The statutory guidance for Relationships and Sex Education says that. ‘Relationships Education, RSE and Health Education must be accessible for all pupils. This is particularly important when planning teaching for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. Schools should be aware that some pupils are more vulnerable to exploitation, bullying and other issues due to the nature of their SEND.’
The government addresses the fact that schools should meet the needs of all children but doesn’t tell schools how they should do this. Whilst there are some excellent organisations such as Mencap, BigTalk and Bodysense out there working with SEND learners, there are still huge gaps in provision nationally.
In special schools and for some SEND pupils in mainstream schools there is a need to tailor content and teaching to meet the specific needs of pupils at different developmental stages.
One area acet UK is developing is how to use materials to better explain concepts of puberty to SEND learners. This is important to reduce anxiety around body changes and to provide strategies for dealing with emotional changes and hormones.
The use of social stories help to explain body changes, while a hands-on, tactile approach to lessons, such as the use of sensory bins and anatomically correct models, can be a way of introducing new vocabulary, concepts and objects.
For secondary learners, lessons would include teaching how to read social cues and body language when forming romantic relationships; recognising and responding to sexual urges appropriately; and understanding the importance of protection when engaging in sex.
Our Primary Schools Worker Rachel has a passion for supporting children with SEND, and recently completed a qualification in understanding autism, which has helped us reflect on how to better support learners with ASD.
She says, “Having carried out rewarding work on mental wellbeing with primary SEND pupils in London, I am now looking forward to piloting SEND lessons in Cheshire schools, related to puberty and body boundaries, if we are able to secure funding.”
