This specific session is FREE for all schools to attend. You can apply online by » Clicking Here
or by emailing the Equals office using admin@equalsoffice.co.uk
All staff within a members school are able to attend.
This Equals Music Curriculum (2nd edition) for learners with PMLD, CLD and SLD.
Published Spring Term 2025
Teachers, TAs, school leaders, parents, carers and other stakeholders in the education of pupils and students of all ages with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) complex learning disabilities (CLD) and severe learning disabilities (SLD) need to know that this second edition of My Music is VERY DIFFERENT from the first. Equals takes full responsibility for directing the authors of the first edition (originally published in 2018) to go down a technical route and base their writing on musical language of tempo, timbre, texture, structure, pitch, dynamics and rhythm which made the whole quite technical and unfortunately, very difficult to use.
This new Music Curriculum document concentrates fundamentally on the individual learner’s engagement with rhythm; it is for all pupils and for all teachers and has been deliberately written to take the mystery out of the music!
This specific curriculum document does not depend on the services of a specialist music teacher; it does not presuppose any formal or informal training in music, it does not require the teacher to be able to play a musical instrument of any kind or even to be able to sing in tune!
It will undoubtedly be helpful if the teacher has some sense of rhythm, but it’s going to help even more if the staff themselves have an active enjoyment of music.
This does not mean that schools should not employ a music specialist if they have the resources to do so. Anyone who has ever watched a skilled musician capture and hold the attention of learners will understand that music, when well taught, with a residual understanding of the individual learners being taught and the nature of the learning disabilities being worked with, can have an incredibly deep resonance. Specialist music teachers and therapists can bring something precious and unique to pupils’ lives, but this does not mean that only specialist music teachers and therapists can work with process of enabling learners to actively engage with music or a Music Curriculum.
Although the kinds of activities suggested in this document can be delivered within discrete timetabled music sessions, this should not obscure the vital importance of including music as an integral part of pupils’ daily ongoing experiences. So, this curriculum is written with every teacher in mind. It is written with the conviction that music is for everybody and that it can happen anytime and anywhere. As well as being taught as a separate subject, music should ideally be woven into the fabric of the entire curriculum. The purpose of this curriculum document is to make learning through music as meaningful as possible for all pupils and students with learning disabilities of all ages.
Cost: Members: £89 Non-Members: £189
Not an Equals Member? » Click here to learn more and to learn how to subscribe to the Equals Charity
Whilst this conference is specifically tailored to provide enhanced support to Mainstream settings; the content is still valuable for staff working within Specialist Settings. Throughout the UK and beyond most Specialist Provisions that support young people with PMLD, CLD, SLD and MLD are actively supporting mainstream settings within their geographical area. For those professionals based in Specialist schools, this conference would be highly relevant and support their important work sharing best practice with their local mainstream settings as they actively engage with outreach work.
The huge increase in the numbers of children with EHCPs (the numbers have more than doubled since the statementing days of 2014) coupled with a lack of expansion of special schools and a demand for greater inclusivity from both government and Ofsted, has had a profound impact on all mainstream schools. Off-rolling is clearly not an option, but neither is allocating (often untrained and unskilled) TAs to individual learners who are unable to access the National Curriculum alongside their neuro-typical peers.
Equals, a not-for-profit UK based charity, offers its Multi-Tiered Curriculum Approach as an essential first step. Already established within the UK’s Special School sector, the Equals Curriculums work directly with Ofsted’s ‘3 Is’ Inspection Framework in concentrating on:
Intent – with a clear, research-based pedagogy which explains why we should be teaching what we’re teaching and directly relates to the learning disabilities of each individual learner. Teachers are encouraged to work to each learner’s strengths rather than constantly trying to ‘cure’ the learning disability itself.
Implementation – with detailed schemes of work within a series of inter-related but distinct broad and balanced curriculums that all have intrinsic engagement (rather than extrinsic reward) at their core.
Impact – with bespoke base-lining and assessment schemas for each curriculum covering both formative and summative assessment within a highly personalised and ipsative framework.
This one day Conference is ideally suited for MAT and individual primary and secondary mainstream school leaders, SENDCos, senior teachers and education consultants. Given the urgency of the SEND ‘dilemma’ Practical Solutions to Inclusive Education: working with pupils with complex learning disabilities in mainstream settings is highly likely to be heavily subscribed and early booking is strongly advised.
Programme
09.00
Registration, coffee and networking.
09.30
Chris Rollings. Headteacher of Hadrian School, Newcastle and Chair of Equals.
Equals’ history and role in developing educational innovation for those with learning disabilities of all ages. Progressing the concept of ‘Cluster Schools’ and sharing costs/resources/support.
10.00
James Waller, Headteacher Sunningdale School, DfE Expert Advisory Group,
Ofsted Headteacher Reference Group and National SEND Forum.
Having and maintaining high ambition for all learners. What we know about the new Governments’ inclusion plans. What we know about Ofsted’s view of different not differentiated. Lessons learned from an LA-wide pilot and approach: How we clearly identify learners who will benefit from a different curriculum model.
11.00
Coffee and networking.
11.30
Cheryl Gaughan. Director of SEND and Inclusion at JMAT Schools, Rotherham.
How a 20 school MAT organises its resources to work with all learners, including those who appear to be the most challenging to teach. The impossibility of off-rolling. The issues all mainstream schools must address.
12.30
Lunch and networking
13.30
Marie Maxwell. Executive Headteacher of Bangabandhu School in east London.
Making the decision to go in a different direction. Key considerations for leadership teams. How working with the Equals Curricula has worked in practice.
14.15
Peter Imray. Equals Developments Director.
What the research tells us. Recognising the need for specialisation as an essential first step. Understanding the depth of the learning disabilities being catered for. What subjects do we teach? How the curriculums connect.
15.15
Q&A
15.45 Finish.
Cost: Only £149 +VAT for Equals Members.
Non-members £199 +VAT.
You can also book a place by emailing admin@equalsoffice.co.uk
Equals is busy working on a new development which involves a series of six recorded CPD sessions, with each session lasting up to 20 mins. All the sessions feature professional video content which helps share best practice from Specialist settings. Initially, the first series will involve Play and relate to Informal/more complex learners.
This is expected to be available for members to purchase for £300+VAT for all six sessions,
later in the Spring Term 2025.
Non-members can purchase for these for £500+VAT.
This will be followed with a series related to Independence later in the year.
To learn more please contact the Equals Strategic Development Manager;
Paul Buskin using paul@equalsoffice.co.uk or by phone using 0191 272 1222
This replaces the original Moving On Scheme which was aligned to the
Moving On one-year programmes 1998-2023.
It is directly related to the » Equals Semi-formal Curriculum
Independence
To recognise that some learners will not (yet) have learned to be entirely independent.
Maintenance
Equals provides a professional certification service for a small charge, whereby a format can be organised for presentation ceremonies for school leavers.
Cost: £119 for school registration to participate in Equals Moving On To
and then only £2.50 per certificate
For further information or to register your students please contact paul@equalsoffice.co.uk or you can ring Paul on 0191 272 1222
Published 2024
Members: £50 when purchased with the informal curriculum.
Non-Members: £125 when purchased with the informal curriculum.
*Schools can only purchase this if they hold a licence for the
Equals Informal Curriculum Schemes of Work.
To place an order for the Informal Assessment please
email admin@equalsoffice.co.uk or you can ring using 0191 272 1222
For further information or to place and order please contact paul@equalsoffice.co.uk
This is an opportunity to visit an Exemplar School and spend time with senior leaders and in classrooms. The purpose of this day is to increase the understanding of a Informal and/or Semi-formal Curricula as well as being able to ask about assessment, planning or any other aspect of teaching and learning that you are interested in.
The Exemplar Schools involve specialist schools, where either Equals has provided additional consultancy over the past 2-3 years or where they are demonstrating best practice. They have been observed implementing Curriculum Schemes of Work well in their own school. These schools have provided presentations to Equals Members’, via Regional Curriculum Conferences over the past 36 months.
They are able to articulate how their curriculum:
For further information please contact the Equals Strategic Development Manager; Paul Buskin using paul@equalsoffice.co.uk
Costs from £99 which goes towards expenses such as lunch/refreshments etc.
Further development days are being organised for Spring 2024 for the following schools.
For further information or to learn how to book a place please contact the
Equals Strategic Development Manager; Paul Buskin using paul@equalsoffice.co.uk
Paper 1.
Engaging with the Ofsted phone call and opening discussions
This is a short ‘advice’ paper to schools already (or considering) working with any of the Equals ‘different not differentiated’ curricula such as the Pre-Formal (PMLD) Curriculum, the Informal (CLD) Curriculum or the Semi-Formal (SLD) Curriculum.
The main basis for this advice is founded on discussions with former SEND lead HMIs such as Nick Whittaker and Maxine MacDonald-Taylor and the latest Ofsted information on SEND in the EIF (Education Inspection Framework) which is held in a webinar video released on 10th November 2022. This is entitled ‘Ofsted inspections in special schools’ and can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=279-kf1R_hY
Equals is actively seeking discussions with the new lead HMI for SEND (Kathryn Rudd) and will keep schools informed of any new developments.
The first thing to say is that preparation for Ofsted will include informing the visiting Inspectors that your school is not working with the National Curriculum for all learners, and some schools may well extend that to not working with the National Curriculum for any learners. Most SLD specialist schools will have a very small handful who might be, or are well on their way to being, fluently literate and/or numerate. The first thing to establish during the initial telephone conversation however, is that you are running a ‘different not differentiated’ curriculum model based on the Equals multi-tiered curriculum pathways, for most of your learners.
We also strongly advise that your SEF clearly and unequivocally states the case. There is no statutory obligation to have a SEF, but it is an excellent opportunity for your school to go into some detail about what you do and most importantly, why you do it. In other words, you can go some way towards answering the first of Ofsted’s Three Is of Intent, Implementation and Impact. Don’t hold anything back and don’t leave the Inspector(s) expecting to see one thing and actually seeing something else when they arrive. Like all teachers, Ofsted Inspectors need to prepare, and if you’re preparing them for the wrong things, this will cause difficulties which can easily be avoided.
It is likely that the Inspectors will have heard of the Equals Curricula, but it is also quite possible that they have not. Do not however, assume that Inspectors, even HMIs, will have a deep and meaningful understanding of any of the Equals Curricula in detail. Senior leaders should therefore have a sound understanding of the pedagogical justification for not teaching the National Curriculum and must be able to talk the talk! The point about this is, that ‘walking the walk’ (teachers being super-confident in their ability to understand and teach the various ‘subjects’ in the various Equals Curricula) will take time – at least two and quite possibly five years. Ofsted will not expect all teachers to be perfect, but SLT and teachers must know and believe in the reasons for change. Equals can offer practical support in this process – talk to Paul Buskin at Equals if you are interested in exploring this further.
Change is always problematic, and curriculum is the most fundamental change that a school can envisage. However, having a clear understanding of why you’re changing is a necessary pre-requisite and all stakeholders, leaders, teachers, governors and parents need to be able to hold a conversation on this. When faced with Ofsted, senior leaders must be the most knowledgeable of all and should be able to hold their line in any academic discussions that might arise.
Your main lines of ‘talking the talk’ might be
1. That you hold very high ambitions for all of your learners. Ofsted talk a lot about having ‘high ambition’ for those with SEND, though they do not say exactly what they mean by this, since it is up to each individual school to talk this talk, according to the school’s individual circumstances. In Equals terms, the school is demonstrating high ambition for all by adopting a curriculum model which seeks to enable each and every learner to be the best they can be and do the best they can do, regardless of their disabilities.
It is strongly recommended that school leaders, teachers and governors spend time with the Basic Principles sections of at least the four core Semi-Formal Curriculum ‘subjects’ of My Communication, My Play, My Independence and My Thinking and Problem Solving, as well as Basic Principles sections of the Informal Curriculum and the Pre-Formal Curriculum, assuming your school also houses learners with PMLD and CLD (Complex Learning Disabilities). Reading these through and discussing the issues with colleagues will help to ground the theory, and understanding the theory is a really important first step. It is also really important that new staff (and new governors) are encouraged to do the same as they begin their work with the school.
2. That you’re not trying to cure the learning disability by constantly teaching knowledge and skills to pupils (such as in a Systematic Synthetic Phonics programme) when the pupils are consistently and over time, unable to progress. Those with PMLD and SLD learn differently to neuro-typical, conventionally developing learners, and if the learn differently, we ought to teach them differently and teach them different things (Imray and Hinchcliffe, 2014; Imray and Colley, 2017). The Curriculum Imperative, a chapter from this latter book which goes into some detail about learning differently is obtainable from direct request to Sarah Binns at Equals via sarah@equalsoffice.co.uk
3. That you’re basing your curriculum on the fact that there is no research evidence, anywhere in the world, that indicates that fluency in literacy and numeracy is possible from a position of established profound, complex or severe learning disability. There is quite an amount of research about marginal gains being possible with intensive support, but none that states that short term marginal gains can be maintained over time. There is also quite an amount about ‘catch-up’ being possible for some with SEND, but none which says that all with SEND can achieve such success. The latest on research into SLD and PMLD is reviewed in Imray P, Kossyvaki L and Sissons M (2023) Evidence-based practice: the use and abuse of research. Support for Learning. 38 (1). You can obtain a free download of this article at https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-9604.12438
A separate short paper on Deep Dives into Reading, Writing and/or Mathematics will also be made available at www.equals.co.uk over the next month or two.
Peter Imray
8th March 2023
Equals can provide bespoke online sessions with groups of 4-5 schools, where their Curriculum and Assessment needs are similar for a more in-depth session for any Equals members that currently hold licences, have maintained their Equals membership and have at least attended some of the online CPD sessions which are free for members for multiple schools/and an in person regional event/development day.
An interactive learning journal designed specifically for children with complex and profound learning needs.
These materials reflect the key principles of the revised EYFS; reducing time spent on recording and recognising the importance of qualitative data and practitioner knowledge in order to provide high quality assessment for learning.
£50 for Independent Schools, £60 for Equals Members and £75 for Equals Non-members
To order these materials please email admin@equalsoffice.co.uk
To learn more about these new materials from Equals, please contact paul@equalsoffice.co.uk
and previews can be provided via online sessions using Zoom or Teams.
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