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25/06/2019

Five top challenges to help prepare SEND learners for adulthood

The personalised learning approach for students with additional needs in today’s education sector is a given. But what’s perhaps less certain is the activities centres can deliver to ensure high quality tailored provision. Simon Lawrence, ASDAN’s Head of Business Development and Communications, provides some suggestions.

Facilitating personalised learning is at the very core of what we do at ASDAN. This is because it has been shown to boost outcomes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, helping prepare them for adulthood and to live more independently. For others with social, emotional and mental health needs, tailored learning generates engagement and motivation, boosting confidence and self-esteem.

Lifeskills Challenge, an online bank of more than 1,000 challenges ranging from pre-Entry to Level 3, is one of many ASDAN programmes that are focused on providing personalised learning. In April, we celebrated the launch of a new Lifeskills Challenge website, which has an enhanced English and mathematics offer. We have mapped challenges to the four Preparing for Adulthood pathways, supporting centres to target specific outcomes in EHC plans and transition reviews.

Free resources

As part of a series of activities to celebrate the launch of the new Lifeskills Challenge website this summer, we are giving away free downloadable challenges that centres can deliver to their learners.

Popular challenges in Lifeskills Challenge include:

Each of the above challenges contains:

  • the learning aim
  • the learning context
  • the preparing for adulthood pathway the challenge is relevant to
  • a list of the skills developed
  • the learning outcomes
  • assessment criteria

Celebrating learners’ skills and knowledge

Lifeskills Challenge has been helping centres across the country deliver outstanding provision. One centre in Surrey, Cricket Green School, said the programme contributed to the school’s Ofsted outstanding rating and is a ‘valuable asset in showcasing the skills of students’. You can read an interview with Assistant Head Paul Lansley who explains how Lifeskills Challenge provides an effective method of evidencing the achievements and progress of learners.

Training workshops

We have also developed new training workshops for Lifeskills Challenge, which have proved popular – all four sessions scheduled for July are fully booked. Workshop delegates will learn how to create and upload their own challenges to the website for accreditation as part of the training. Further dates for the autumn term will be available on the ASDAN website in mid July.

More information

Please feel free to get in touch with me or one of my colleagues at ASDAN if you would like more information on Lifeskills Challenge. You can also arrange to speak to one of our advisers about how the programme can help structure and accredit your curriculum.

I can be contacted on simonlawrence@asdan.org.uk

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