Celebrating #LearningDisabilityWeek 2024

“Do you see me?”

This year, Nacro Education celebrates Learning Disability Week and its theme, “Do you see me?” which is all about being seen, heard and valued.

Here are just some of the ways we hope we’ve helped our students with learning disabilities feel seen.

Nacro Education Boston Library Trip

Students from Nacro Education Boston visited the library, where they gathered books related to different learning disabilities and created a colourful, sensory activity and discussed the importance of supporting people individually.

Gateshead SEND Employment Event

Our Head of Learning Support and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Kirsty Thomson, was invited by Strategic Lead for Post-16 and Principal of Learning and Skills, Education, Schools and Inclusion, Melanie Crosby, to be part of a SEND employment event in Gateshead.

This event hosted discussions on how to:

• Develop a strategic approach and action plan aimed at improving employment outcomes for young people with SEND
• Bring together all the local partners who can develop and deliver pathways to sustainable employment and promote collaborative working
• Create routes that will support more young people with SEND into paid employment
• Identify, develop and promote training and resources that schools, colleges and employers can access to make meaningful paid work a realistic outcome for all children and young people with SEND

A story from a Learning Support Assistant in Middlesbrough

Learning Disability Week has provided staff with an opportunity to reflect on the positive outcomes our students have achieved. A Learning Support Assistant in Middlesbrough shared her experience working with a young man in our Landscape Maintenance course.

“During his time at Nacro, he has passed his Entry Level 3 Maths exam and has recently completed his Entry Level 3 English assessments. He has excelled in the practical skills required for the Landscape Maintenance course, which he enrolled in last September.

He has been performing various tasks assigned by the local council, such as maintaining community paths and garden walkways, using equipment safely and correctly, and working effectively as part of a team with his peers. His attendance and punctuality have been excellent, and his parents are very pleased with his progress in the program at Nacro.

This is the first time he has completed a post-16 education course. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him and supporting him throughout his studies at Nacro, and he has made significant progress toward his Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) outcomes.”