Special School S1 Videos

Early Intervention

Children in a special school setting have specific and varied needs, and the staff here demonstrate excellent support through simple and clear communication. This skill is key to engaging with children and benefits them throughout their everyday school life, from during play and social stories, to role play and understanding expectations. The school staff demonstrate in-depth knowledge of both child development and developmental needs: critical factors in providing care and support, and indicative of the importance of education in children's formative years. [read more]

Teacher trainees

Special school settings are not always the natural first choice for prospective teachers, and there is often uncertainty about the required skills and experience expected from these environments. The segment here highlights the experiences of two people who are on this journey: - A student teacher on placement as they train to teach in a live setting - A Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) taking their first career steps in a special school[read more]

After Ysgol y Deri

The world beyond special school can be challenging for people who've benefitted from the nurturing environments they create. That's why schools like Ysgol y Deri help students take some of their first steps outside of school and into work, employing the life skills which the school aims to foster in order to equip pupils for life beyond. Not only does this segment highlight the vital role of helping students graduate into new, more independent ways of living, it importantly illustrates the need for the adults (professionals / parents / employers) to recognise the unique skills the pupils offer.

This segment highlights how skills fostered in the Early Intervention Base (EIB) are transferred across everyday activities. Staff work in conjunction across special school and mainstream sectors by sharing successful strategies and skills which help Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) to better support the individual needs of the pupil. The sentiment of "We are going to try this" is particularly resonant.Free courses from the OU on OpenLearn are a perfect starting point for a learning journey centred on children's development and education

• Supporting children's development
• Supporting children's mental health and wellbeing
• Inclusive education: knowing what we mean (Wales)

• Addysg gynhwysol: deall yr hyn a olygwn (Cymru)
• Teaching assistants: support in action (Wales)
• Teaching assistants: support in action

They highlight not just the value that fresh talent can bring to special schools, but provides an insight into how rewarding they can be to work in. The insight gained from the opportunity to train in this setting opened their eyes to the possibility of working in this sector, and really proves the value which special school placements can bring to Initial Teacher Education (ITE). OpenLearn free courses:

• Learning to teach: making sense of learning to teach
• A mentoring mindset (Meddylfryd mentora)
• Meddylfryd mentora (A mentoring mindset)
• Take your teaching online