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 specialist schools and a demand for greater inclusivity from both government and Ofsted, has had a profound impact on all mainstream schools.

Equals offers the following support to all mainstream primary and secondary settings:

Equals Multi-tiered Curriculum Schemes of Work

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 Specialist 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.

Equals Mainstream Clusters

Clustering (with a maximum of 10 schools in a single cluster) will enable schools to minimise their outlay to manageable proportions, and gain support from other schools in the cluster.

• These support networking
• They help enable the Equals charities Curriculum and Assessment materials to be more affordable to those schools with only 1-2 classes of pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties; who can’t access the National Curriculum in mainstream settings
• Individual schools can cluster together in groups of up to 10 addresses/schools.
• Such clusters, maybe either geographical, MAT based, or possibly diocesan based in the case of C of E and RC school
• It is recognised that many schools will have an uncertain and variable number of complex learners, some of whom may not have an EHCP, which can make funding more difficult.

Virtual CPD from Equals  – 100% Free for Members

All staff within a members school, can access free virtual training from Equals.  Over 50 sessions are provided per academic year; with most recorded to watch later.