their parents whilst at school. Whilst making learning interactive, fun and enjoyable, it may help the child take their mind off being away from their parents whilst at school and this may also speed up time as they are engaging their emotion into enjoying the planned activities.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Modelling:

This is copying behaviour, in order to mould their behaviour.

The teacher can convey modelling behaviour to the children by when she instructs the children to line up for assembly, she holds the door open for them (demonstrating appropriate behaviour) in order for them to make their way as a class to the hall before themselves. This conveys to the child that it is polite for the children to take on responsibility for their class peers by themselves in turn holding the door open for their friends and other members of staff in order for them to pass before the child holding the door.

Working alongside:

This means working at the side of others, both the carer and the client may not necessarily be doing the same work, but working together allows relationships to be built up.

The teaching assistant may be working alongside a child who is deaf and although the child may be listening to the teacher and the class work, and the TA may be taking notes on the work set, they are not doing exactly the same actions however working in cooperation means they are able to effectively work alongside one another.

Showing approval:

The means giving positive responses to the behaviour of a client this could be through smiling or showing praise, or if appropriate.

The teacher can show approval to her student through optimistic feedback on the child’s handwriting and or spellings. They could do this through the means of verbally praising the child, ‘Well done Toby, that’s good pencil control, your improving’ alternatively giving the child stickers and or ‘stars of the week’ for their consistent valiant efforts in their improving work.

Setting challenges:

This means suggesting tasks or activities to clients that will stimulate them and perhaps help them to improve their abilities, skills or confidence.

The teacher can provide challenges for the children for example, if the child is able to complete a 10 piece puzzle to perfection, the teacher could then increase the puzzle size that the child has to complete a puzzle of 20 pieces. This will set a goal for the child to better themselves and continually improve their stimulation.

Treating Children Well Ethics/Duty of Care:

Ethics:

This is moral behaviour which members of staff follow at St. Samuel’s to do best by the children. All members of staff will decently teach the children to the best of their ability so they can enable the children to reach their full capability before entering KS1. Looking after the children will be an obvious ethical procedure within the school and the teachers will follow this.

Comment [N7]: Notice how the candidate refers to ‘children’ and not simply ‘client’. This is to be encouraged.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Duty of care:

All members of staff at St. Samuels have a duty of care and a responsibility to treat the children well, as it is vital because they get paid for following a duty of care.

Staff at St. Samuel’s recognises that bad situations can occur through barriers caused by staff (practitioner barriers) and the children (client barriers)

The following are the barriers that we, staff at St. Samuels hope to avoid as they lead to negative experiences for all involved and good teaching/learning does not occur.

Attitude:

Attitudes are ways of feeling, thinking reflected in ones behaviour.

Negative feelings/attitudes cause a barrier to the child’s learning. A teacher may show negative feelings towards Katie who is autistic by expressing negative thoughts about the child’s actions time over time. ‘No, Katie you are the one to blame for spilling the pencil pot- you should feel ashamed of yourself’ For Katie, this is a way of lowering her self-esteem because Katie will feel bad for her actions and the attitude expressed may result in her being reluctant or disappointed in herself and her learning.

Prejudice:

This is a positive or negative cultural attitude focused towards members of a group or social category.

A teaching assistant would be prejudice towards Kelly who’s brother is in Year 6 of the school and extremely intelligent, may judge Kelly in the same way and although this may be a positive judgement to make about Jake’s little sister, she may not approve of all the pressure and high expectations put on her as a young child because she may not fully understand her full potential at the age of 4 years old.

Stereotype:

Stereotypes are widely held but fixed images or ideas of a particular type of child.

Making a negative assumption about David who has autistic will have a detrimental effect on the child’s compliance to learn. This stereotype could be based on the past view that every autistic child has caused a lot of trouble and misbehaviour and inflicting this on to David will reduce his self-esteem and confidence as the attitudes expressed towards him will be generalised on previous thoughts which will prohibit his learning.

Lacking in motivation:

This is where the teacher will lack the drive to do better or lack interests.

This would be as a result of reasons such as they have been in the job a long time; they are tired, or have a lazy attitude. The teacher would be very laid back in their approach to teaching the children and not teach them what they need e.g. the required core subjects on the National Curriculum.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Inappropriate work place norms:

The norms they have will be unsuitable to carry out in the classroom as this will have a detrimental effect on the children.

The teaching assistant would turn up to the classroom 5 minutes late after every break time as they carry on their conversations/stand around gossiping to fellow teaching assistants. As the children would get there on time, this would affect Nicky who is visually impaired because the TA is not there to help guide Nicky into the hall for the assembly.

Preoccupation with own needs:

This means the teaching and teaching assistant who work together would be more interested in their own needs and interests before those of the children in the class.

The discussion over what the two colleagues did during the half term may be of high priority to talk about the first morning back form the holidays instead of engaging with the children and listening to their stories and interests.

Lack of skill:

This means the teaching staff does not have the appropriate skills and qualities required to meet the children’s individual needs.

A Newly qualified teacher (NQT) who is unable to meet David who is autistic’s own needs because they are unaware of how to cope and deal with him in extreme behavioural situations when there are risks of David lashing out.

Student barriers:

The following are the barriers caused due to the children themselves.

Powerlessness:

This is where the children are in no position of power to solve the situation they’re in.

The children wouldn’t question authority of power because by the end of the situation, the scenario wouldn’t be any better off. Sadie who is autistic may be reluctant to listening to instructions from the teacher so may refuse to take part in reading as a class. Sadie by the end of the situation would have been put in her place by the teacher because they are of higher authority and Sadie lacks the power to change the situation for her benefit.

Exaggeration:

This occurs when the child repeatedly pesters the teacher about their problem.

However, when a problem arises that is genuinely serious; no one would listen to the child because they have constantly moaned about the story when it wasn’t the whole story. James who is visually impaired for the teacher’s attention may pester them to let them go to the toilet every five minutes. When the situation rises and James is persistent to go to the toilet then the teacher would disregard his request which then may result in James wetting himself ultimately causing humiliation to the child.

Comment [N8]: Likelihhod with a qualified teacher?

Comment [N9]: A little muddled.

Comment [N10]: Lacks some understanding.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Hostile:

Hostility is displaying dislike, opposing or resisting feelings towards a member of staff.

Darcy who is autistic may remain hostile towards the lunch time supervisor if she is unaware of who they are. The supervisor may approach Darcy is she is crying, is distress of pain after she feel off the tricycle and Darcy may not respond to the supervisor and continue crying. Therefore Darcy has created this negative connection between herself and the lunchtime supervisor so that the situation can’t be resolved and Darcy is still in distress by the end of lunch.

Ways children could be treated badly:

Neglect:

This is failing to meet the children’s needs, through ignorance or not considering them.

Adam is a very shy child who has started in Reception a term later than everyone else as he had moved area. The teacher would neglect Adam by not inclusively integrating him into the class to make him feel welcome, as well Adam will lack the life quality factor of social support and consequently feel isolated which would have a further detrimental affect on his progression in learning.

Rejection:

This is when a staff would push a child away emotionally and doesn’t accept responsibility for the care of the child.

The teaching assistant who works with Sarah who is visually impaired would reject her through not accepting the picture that Sarah had painted her and this would result in Sarah becoming upset as the TA doesn’t appreciate her efforts and time she took to paint the picture all by herself and she may continue to doubt the achievement in her own work.

Hostility:

Hostility is state of bad or ill feeling towards a child.

The teacher may show hostility towards Ben who is hearing impaired through staring at him or constantly subjecting him to questions which are irrelevant to the lesson topic. This will make Ben feel victimised by his teacher and therefore may be reluctant to respond which may aggravate his teacher further and create a break down in communication between Ben and his teacher.

Comment [N11]: Relies on autism a lot for many examples.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Punishment:

Punishment is the penalty imposed for wrongdoing by a child.

The teacher would treat Kelly who is visually impaired negatively because she can’t read out the notices on the board which her teacher asks her to and therefore the teacher may punish her by not allowing her to be involved in class games on the Friday afternoon or subjecting her to sit of the spot on the carpet whilst the other children have their playtime. This would result in Kelly feeling that she would be further punished for everything she does, even what she does right and may make her fearful for the consequences of her actions.

Bullying:

This is repetitive, demeaning behaviour from the teaching assistant to a specific child and constantly purposefully treating them in an unpleasant way.

The teaching assistant would bully Nathan who is autistic by constantly calling him ‘retard’ or ‘stupid’. These names would directly affect Nathan as he would begin to believe the constant names drummed into him by the TA and as a result would have reduced self esteem or affect the treatment of his friends towards him as they may believe the TA calling Nathan names. Alternatively Nathan could become a self fulfilling prophecy (act in a stupid manner and become the label given) because that is all what he perceived to be, which would disrupt his development.

Violence:

This means physically hurting a child.

When the class is standing a line waiting to go to the hall, the teacher who holds the first child’s hand would tug Lily’s hand who is at the front to walk with him. This may be subtle and oblivious to the other children in the class, but to Lily this would be done by the teacher intentionally. Lily may respond by crying if she is hurt and this may cause her to be fearful of her teacher hurting her further.

Discrimination:

This is discrimination which is unfair, of low standard treatment of people according to their identity within different groups of people. There are many different forms of discrimination including: social class, ethnicity, impairment, sex and religion.

Ethnicity can relate to nationality, race and religion.

The teacher may discriminate against Jasmine who is Polish by not meeting her needs purely on the basis that she originates from a different country and understanding and helping her developing EAL would take up too much time for the teacher and therefore the teacher doesn’t meet Jasmine’s needs with the other children’s and therefore she is missing out on developing as her progress by the teacher is not being monitored.

Comment [N12]: ?

Comment [N13]: ?

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Discrimination regarding gender would be the unfair treatment of either boys or girls.

In the class, the ratio of boys: girls, the majority may be girls and with the teacher being female she may discriminate of the boys within the class because they are the minority. The teacher wouldn’t meet their needs and only address ‘girl’ related sports in PE lessons such as dancing and acrobatics as opposed to integrating stereotypical ‘boys’ sports of football, cricket, tag rugby. Therefore the bois of the class may miss out on football/cricket team trials for the school and may face humiliation from the boys in the older years because they are outweighed by girls and only know the favoured girls’ sports.

The teacher may also discriminate according to impairment.

Hollie who is hearing impaired will require extra attention e.g. support from a TA who can help with BSL, but the class teacher would ignore Hollie’s needs and not request a TA to be co-staff within the class and be reluctant to address communication with Hollie through not placing her in the front of the class so she can’t see the interactive white boards clearly, or be able to lip-read the teacher. This would result in Hollie feeling alone and unable to develop along with her class mates because she cannot easily access the curriculum.

SECTION C: COMMUNICATION IN THE CHOSEN SETTING

Barriers to communication:

A barrier is boundary or limit which affects communication. Barriers to communication presented in St Samuel’s include visual impairment, hearing impairment and autism. A child is considered to be classified as having a visual impairment if their eye condition cannot be fully corrected by wearing glasses. A hearing impairment is where the child has a loss which impedes the child from totally receiving sounds through the ear. Autism is lifelong progressive disability which affects the way a child communicates and relates to those around them.

Effective barriers to communication with someone who is:

We, as staff at St Samuels believe it is highly important that our staff are fully equipped to deal with any barrier which arises within a child’s learning. On a yearly basis, members of our staff attend a course in ways of managing and dealing with such barriers as a visual impairment, hearing impairment and autism. From the course, it has been advised when communicating to a visually impaired child, give them a sense of direction; e.g. their left and right and make them aware of the surroundings around them. Consider the feelings of the child who relies on you as you are there to keep them safe and reassure them. To effectively communicate with a child who is hearing impaired, mouth the words and use positive hand gestures e.g. open arms and show positivity. When in communication to a child who is mute, use cue cards with pictures and simple vocabulary and remember to give them choice. Ensure to consider the feelings of the child because they choose not to speak so shouting at them will not be an effective way forward and therefore taking through using flash cards would be more effective.

Comment [N14]: ?

Comment [N15]: Some relevant material but simplistic.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Types of communication:

There are three types of communication; written, verbal and non-verbal.

Written: Communication through written text, including; letters, printed documents or handwritten articles.

Verbal: Communication through the means of speech and by reading and writing also.

Non-verbal: Relates to aspects of communication apart from words being spoken. This includes tone of voice, speed of speech, use of facial expressions, gestures, posture and eye contact.

3.1.5 Types of communication:

Matching the language and the style of the communications:

Technical terminology:

The use of complex words/phrases within a sentence. To make it easy for a child by break it down into short sharp phrases with everyday language they will understand.

When relating to Millie who is visually impaired break things down, but fully explain it through speech as she cannot necessarily see you or the body language/hand gestures being used. When getting Millie to tidy the toys away use phrases she will know and understand ‘It’s tidy up time’ and you may use songs which she can remember. Get Millie to feel the objects she has to tidy away and by calling her name and telling her to put a specific toy away e.g. ‘Millie put this building block back in its box’, make the box it is being returned to within close proximity to where she is situated, not somewhere where there may be obstacles in the way. Also avoid saying a long sentence with lots of instructions strung together for instance’ Millie, its time to pack your toys, drawings, pictures and paintings away and clear up the classroom’ because she will most likely not be able to recall on the list given.

Technical terminology would be appropriate when talking between teacher and teaching assistant. This is because they will understand the complex phrases used – that a young child may not understand. The classroom teacher may give the teaching assistant complex directions and instructions such as ‘Please could you take this and enlarge it onto A3 cream paper using the photocopier, its down the hall- turn left, right, then left again and its immediately in front of you in the computering room.’ This would be an acceptable sentence to say to another member of staff because they would be able to absorb what has been said to them and most likely wont need it repeating.

Length and complexity of sentences:

This is how long the sentence length is, whether it’s direct and straight to the point or is fully explained with the use of technical terminology. Children in general have a short attention span so talking for several minutes will just make them uninterested and bored as they won’t remember half of what you have told them.

Comment [N16]: Relevance to technical terminology unclear

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) It is especially important to get to the point of things when interacting with a child who is autistic because they may need this instruction repeated several times, so instead of saying ‘I want you to gather your pens, pencils, books, toys and homework and put them all into your book bags, its time to walk down to the gate to go home’ you would address the child and tell them exactly what applies to them, ‘Jack, put your homework diary in your book bag’ Once Jack has done this, then instruct the next command e.g. ‘now put your Biff and Chip book in your bag’. Short instructions like this in progression will avoid complex sentences confusing Jack.

Long and complex sentences are acceptable when talking between a teacher and teaching assistant. This is because they are likely to follow what you are telling them, focus on what you are telling them and are likely to remember what you tell them and not need it repeating. For example they could give a range of instructions such as: ‘could you collect the children’s letters in, then put them into alphabetical order and check in accordance to the register to see if they have all handed them in and then take them around to the office for me please?’

Humour:

Making someone laugh, or saying something which they may find amusing and may laugh in response.

When communicating with a child who has a hearing impairment, teaching staff should never use sarcasm. More times than not, the child won’t understand what exactly it is you are being sarcastic for and especially for a hearing impaired child, because they won’t be aware what you are laughing at or making fun of. They may not hear you saying something which is meant to be funny, it may make them feel victimised because they would think the member of staff is talking about them because they can see them but not hear them.

Humour should be only used when you are communicating with a teaching assistant you are familiar with and you know would be able to understand what you mean by the remarks made. This would be accepted if you knew the teaching assistant because they are familiar with everyday language and so would catch on quickly as to when a joke was said. As well as this, if they are familiar with you they are more likely to be able to understand your personality and would react to your facial expressions, gestures/jokes with full understanding of the situation. Although jokes/remarks should not be made between two teaching assistants about the children in St. Samuel’s on a personal level because this would be seen as unprofessional and may jeopardise the relationship between the two teaching assistants.

Formal/informal style:

Formal language is the use of Standard English and polite or professional language. Informal language is taking a friendly or chattier approach when communicating with someone.

When interacting with young children it will be more effective if the teacher talks to them using formal language but break it down into simple terms and not use complicated words. They may not understand very formal language and some big words, so instead say ‘Daisy please go and hand the register to the office’ Although this is formal, it is expressed in a simple manner which

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Daisy can understand and will follow. As Daisy is autistic, it is essential to use formal language to an extent so that she does not misinterpret what you have said. Informal style said to Daisy would be ‘Daisy run over to the office quickly and dump the register on Miss’s table’ this could convey mixed messages to her, causing confusion as she will take the instructions ‘run’ and ‘dump’ literally.

Both formal and informal language would be appropriate to use between head teacher and teacher. Formal language would be appropriate because the conversation would take a professional tone and therefore the authority of both the teacher and the head teacher working in St. Samuel’s would be upheld as they act in a manner appropriate for the classroom. For example it could be said ‘Would you collect in the children’s London zoo confirmation slips and file them in the school register for your class in the office please?’ This, although conversational, takes a professional approach because it asks the class teacher to file and collect school related information from the teacher whilst acting in a formal and strategic manner to get tasks done. Informal language would also be acceptable to use however only between carers who are familiar with one another. For example: ‘Heya, will you be alright to take them down to the hall for the nativity practice and I’ll be down there in a minute as I just have to tidy up here’ This could be said to another carer in the setting of whom they are on familiar grounds.

Colloquialism:

A conversational word or phrase; commonly spoken, an idiom often subjected to a specific region of the country.

When interacting with children, it is best not to use colloquial language. This is important when interacting with Chris who is autistic because he will need fully clarity and expression of words as autistic children frequently take things literally. it’s a wet play day, teachers should not use colloquialisms such as ‘raining cats and dogs’ as Chris would become confused and think cats and dogs are literally falling from the sky.

Between two teachers it wouldn’t be acceptable to use colloquial language because you cannot always be sure that a colleague would see humorous language in the same way as it was intended to sound because although you may think you are on familiar ground it may not always be certain, and this may not be the most professional use of language to use in the primary school as it could be seen as unprofessional.

Structuring a communication to give a logical progression of ideas:

This means giving people instructions in the order in which they are required to do certain tasks.

This will enable the children to feel at ease and given them a sense of independence in approach to doing certain things. As well as this it will give the children a set order, and therefore they will eventually fall into a structured routine. This would be beneficial Daniel who is autistic because routine will enable him to establish daily instructions and eventually it will build up his memory. ‘Daniel first put your book bag on your table, the take your coat off and go and put it on your peg and then come back and sit on the carpet’ Repeating this instruction to Daniel every day and in the same order will help him to memorise it and begin to do this instruction without having to be told, increasing his independence.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) When communicating two teaching assistants it would be more efficient and time saving to give ideas in a logical progression because this way it is quicker for them to follow and perform them to a high quality. ‘Could you collect in the children’ reading record books put them on my desk and then collect the milk for morning break for the children from the milk room?’

Applying grammatical skills to avoid ambiguity:

This is ensuring that the right vocabulary and punctuation is used to ensure that no phrase or sentence is understood in the wrong way than intended.

This is important when communicating with Esme who is visually impaired child because grammar such as a comma and full stop if not always in the right place within a sentence may confuse her and this may then affect her ability to complete the work correctly. As well as this, it may be effective to put the commas and full stops enhanced in bold in the sentence because she won’t always be able to distinguish between the two forms of grammar.

Communication between the teacher and the SENCO regarding a visually impaired child’s statement of additional educational needs should be without flaws. There needs to be certainty that the use of grammar is precise and there is no ambiguous phrase which may cause confusion, because the statement is an important official document for the child which will appear of their record and important in their further education.

Using words appropriately:

When communicating with a child it is important that you use words which meet the child’s needs, in the most suitable manner.

When communicating with Sophia who is visually impaired it is vital to use words which promote her own independence and this clarifies that you are talking to her directly. ‘Sophia, I want you to stick this picture onto this piece of paper’ By using the word ‘you’ it is giving her a sense of capability instead of using the phrase ‘we’ because this phrase makes the child dependant on you to be involved in all what she does which would prohibit her own learning and development as she always will be relying on someone to be thereto give a helping hand.

It would be important to use words appropriately between teacher Deputy head and the head teacher because they lead the school and should set an example to fellow members of teaching staff and assistants as well as convey the correct use of Standard English to the children. Therefore there use of words for example in an assembly would be specific to the year group in which they are presenting, such as using simpler words for the Reception children as opposed to formal language and trickier words when addressing year six students.

Fluency:

Fluency is the capability to speak or write a language effortlessly and correctly. When interacting with children, fluency in your voice must be precise as they must be able to grasp what you are saying, so you do not have to repeat it several times over. The sentences said must make sense and not be confusing.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) This is vital when communicating with Barney who is visually impaired child because he will especially be listening to the words spoken; sentences must be structured so that what is spoken is understandable and clear. ‘Barney, go collect you’re coat with you’re book bag and then stand behind your chair with your hands together to say the evening prayer’ Also, you want to avoid ‘ponderous phrasing’ (this is speaking to a child in a extremely slow manner); just because Barney is visually impaired, it doesn’t mean he also has trouble understanding what you say to him so long as it’s clear, he won’t need to be instructed one word at a time, because this will make him feel as if he is being targeted and incapable of listening/responding to tasks.

Fluency is important when communicating between two teachers who job share. This would be vital because the teacher who teaches the first half of the weeks will need to explain to the teacher taking over exactly what has been taught, what activities the children have done and how they are progressing in order that the teacher in the latter half of the school week can be clear in planning what they need to carry on with in order that they do not repeat anything taught during the first half of the week.

Correct spelling and punctuation:

Correct spelling and punctuation is using the right words in the right order so the sentence makes sense.

When interacting with David who has a hearing impairment it is essential to make sure that the correct phrasing is used. Using the right use of ‘there’ or ‘their’ when writing a sentence for David to copy ’The boy heard a loud noise from under the sofa, he underneath but there was nobody there’. This is important so David can learn both words and the different meanings. Correct spelling is vital for David as he relies on words through communication whereas misspelt words would cause the David to become discombobulated. Correct Punctuation is important in the use of written communication, (includes; commas, full stops, exclamation marks, speech marks etc) This is important for David so that it does not cause problems with clarity. A teacher reading a story to the children in the class, and one of the sentences in the book was ‘Lets eat, Grandma’ The teacher would ensure that she pauses otherwise the sentence would be conveyed as; ’Let’s eat Grandma‘ and this to the children may cause them to get confused with the story line and cause them to lose focus and interest.

Correct spelling and punctuation should be used between teacher and teaching assistant. The teacher would give the teaching assistant work to differentiate for the child who is visually impaired and must ensure that the spelling is correct and punctuation is used in the correct sense so that the work can be differentiated with no grammatical errors.

Legibility:

This is the quality of writing so that it can be easily read.

Legibility is vitally important for Timmy who is visually impaired because the teaching assistant can adapt work for Timmy at size 24pt and Arial Bold presented on yellow paper. The teaching assistant would act in the interest of Timmy so that it is just accessible to him as it is to any

Comment [N17]: Best example of instructions for a young child?

Comment [N18]: ‘Extra’ relevance for hearing impairment?

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) other child in the class, ensuring the work is differentiated prior to the lesson so Timmy is not left out when his friends receive the work. When typing up written communication the teaching assistant wouldn’t use capital lettering as this conveys anger and may make the child feel upset. Also, written communication, such as a letter home to the child parents is seen as the truth and shouldn’t be ambiguous (confusing).

This is important when communicating between teaching assistant and class teacher because the teaching assistant is the one who is differentiating the work for the child and so information about the quality of writing and how the child’s specific needs should be met should be vital so that the teaching assistant and the teacher can ensure that the child has the same access to the curriculum as well as their class mates.

Using an appropriate speed of speech clarity of utterance and loudness;

Speed of speech:

This is how fast or slow your voice is when talking to someone.

When talking to Alfie who is hearing impaired, it is vital to sign at the right speed in order for him to process what he sees. Communicating to fast through BSL (British sign language) may cause him to become worried and anxious as he won’t be able to keep up with what is being said, nor remember it. However signing too slowly to Alfie will be very condescending and he may not take interest. It may be sensible to talk to Alfie on his level so that he can read your lips.

Speed of speech should be matched between teacher and lunchtime supervisors. For example, communicating to them regarding a child’s dietary needs should not be rushed over and vaguely explained because this may lead to ineffective communication and rushing over a child’s individual needs may result in them not being met.

Clarity of utterance:

This is the sequence of uninterrupted spoken or written language.

This is important when communicating to Eva who is autistic because interrupted spoken words or written language will cause her o be unsure of what she can hear although if the sentence is in sequence then she is more likely to follow and not get disrupted. It avoids confusion as words are not mixed up, rather flow in chronological order, ‘Eva, I want you go and put your tights on, then your shoes and then go and get your coat and you can go out to play’. This outlines what exactly you want Eva to do and the instruction was said in the order as which she will do the tasks. ‘Clarity’ is vital because autistic children can very easily take something to mean something else.

This is important communicating between teacher and head teacher. The teacher would ensure that their conversation is uninterrupted because they are communicating with their boss and the teacher would want to present themselves in a professional conduct and so must ensure they don’t stutter, ensuring that they speak fluently, clearly and to the point.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Loudness:

This is the level of volume of voice at which a person speaks.

When talking to Oliver who is visually impaired, it is important to have the correct volume of voice so that he can hear what is said and be assured in what was said to him meaning he will be independent. Talking too loudly Oliver will make him even more anxious because he will feel that if he didn’t do what he was told because he couldn’t hear properly then he will get told off and this may cause panic and so shouting/using a loud voice should be avoided. It may be best to match the loudness of Oliver’s voice because he will be used to hearing his own sounds, so if you speak at a equal volume it’ll make communicating easier for Oliver.

It is essential to match the loudness to who you are communicating. Communication between and teacher and clerical assistant (regarding letters’ to be sent home to the children’s parents) would be as loud as each one of them talks. Shouting to the clerical assistant wouldn’t be as effective because this may lead to a breakdown in communication as they could feel intimidated.

Using an appropriate pitch and tone of voice:

Pitch is the quality of a sound governed by the rate of vibrations producing it; the degree of highness or lowness of a tone.

This is vital when communicating to a child because speaking with a high pitched tone of voice will seem ‘child-like’ and communicating with children this way may be a risk because they may not take you seriously and switch off when you are talking to them. Similarly talking to a child with a low monotonous pitch may result in the child becoming disinterested and loose concentration. Tone is the variation of voice expressing a particular feeling or mood. When communicating with Hannah who is visually impaired, the pitch and tone of your voice is vital because she will rely majorly on what the teacher is saying to her. as she may not be able to see visual aids. It would be effective to change the pitch and tone of voice slightly when reaching the vital information in the sentence – this may then trigger Hannah’s memory into remembering what you have said differently and then be focused and engaged in what you are saying.

When communicating SENCO to the teaching assistant, the SENCO must ensure they use a tone of voice in which the assisting staff don’t feel inferior, which is abrupt or blunt. The SENCO must not demand of their assisting staff and merely talk to them on the same level as they would address the head teacher of the school because every member of staff is of equal importance to the running of the school so therefore the tone shouldn’t be condescending.

Minimising hesitations and filled pauses:

Hesitations are indecision within speech, filled with uncertain pauses.

It is important when talking to a child, to avoid hesitating as this conveys to the child that you are uncertain on what you are discussing to them. Avoid using phrases such as ‘umm’ ‘erm’ etc. and if ever necessary say a phrase such as ‘I’ll get back to you’ or ‘just wait a minute’. This to Chloe

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) who has autism would be more effective she would be aware that she didn’t get the full story and won’t rely solely on what is said at that point in time because you haven’t got a definite answer for her. The teacher would say ‘Chloe, let me get back to you, I will tell you the full details of our trip to the zoo when I know them’ This will be reassuring, that she will able to ask her teacher again once they are aware of the full story regarding the trip.

When communicating between head teacher and office staff there should be minimal hesitations within a sentence, as the head teacher could be verbally communicating a letter in which they want to be distributed amongst the children in the school and so hesitations should be avoided to ensure that the letter is typed efficiently and in the way it was communicated with no pauses or gaps in information.

Understanding and responding to questions and comments:

A question is a statement which requires a response (a rhetorical question is something which doesn’t).

A question, a child with a hearing impairment could ask for example would be: ‘Can I go to the toilet please?’ The teacher would then reply and if the response declines the request, the teacher would have to say no and explain using a reason ‘No, Faye you can’t as Leo has just gone to the toilet and you have to wait until he comes back before you can go because only one child can go at a time’ The teacher would avoid answering Faye’s question with another question such as, ‘Faye, can you just wait five minutes’ and on their response you would asses the necessity of how desperate the child is. If she was to ask the question frequently the teacher may write down a sign or use pictures to explain their answer and then present her. If however Faye did not know how to sign a word the teacher could get her to show them through drawing it or showing the movement of what the word is.

It is important that if the child makes a derogatory comment that the teacher acknowledges what they have said but then corrects them. If Sam said ‘Everyone look at Leo and laugh because he can’t see us so he wont know were laughing at him and it’ll be funny’ This comment if at all taken in by Leo would cause offence or may make him very upset. Consequently Sam should be told not to make humorous remarks referring to another class friend’s disability and the teacher would say: ‘Sam, do not say that about Leo, that is not very nice or funny’

Communication between two teaching assistants could arise about details of upcoming school arrangements for the Christmas nativity and if unsure about answers regarding the roles of different members of staff involved, they could resort to another member of staff such as head teacher who would be able to answer the question with clarity. As well as this, derogatory comments should not be overlooked if said by another colleague because this would act unprofessionally and their comment may need to be investigated if regarding one of the children.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Appropriate eye contact:

Appropriate eye contact is making eye contact effectively so that you can communicate with the person you are talking to so that they can understand you.

It is vital to make eye contact with the child you are speaking to because although they may necessarily not be able to see you, when making eye contact with Callie who is visually impaired she can sense the direction in which you are talking, also, it makes the clarity of speech easier to understand. You should avoid staring at Callie at all costs, because if you are constantly in her face and speaking at her, then although she may not see you fully, she would get the gist that she is being continually watched and feel intimidated.

Appropriate eye contact should be used between a deputy head teacher and a teacher because they could be discussing a issue which occurred regarding the children’s welfare and if the teacher cannot maintain appropriate eye contact the deputy head teacher may find this odd behaviour and may question the teacher on this if they seen uncertain so appropriate eye contact can non-verbally convey assertiveness.

Use of facial expressions:

Facial expressions are form of non-verbal communication that involves the face in displaying various emotional states.

When interacting with children using facial expressions, be clear when showing an expression and the teacher’s face should convey no grey areas so the child doesn’t get confused. It’s vital to match the child’s expression when interacting with them so they know themselves that you (the teacher) are engaging with them in conversation and it also shows the teacher’s interest when talking to the child. It is vitally important to stand at such a distance in which Paige who is visually impaired can see the expression, standing in a good light without glare. When conveying happiness to Paige, use gestures of happiness, such as smiling and also genuine praise. You would catch her attention by addressing her ‘Paige, good colouring’ with a positive tone of voice, standing close enough that she can hear the praise of her work being recognised.

Facial expressions can be used when communicating teacher to teaching assistant. This can be used if the teacher is asking a favour of the teaching assistant such as running an errand for the teacher’s personal matters and so the teacher may smile to show gratefulness for their willingness to help the classroom teacher.

Use of body orientation and proximity:

Body orientation is where you stand, whether it is your back to the child, or turned to face them in their direction. Proximity is how close or far away you would stand in relation to where the child is situated.

If Jane had stressed the teacher out and they are frustrated with her, the teacher wouldn’t completely turn their back to her, just perhaps clench their fists, have a firm tone of voice, and

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) address Jane, expressing stress through raising hands to their head, explaining the situation to Jane. When welcoming Jane into the classroom, the teacher would open up their arms with positivity, presenting a felling of warmth, comfort and reassurance, if Jane was nervous this would settle her nerves. When communicating with Jane, surprise could present a feeling of happiness and excitement and these should be emphasised. Proximity is a balance of not standing too close so the child feels intimidated nor too far away so communication is restricted. This is essential when communicating with Jane because the teacher doesn’t want to stand too close so Jane feels overpowered, neither standing too far away so she cannot see or hear instructions. At arms length may be acceptable, however the teacher shouldn’t intrude Jane’s personal space at any time, because this would be uncomfortable for her; she may become restless and lash out at those she feels are too close to her.

Body orientation and proximity will be important when communicating between two teachers. Each teacher will require their own personal space and the fellow teacher should not intrude their personal space when working as this may cause friction because they may feel constantly watched by their colleague. Neither should the teacher stand too far away from their fellow colleague as this could cause them to feel isolated within the group of teaching staff and may lead to a breakdown in trusting one another.

Use of gesture, posture and other body movements:

Hand and facial gestures are part of non-verbal communication, they use expression and hand movements to show emotion.

For Lucy who is visually impaired, seeing hand and facial gestures may be difficult so standing within distance her being able to see you (such as next to them) facial and hand gestures should be clear and be free of misinterpretations. The teacher would say ‘Well done Lucy, you spelt your name right’ smiling and speaking in a happy tone of voice showing praise. As well as this you could use hand gestures and clap for Lucy doing well, giving her the star of the week sticker.

Posture is the position is which you sit or stand. Different postures can show different measures of professionalism.

For Jenny who is hearing impaired, posture will be communicated through the way you stand in which BSL is directed and if you stand up straight, shoulders back and hands by your side, BSL is more likely to be directed with clarity. Standing in this position tends to convey the teachers professional conduct and Jenny is more likely to take the teacher seriously. Having a posture which is slouched, laid back or informal has an effect on the way you sign, and this tends to naturally be communicated in the same way. Therefore, adopting this posture, the teacher would more likely to communicate informally to the children, conveying to Jenny that the teacher is not relatively interested in teaching and are not at all concerned on how Jenny responds or acts in behaviour..

Other body movements could include physically moving yourself or the children around the classroom to display something such as a simple addition or a story.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Also, other body movements can aid children’s’ learning such as getting them actively involved in their learning, e.g. by acting out a numbers song (i.e. the 5 currant buns in a bakers shop song) and choosing children to be the current buns, and then instructing certain children to take the current buns away so that they follow the number sequence. This would be beneficial to Sean who is autistic because he is actively being involved in his learning along with his friends, and is not being subjected to just working with a teaching assistant. The teacher could either choose Sean to be a currant bun and choose fellow friends, or be the ‘purchaser of a currant bun’ to actively take his friends’ hand taking them away from the line.

It is important to communicate using gestures and posture when interacting between head teacher a teacher. The teacher would stand in a sturdy posture when interacting with their boss to act in a professional manner avoiding slouching because this presents unprofessionalism. Hand gestures can be used between the two members of staff to add to reasoning when explaining a situation, also presenting a feeling of expression through how openly the teacher uses their hands when interacting with the head teacher which can convey the manner of their relationship in the workplace.

Use of supporting equipment including visual aids:

A visual aid is the use of pictures, symbols, charts, and diagrams presented in leaflets, booklets or on a poster to present information.

A visual aid can help the child understand how to do something which is presented in a form that is easily read and understood. For Kirsty who is visually impaired child, a poster informing her on what to do in a fire emergency would be adapted so she can see it. The teaching assistant would adapt the poster, using cream paper to enhance the text and contrast the

information, enlarging the font to size twenty six in font Arial and the text

Emboldened. (See Appendix 1 for this poster). This is especially important for

Kirsty, because presented in this simplistic way with minimum words and no pictures, in an emergency she will always have something to refer to as an aid, and she is certain to follow the instructions with ease which will minimise confusion or panic.

Communication between a teacher and a librarian may be aided by the use of visual aids. The librarian could present the instructions/ codes used to operate certain equipment such as the photocopier on the wall above the machine to show the teacher what code to clarify the use of the photocopier to ensure it is used effectively. The information sheet could include step by step what to do with a list of codes for different uses such as enlarging or scanning to use.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) 3.1.7

Barriers to communication:

Lack of common or shared language:

This is when a child has EAL. If a child has EAL (English as an additional language) there are various means of communication in which you can use to effectively communicate such as an interpreter, translator or other means of communication.

When communicating it is important to break down the words and use very basic standard of English to Polly as her vocabulary may not be fluent. An interrupter would be there to communicate with Polly in her native language what the teacher is saying, although slightly time consuming, communication would be easier. Other means of communication could be to use objects/items which Polly can feel/hold, visualise and recognise ‘Polly, this is a triangle’ Holding the object Polly can get used to the weight and feel of it, and by saying the object name and properties to her, slowly but surely the teacher can begin to extend her vocabulary step by step.

Between a teacher and a teaching assistant the barrier may occur if the teaching assistant is unfamiliar with the class they are working with, is new to the school or is only recently been appointed the job. To resolve this barrier, the teaching assistant may turn to receive help by the SENCO who employed them because they should give them the appropriate knowledge the teaching assistant will need to know when working in St Samuel’s as well as knowledge about the class they will be in and the specific child (Polly) who they will work with on a one-one basis occasionally.

Use of unfamiliar technical or dialect words or phrases:

This is the barrier to speech/words which is confusing, challenging to a child.

Edward who has autism may struggle with learning tricky words such as ‘going, ‘away’ and ‘said’ therefore the teaching assistant who works with Edward may break them down into the syllables for Edward to clap using his hands, so that he can actively sound out the words before he tried to write them down and spell them correctly. Sounding out the letters of the word such as ‘sss, aaa, iiii ddd’ will allow him to be aware of each sound which makes up the word,

Communication between a head teacher and the deputy head may be limited if the deputy head is not used to the technical vocabulary used by the head teacher. To overcome this, the deputy head may ask for help from the teaching staff and other members of staff who will be used to the head teacher and can help the deputy head teacher out with the language used by the head teacher so they can match the language to the appropriate level.

Differences in cultural beliefs and assumptions:

When communicating with a child it is vital that their cultural beliefs are taken into consideration, recognizing their own individual’s needs, as their cultural beliefs may differ from other children.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) If the child was Jewish, they may be kept to strict Jewish dietary laws in accordance to eating ‘Kosher’ foods. The teacher would consult the parents/guardians, finding out the requirements for the child eating snacks/lunch within school hours. The teacher would ensure that if the family do conform to following Jewish dietary laws e.g. of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be slaughtered in accordance with Jewish law. The meal supervisors would be aware of Angela’s specific dietary needs and not give her foods which are against her cultural beliefs. This is important for Angela who is visually impaired because she may not necessarily know what foods she can/cannot eat, and if she did eat foods which were against the Jewish law it may cause distress to the family, as their requests for Angela were not met and, for Angela it may make her upset as she may feel that she will be punished by her parents for not obeying the Jewish laws in school.

When communicating between two teaching staff, their cultural beliefs and identity should be taken into account and not ignored by a fellow member of the teaching staff. Between a Christian teacher and a teacher who is Muslim, neither should one another make remarks or pass judgment for their cultural beliefs and identities, for example a teacher who is Muslim and a teacher who is Christian each is entitled to the human right of ‘freedom of religion’ and this to some members of society is a fundamental human right so a Muslim teacher who wants to wear a hijab should not be judged/discriminated against for following Islam.

Environmental issues such as noise, inappropriate rooms, lack of privacy:

Noise can highly interrupt communication and this should be minimized at all costs.

If the teacher is communicating verbally to Jade 1-1 it would be more effective to talk to them in an environment which is quiet. If in a room which is full of noise and distractions, this would cause her to become distracted and she will be more likely to not concentrate on what is being said, mishear information, to avoid the level of noise within a room, the door would be shut. It may be effective if the teacher does not talk to Jade in a room which is situated next door to a noisy room, as the noise levels could be heard through the walls and this could lead Jade to becoming uninterested in what the teacher is telling her and more curious to what is going on in the next room. Also, if Jade is softly spoken, then being in a quiet room will allow the chance to hear one another properly and the need for repetition is minimised.

Inappropriate rooms are those which do need met the needs of the child involved, having objects scattered all around the classroom in places where a child can fall over with ease.

This should be avoided at all costs and Danielle should not feel at any risk of harm in the room. To ensure the environment is right for her, make sure the floor space is free and no toys/objects are in any position in which she could not see them, and harm herself. As well as this, you should not have posters of such complexity, that she cannot see them nor understand what the words means. Displays should be bright and colourful, contrasting to the colours of the walls so they are easily readable. Displays should not all be 2D but versatile, including some in 3D so that Danielle can interactively learns from raised shapes.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Privacy of the child should always be upheld such as if the children are getting dressed for PE then the classroom door should be shut for their own privacy and although they may not fully understand the concept of privacy this should not be violated by the members of staff.

This important for Andrew who is visually impaired because he may not be able to tell if anyone is watching him get dressed for PE, the teacher should ensure that he is safeguarded just as much as the other children in the class. Privacy involving child confidentiality should be upheld because Andrew may be very conscious and worried of anyone else finding out, and may only want to share information with their teacher. If Andrew was worried about getting treated different because of his visual impairment, the teacher should speak to him in a quiet space, away from other children unless at the request of Andrew otherwise, to confront the issue of why he is worried.

Communication between two teaching staff whose classrooms are next door to one another should communicate so that one class is not noisier than the other, and the privacy of each of the classrooms is maintained such as shutting the classroom door so that the noises around are minimized meaning that each of the teachers can effectively teach their own classes in a quiet environment. The classrooms should be free of objects which the teacher themselves may fall over because this is a vitally important for their safety as well as the children’.

Reluctance to communicate (such as being abusive or violent situation):

The situation might arise if the student is unwilling to comply with the classroom teacher.

Jamie who is autistic may constantly deny the teacher of a response or simple reply ‘No’ to get the teacher’s attention. The teacher would not respond by continually questioning the child ‘Why are you saying No Jamie?’ but rather not responding, to show him that his constant denial will get no reaction off the teacher. Eventually when Jamie realizes that his behavior is not being tolerated then he may be reluctant to listen and do as his teacher is saying. However, if refusing to do as he is told, he may be referred to see another member of staff such as the Head teacher who will deal with the situation and inform him of the consequences if he doesn’t conform.

There may be unwillingness to communicate between two teaching members of staff who may dislike one another. If the two teachers didn’t effectively want to work alongside one another then it may be effective to separate them from working in the same area of the school. Alternatively the teachers may benefit if their situation is approached by the head teacher who will effectively resolve their dispute so that although they may not be fond of one another, they will be able to communicate within school hours as it is their duty of care to comply working alongside other members of the teaching staff.

Practitioners lack of confidence or experience:

This is where the member of staff communicating with the child doesn’t have the adequate knowledge to fully respond to the child’s question.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) A child may approach the play ground supervisors and question them on what time the children’s harvest mass is at the Church. The play ground supervisor may not be aware of this information and so won’t adequately be able to give them an answer ‘Sadie, I am not too sure, so let me go and ask Mrs. Barnes and I will get back to you’. The playground supervisor would then go and ask Mrs. Barnes (TA on break duty) who organizes the school and Church’s correspondence masses who would be able to inform the playground supervisor of the correct date so that Sadie can be sure of the correct response.

When communicating between two long serving teachers who work in both in reception, there may be a lack of experience if they are both not familiar with the application of jolly phonics (a multi-sensory method teaching the 42 letter sounds, in literacy through synthetic sounds) To resolve this, the teacher could resort to asking the newest member of teaching staff, who has recently qualified who will be equipped and up to date with the most recent application of learning sounds for the foundation stage, who can inform the teachers of the modifications to the method and how it has changed the teaching application to ensure that the teacher can adopt the changes and be confident to apply them.

Hostility between the client and practitioner:

Hostility is resistance to someone, an action or plan.

Hostility could arise between Emma who is autistic and her teacher. Emma may not feel comfortable around her teacher and may act out of character by not answering questions, refusing to answer her name in the register, or acting through aggression and may hit her teacher. To reduce the hostility between Emma and her teacher, the teaching assistant who has known Emma since nursery would be present in the class so she feels at ease and comfortable to act in an appropriate manner, because someone she has grown up with and trusts is present, and therefore communication won’t be as hostile. The teaching assistant can work with Emma to overcome her negative expressions towards the class teacher and the relationship can be improved. The teaching assistant would be there to halt any outbreaks of aggressiveness Emma may show, and support the teacher against her aggression, the teaching assistant will be there for her in calming her antagonism.

3.1.8:

Evaluating communication skills:

Through the work that our staffs do in St Samuel’s Primary school, using the correct methods of communication such as making eye contact, listening to the children and adhering to their needs mean that the levels of care which the children receive will improve as the staff can effectively communicate with the children, building up a trusting relationship.

Two ways communication provides benefits for both the children and the members of staff to which they are communicating because it allows each participant involved in the conversation to have their voice heard by the other individual. This means that the teacher can listen to the child, but also the child can listen to the teacher. Therefore they both benefit from the two way

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) communication because they can confer views/discussions and information with one another which would result in a stronger relationship formed because they can effectively communicate with one another rationally so therefore the level of care and communication provided is increased further.

There are three types of communication throughout St Samuel’s which mean that various ways of communicating with the children are used, developing and broadening the level of care provided to the children. Verbal communication includes talking to a child. This to all children is important, as verbal communication is commonly used throughout the school every day. We feel it is of utmost importance to Nadine who is visually impaired because it is her main source of communication which is effective, relying of the information orated by the teacher. Therefore, non-verbal and written may not work as effectively with Nadine, verbally the teacher will ensure communication is correct so that it ensures Nadine’s needs are met, hence she can access the curriculum just as effectively as her peers. This form of communication will be made to every child, however it will be more accessible to some than others.

Another form of communication used through St Samuel’s is non-verbal communication. This involves hand gestures, body movements used to communicate with a child. The teacher will encompass many hand gestures towards the children, instead of just verbally communicating. Although, this may not apply to effective communication with a child who is visually impaired to Matthew, who is hearing impaired, these will aid the BSL used by both the teacher and other members of staff. Hand gestures and facial gestures are important tools of communication because they can present emotion and or instructions by using the hands to act out different instructions and scenes. This form of communication will be made to every child, however it will be more accessible to some than others.

Also, written communication is used throughout St Samuel’s. This form of communication is made accessible to every child in the school. Teachers can adapt written communication so that Nadine who is visually impaired receives certificates and awards in larger print, Matthew who is hearing impaired receives the reward as a written certificate and Joe who autistic can receive certificates and rewards through simple words on the certificate, including some pictures. Therefore written communication can be made accessible to all children throughout the school.

Communication is a skill in which we at St Samuel’s pride ourselves of as our staffing network all know the means to effective communication and through this, our staff can provide the very best to the children ensuring that they are fully involved in their own learning and are able to reach the full potential in their education. As well as the high level of communication we maintain at St Samuel’s, this allows us to be proficient, allowing for minimum mistakes/issues.

The greatest effect that we, staff at St Samuel’s have a positive effect on is the children. The children within are school our all young, happy thriving learners who day after day show up for school, keeping the school in on-going motion and also an ever improving school. Our communication with the children reflects in such a positive manner that the children feel comfortable, safe and, of most priority, happy and excited about going to school because through verbal, non-verbal and written communication, the children build up trust with the members of staff they encounter and so forth they feel that their education is going to be successful as the children themselves are the centre of our communication. We strive to better our school for the children, for they are our future.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) 3.1.9

Communicating when working in teams

Ensuring continuity of care, for example when shifts change:

This is ensuring that the same level of care is maintained throughout the day and the week, when changing between teacher and teacher.

Where two teachers job share, the teacher working the first half of the week would create a written document or an email which would be handed to the teacher who teaches the second half of the school week (Thursday-Friday). They would use written communication as they can go into detail what Becky who is autistic covered and how she behaved because the teacher could ensure that her fellow colleague would be aware that Becky has had a troubled first half of the week to prepare the teacher for her behaviour.

Sharing essential information about client/client group needs:

This is dealing with a child’s needs in an appropriate manner.

Rosie who is visually impaired, her home life has recently changed so that she has moved house and location. This would be essential information to share with another member of the staff to update her records; this would be shared through written communication because information may be confusing if spoken as they may forget some vital information, so written notes on the child’s records would be the best way to communicate so they are logged for future reference.

Informing practitioners of change in a client’s/client group’s condition:

This is informing a fellow colleague on a change in Tommy who is hearing impaired needs.

Changes such as an alteration in the severity of his Impairment should be noted in written records to be handed over to carer’s such as the SENCO, class teacher and clerical staff as the change would affect the way in which the child is able to communicate effectively and so the teachers would have to adjust their teaching methods accordingly so Tommy can reach his full potential across the curriculum.

Avoiding or defusing conflicts between staff:

This is making sure that conflict is minimised in order that the two teachers can effectively work together.

A teaching assistant and the teacher may be arguing over Nancy who is visually impaired, and whether or not Nancy would need her work differentiated. The teaching assistant would be arguing on behalf of Nancy if she didn’t want her work enlarged as she feels she stands out; however the teacher may just be following guidelines of the statement requirements. Another member of staff such as the SENCO would then intervene and resolve the issue, holding a meeting (verbal communication) between the teacher and teaching assistant to diffuse the issue and clear the air so that the teaching and teaching assistant can both work together.

Comment [N19]: ‘Shifts’ in a school?

Comment [N20]: Relevance to needs?

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) Developing the caring skills of inexperienced staff:

This is improving the skills of a member of staff so they can adequately work efficiently in St. Samuel’s.

A newly qualified teaching assistant may not have had practical experience of dealing with Josie who is autistic before as they are new and so therefore they would build their knowledge and experience by shadowing a member of staff (non-verbal) who is familiar with Josie, observing how they deal with her, learning skills in which they can use when taking over communication with Josie. Verbally communication would be used as they would discuss with one another effective ways to deal with Josie.

Supporting, guiding and encouraging staff:

This is giving members of staff praise and recognition of work.

This could be shown by the Head teacher verbally communicating with a newly qualified teacher (NQT), praising them on a specialist achievement of additionally being a visually impaired teacher by shaking their hand and saying well done (both verbal and non-verbal). Also, written communication could be used to shown admiration to the NQT, through recognition in a staff memo discussing the teacher’s achievements, or a 1-1 basis meeting praising the teacher. The Head teacher may show approval for the NQT by having a staff appraisal board, displaying ‘teacher of the week/month’ which would be a written certificate showing approval of work.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) SECTION D: EVALUATION:

St Samuel’s considers all the skills discussed so far to be important. However we value some of the caring skills and communication skills to be more important when dealing with the foundation stage (Reception children) than others. These are the top 10 including both communication and caring skills explaining why we believe them to be so effective.

Of first priority we believe that giving a logical progression of ideas to children is vital. This is because by giving the children instructions/task to complete in the order they should complete them rather than jumbled up, this gives them an order to follow and this will lead them to learn structure and routine into their school life because we feel at 5 years old this will make the transition of settling into the school easier for them because they know exactly what is expected of them and when it is expected of them. Also, it is important because by following a logical profession of ideas, the children can bring this with them into KS1 & 2 with them making activities more efficient in completing them.

Of second importance, the caring skill we as staff want to display is modelling. This is vital for children of reception age because they will be more than likely to copy appropriate behaviour such as using ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and also, how to act around others in an appropriate manner in communicating ways of behaviour and conduct. This is important as the children will mirror the behaviour of their teacher who acts as a positive role model of how to act within the school.

Thirdly, we feel gaining trust with the children is vital. We believe this because by building a strong connection with the children the teacher can fully engage with them and their development as young learners throughout the school. Moreover, if the children trust the responsible adult they are with, then they are more likely to comply with what is asked of them because they know the teacher has their best interests at heart and is intentionally getting them to do an activity/task for their own ability and learning. Also, if the teacher can gain trust with a child, if something happened to go wrong and they wanted to tell someone they trusted, the child could tell their teacher, assured that they will be there for the child and help them with the situation in any way they could.

Of fourth importance, we feel correct spelling and punctuation is key. The teacher should ensure that when teaching the children they use correct spelling and punctuation in all manner and tenses. This is because children learn vastly in the first year at school and can make vast progression in their learning, but to ensure their leaning is efficient and successful, their spelling and punctuation must be too, and this they learn from the class teacher so we feel that for our teachers to use correct spelling and punctuation when teaching the children, the children will learn the correct use of grammar and spelling and become successful learners because language is key to understanding.

Of fifth importance, we believe showing approval is an important caring skill. With teachers showing recognition of the children’s work through verbal appraisal, certificates, stickers, prizes, this indicates to the child that they are making progress in their learning and encourages them to carry on doing good work to get more approval off the teacher. This for the children will build up their self-esteem and confidence as the teacher recognises their valiant effors whilst they

Comment [N21]: Prioritisation/hierarchy is acceptable

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) become independent learners who strive to achieve the best they can. Also, by showing approval it will make the children more eager to better themselves to gain further appraisal.

The sixth most important skill we believe is key is encouraging. Similar to showing approval, for a child to achieve the best they can and improve, the teacher should ensure they encourage the children in any way they can. This consequently will display to the children that the teacher trusts their ability and knows they will be successful because encouraging them to do the best will result in the children wanting to do well to please their teacher. As well as this, it shows that the teacher is engaged in the child’s learning as they themselves because the teacher wants to get the best out of the children so that it is certain they will reach the best of their capability.

Next, of seventh importance, appropriate eye contact is necessary. We believe that when addressing the children of the class, they should engage with them through eye contact, because this way she can catch the attention of those who aren’t giving their full attention and also by using eye contact, they will further the communication between the children and the teacher. This will, ensure that the children learn to look back at the teacher when they are talking because this is polite manners and therefore when talking to fellow class mates and other members of staff they will also engage in eye contact.

Of eighth importance setting challenges for the children is important. We at St Samuel’s believe that through wanting the best for our children, setting challenges to keep them stimulated will only further their development intellectually and emotionally as they become more confident learners when they better themselves by reaching a target/set goal. This allows the teacher to raise standards for each child on an individual level (because no two children are the same) and monitor their progress efficiently.

Penultimately, we believe it is important to minimise hesitations and filled pauses. The children in the reception class at such a young age will pick up on uncertainty of a teacher and if pausing too often will become irritable and agitated. Therefore we feel minimising these will ensure that the children keep focused and engage with the teacher so that they get the best out of listening to their teacher as opposed to switching off every time they pause or hesitate. As well as this, it will deter the children from themselves pausing too often in a sentence but speak in such a manner that that their words are fluent.

Finally, of last importance the last skill is appropriate pitch and tone. As young learners, children in the reception class can be reluctant to otherwise be distracted by others around them or pictures/displays and so forth slightly altering the pitch and tone used, the teacher can ensure that they grab the children’s attention and keep them intrigued. As well as this, if necessary to speak in long-winded sentences, the teacher can make this more receivable to the children by enhancing the words, phrases that are important for the children as by this, they are more likely to remember the words enhanced now and again rather than the whole passage. Also, this will convey to the children to learn different tones and pitches as they can show these through acting out different characters in plays and performances throughout their school journey.

Overall, we, staff at St. Samuel’s firmly ensure that these ten vital caring and communication skills shine brightly through our teaching staff for the children’s learning and benefit because we strongly value their importance throughout our school.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) SECTION E: BIBLIOGRAPHY & APPENDIX This section includes books, websites and any extra information which I have reffered to in completing this handbook. Websites: Web address: http://www.st-stephens.bexley.sch.uk/ Web address: http://www.st-stephens.bexley.sch.uk/site/files/Newsletter/ofsted%20jan%202011.pdf Book references:

Title: Children with Visual Impairment in Mainstream Settings Author: Arter C Edition: 1st Published year: 1990 Publisher: David Fulton Publishers Ltd Title: Guide to Visually Friendly Schools Author: RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) Edition: 1st Published year: 2007 Publisher: RNIB Title: AQA AS Health & Social Care Author: Smithson R Edition: 1st Published Year: 2005 Publisher: Phillip Allan Updates Primary research: Once every two weeks, I visit the care setting on which my report is based (St. Samuel’s Primary School) and speak to the classroom teacher and the teaching assistants who work within the age range I am writing about (reception children). I discuss with them, how the effectively give the children necessary life quality factors through providing caring skills and as well as effective communication which is shown throughout my handbook.

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) APPENDIX 1:

FIRE EMERGENCY DRILL When alarm rings: • Stay calm

• Line up at back of classroom

• Be quiet, listen carefully to teacher

• Follow the teacher to the playground

• Don’t run

EXAMPLE PIECE (NOT EXEMPLAR) APPENDIX 2: