Education

School support and special needs

Various people in assisted in the teaching and care of children.

As well as being involved in transporting children from her village to school one lady also helped out during lesson time:

• 1.00pm Go to school. Listen to children in Class 2 read.

Another was a midday meals supervisor.

• Cross the road to the school and help bring the meals in. For the next hour I supervise the children with their midday meal and then on the school field.

Some worked as a school support assistants:

• . . . off to school 8.40. Discussed plans with colleagues, lessons started 9am. School assembly, back into Year 6 class to support child with special needs during maths and English lessons. Spent lunch assisting infant child, home at 12.40.
  

• I'm a "Non-Teaching Classroom Assistant" in a primary school, working with mainly 8 year olds. Very often I help with class work but this week I was painting wall boards for work to be displayed. This morning's board was yellow and I ended up with speckles of yellow gloss paint on my hands and arms - which I was very conscious of as I was going to a funeral that afternoon!
  

• Deciphered maths books until my hand and brain ached; a difficult subject - time.

Another school support assistant worked specifically with children who need extra help.

• 8.45am Arrive at ------- School - work as a special needs assistant with a child in the infant's on a one to one basis.
  
  11.45am Drive home for lunch - bacon roll and peach.
  
  1pm Walk to -------School where I work with child in year 6 on a one to one basis (Special Needs Assistant).

There is a poem from a school support assistant on this page

Others advised schools.

• Presented a course to a group of teachers from primary and secondary schools. The course was titled Specific Learning difficulties and ICT.

• I left for work and spent the day at a local primary school, where I worked with, observed and discussed a child with "special educational needs", and discussed with two teachers an incoming child with major disabilities.

One grandmother rings to find out about how her grandson

• . . . is enjoying his special school. It seems that he loves going there. He is learning sign language and I must learn it too.

And another notes:

• Went over to my daughter's house to meet the two grandsons coming home from school. My daughter teaches children with "special needs" and she looked tired when she came in.