Sue Rayment
We thought you might like to take a peek behind the curtain at the Foundation to see who is working to make Education for All children everywhere a reality at the moment.
Our team members have each written a short blog to introduce themselves and give you an insight into the experience they bring to the Foundation.
Sue Rayment
In “normal times” I work in a nurture classroom within a mainstream school. This class allows some of the most vulnerable children to access daily school life. Our class follows a highly structured day using a visual timetable. In this class we are “learning to learn”; this means developing the skills required to be a successful learner in a mainstream class. We focus on learning to understand and regulate our emotions, on how to deal with anxiety and the unknown and strategies to deal with frustration and anger and attachment disorders. One of our favourite books is The Colour Monster, by Anna LLenas, which is a great way to introduce how to recognise our emotions to very young children.
Learning resilience is key; we learn to complete tasks and to feel successful. Our tasks are usually very sensory and involve creative and art activities. The children learn to listen to instructions and follow simple steps to achieve success. Our pupils are very young (aged between 4 and 6) so activities can last anywhere from five to ten minutes.
They are not ready to fully access maths and English lessons but they are learning to stick with a task and eventually this will be translated into learning in class. Even learning to make a sandwich can prove frustrating as spreading butter is no mean feat when you are only five. We give them strategies to cope with frustration such as ways in which they can ask for help. Success is rewarded with praise and sharing their success with their families who visit the class on a regular basis to join us for toast and juice.
Suddenly, with very little notice, the security provided by this nurturing classroom environment has been withdrawn. Everyone is struggling to cope with life under COVID19, but for the children with special needs the challenges are immense.
As a school we are already sending out regular work and activity ideas to support families. In addition to this, we are phoning the families of the most vulnerable pupils on a regular basis. This means I can support families on an individual basis with some parents happy with a weekly check in and some parents benefitting from a daily chat and advice and strategies to cope at home. Some of the pupils just need to hear their teacher’s voice to know that I am still here and that I have not just disappeared from their lives and to know that their classroom and teachers and friends are all waiting for them.
Some of our non -verbal pupils have benefitted from specially designed social stories to help them to understand what is happening. For instance, one child is so angry and confused because he cannot see his grandmother whom he is used to seeing on a daily basis. He cannot express his feelings in words or writing but as a school we can help mum to support his emotional needs at home. I am sending a weekly letter to my pupils with an activity that they can all complete. If their parents can they are photographing their work and e mailing it to me. I can then share the photos with all of them to reinforce a sense of security and optimism. I also send separate daily activities to support the children’s individual needs.
As any special needs child knows, we all need to adapt in difficult times but it can be done.
Steve Sinnott Foundation • July 31, 2020
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
Defining Success in Education: Bridging Gaps for a Better Future Education is often seen as the gateway to personal and societal advancement through personal betterment. But defining success in education requires a deeper understanding than just academic achievement, it isn’t just about qualifications or certificates. Rather educational success is about ensuring access to learning that is inclusive, equitable and quality-driven. It’s about equipping students with critical thinking skills and the space to be creative. A quality education fosters holistic approaches, promoting emotional, social and intellectual growth. On a societal level, educational success is about ensuring we value and appreciate a society wide distribution of knowledge and skills; that diversity of thought can be just as important as orthodoxy. Ensuring Access to Education that Meets Individual Needs Traditional western forms of education based within on e-size-fits all models are inadequate in a world where learners have diverse backgrounds, abilities and needs. A shift is needed away from the top-down deficit model approaches which assume teaching and learning is transactional or akin to filling empty vessels, or as Paulo Freire described it, the Banking Model of teaching. Success in education will come from programmes that respect differences between individuals and across communities, using, for example, adaptive learning approaches. Additionally, integrating support for learners with neurodivergent needs or disabilities, as well as promoting (and indeed funding) digital literacy, can ensure that education is individual but also focused on the emancipatory effects of education. Gender and Racial Equity: The Pillars of Inclusive Education Gender and racial equity are crucial components of a successful education system and a founding component of Sustainable Development Goal 4. Although there has been significant progress here, disparities globally still persist. Barriers such as gender-based violence, early marriage and inadequate school infrastructure pose challenges for the international community. Similarly, racial inequality in education can manifest in various ways, from lower access to quality schooling to biased curricula that don't reflect diverse cultures or histories. To address these disparities, education systems should continue to develop policies that promote gender-sensitive curricula and address the specific needs of marginalised groups. Investing in female education, particularly in underserved areas such as sexual health, has been shown to create a ripple effect that benefits entire communities. Similarly, anti-racist educational frameworks can help to make sure that all students, regardless of their race or gender, receive the same opportunities to thrive. Creating a Better Future: What Needs to Be Done? Most importantly, we need to keep talking about SDG 4 — providing inclusive and equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. The more SDG4 is part of the global conversation the more likely it will become part of the taken for granted expectations of all countries and communities. The more academics like me discuss it in our lectures and have it in assignments, likely the more we are to normalise high quality, free primary and secondary education with our future global leaders. But more than this SDG4 should be at the heart of grass roots conversations, in every classroom, playground, and café. The more we talk about it the more a part of our global culture equitable access to education will become. Ultimately, success in education will not be defined by what certificates students attain, but by how well we equip individuals and communities to navigate and shape the world. Education should empower individuals, communities and nations to achieve their full potential, breaking down barriers that have traditionally limited access and opportunity. By striving for inclusivity, equity and quality, we can build a future where education truly is for everyone. BIOGRAPHY Dr Matthew Round is an academic and educator, who has worked with children from 3 years old to PhD students. Having been a science teacher, pastoral leader, and senior leader in schools in the UK, he now works in Higher Education and his current research focused on the emancipatory philosophies of Pierre Bourdieu and sex and sexuality education.
