SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS 

Special educational needs and disabilities can affect a child’s ability to learn in a variety of ways. They can affect the child’s reading and writing, if they have dyslexia, their ability to understand things, their physical abilities, and their concentration levels if for example they have ADHD.They can also have an effect on their behaviour or ability to socialise and make friends.

Children may be eligible for SEN support in school and possibly an education, health and care (EHC) plan. This is a plan of care for children and young people with more complex needs. Families often turn to us for support because it isn’t always easy to access the precise support their child needs.

We have many years of experience working with and tutoring children with special educational needs. Co-founders Lorrae and Katie were both SENCOs, and JK’s consultant SEN tutors create specific teaching programmes to support families and children under their direction. Our carefully developed tutoring for special needs students helps them to access the curriculum and make appropriate progress according to their potential. Private SEN tutoring works very well because of its one-to-one nature, allowing teachers to offer caring, patient help using approaches that are proven to help children with special educational needs improve their confidence and build a positive learning experience. As private tutoring for special needs generally takes place in the child’s home, where they feel comfortable and safe, this helps reduce any potential feelings of stress. There is sometimes scope for engaging online special needs tutors, but it’s often best carried out face to face.

When appropriate, we refer children to our specialists, depending on children’s specific needs. These specialists will work to support the child, sometimes working alongside a special needs tutor.

These referrals may include: specialist assessments with educational psychologists, speech and language specialists and occupational therapists. In addition, we refer children with behavioural difficulties to our psychotherapists and psychologists.

Our teachers have years of experience working with children and adults with a variety of special needs, at all educational levels. Our specialisms include the following areas:

• Dyslexia – developing confidence in reading, writing and spelling.
• Dyscalculia – providing specialist maths support and confidence boosting.
• Organisation – teaching how to revise, learn multiplication tables, spelling, prepare for exams, manage homework and write essays.
• Memory – learning strategies for short-term memory retrieval and how to integrate them in day to day learning situations.
• Self-Confidence – working with children to boost their confidence
• Social Skills – managing self and being with others, learning about self and how to interact and engage in role play.
• Autism, Asperger’s – building confidence, integrating school demands, liaison with school, supporting parents, referral to specialists.

Special Educational Needs Case Studies

Dyslexia and the 11+

Maria* had dyslexia and wanted to apply to several selective schools. Our tutor understood how to help Maria access the curriculum she needed to learn in preparation for these exams. We advised on access arrangements with the schools and ensured that the appropriate extra time would be awarded. Maria was fully prepared for her exams and achieved a place at the school of her choice. We hear from her family regularly to let us know how well she is doing, using the strategies and confidence that was built up during her tutoring with JK.

Executive functioning, ADD, dyslexia

Matthew* had a range of special needs which affected his ability to access the curriculum in school and severely affected his confidence in day to day life. JK started working with him alongside other professionals, to ensure that Matthew gained a place at the secondary school of his choice and continued to reach his potential across all subjects. JK supported his learning so he was always confident and able to manage the work he needed to complete on time and to the right standard.

Processing difficulties

Miles* had lost confidence in himself as a learner and needed to understand new strategies, so he could learn and reach his potential. Our tutor taught him new ways of working so he could manage his work on time and work to his potential. Once he saw the consistent results, he regained his confidence and began to look forward to going to school and completing his homework.

Twins

We have great experience working with twins and have successfully helped many families to manage the challenges this unique situation creates. When preparing for the 11+, all children are assessed by JK Educate before they start their journey, which is very useful in identifying the differences between twins and how they learn. Founder Lorrae Jaderberg has twins herself and comes from a family of twins, so has been able to share those experiences with families and tutors. Lorrae is part of the TEDs (Twins Early Development) study and she follows the latest research they produce to inform JK’s approach to twins’ learning.

Twins preparing for 11+

Charlotte and James* were very different. Charlotte was confident and had many strengths, whereas James was quiet and less confident, with processing and executive functioning difficulties, but very good at maths. Working with these twins, we ensured that they each addressed their individual weaknesses and began to understand themselves as learners. They both gained places at the schools of their choice by focusing on their strengths and learning new strategies to manage their difficulties and weaknesses.

Identical twins preparing for 11+

It was so important for Sean and Aidan* to understand they were individuals and should work independently. It took time for them to start working this way, but with expert tutoring they both found their confidence to work independently and flourished as learners. They also both gained places as the schools of their choice.

*These are genuine SEN case studies, but we have changed the names to preserve our students’ privacy.

Why choose JK Educate for SEN tutoring?

JK’s founders were both SENCOs, with many years’ experience in this field. They carefully recruit specialists who share their passion to help and support, and scrutinise tutors’ credentials and security checks. Tutors are always carefully matched to each individual student, taking into account their specific support requirements, personality and learning style. You can see a small selection of JK’s excellent tutors here.

If you think your child would benefit from support for their educational needs, or if you would simply like to talk to us about how to identify whether they might need any help, call us in confidence and without obligation, on 020 348 0754.