By Alison Pettitt (part of the Reachout ASC team)

The Equals Project

The Equals Project began in 2023 when several of the mainstream schools I was working with had pupils for the first time who were working with children at early developmental levels beyond early years. The schools were keen to meet the children’s needs but once they had moved out of EYFS it was proving hard to provide them with a curriculum which was appropriate.

Equals are a national organisation which have published several strands of curricula for pupils working enduringly below National Curriculum levels. They are designed to support the education of children who have severe or profound learning disabilities and provide lateral learning opportunities rather than the traditional linear view of progress, with a focus on practical skills which will support lifelong development. I had previously used the semi-formal strand when working within a specialist school and so began exploring how this could be employed for pupils in a mainstream setting. Initially I ran a pilot project with three schools. One had just one pupil requiring this approach, one had several children from Key Stages 1 and 2 who were based in their age-related classes, and the third school had a number of pupils who often worked as a group led by TA’s.

In June 2024 Reachout ASC held their first conference in conjunction with Equals, with their Director of Developments, Peter Imray, as keynote speaker. Over 100 delegates attended, and the semi formal and informal curriculum began to be used in more schools and SEND units attached to mainstream schools following on from this. Cluster groups around Lancashire started to meet to support schools as they explore and develop alternative curricula in their unique settings.

As numbers of children with severe learning disabilities (with or without autism) placed in mainstream continues to grow, this project aims to give practical support and confidence to school staff wherever it is needed. A collaboration with Strive SEND, Waite Psychology and Reachout ASC led to 3 full days of training with Peter Imray last September. Regular training opportunities for staff are now available in conjunction with The Willows Sensory Service which give practical strategies and a next steps course gives opportunities to explore and personalise approaches to pupils.

A second conference on 28^th March included speakers from mainstream schools in both London and Preston who have set up groups of children following the semi formal and informal curriculum. It also offered workshops looking at planning, Ofsted, using Evidence for Learning for assessment and other subjects. This time 180 delegates attended, demonstrating a high level of interest.

The focus of the curriculum we work on is communication, independence, play and developing early learning. It includes approaches such as intensive interaction, sensory play, attention groups and sensory stories. I have worked with schools using this for individuals based in

their age-related classes as well as where separate classes or units are formed. It can be applied flexibly according to need and can be combined with more formal lessons for children who can access a partial curriculum within the mainstream school.

Equals require individual schools to acquire membership which then gives them access to a wide range of free online training. The school can then join a cluster (connected to Strive SEND, Waite Psychology or Reachout ASC) who can share the Equals curriculum documents for free.

This is an exciting time as the project grows and schools report positive and sometimes dramatic changes in pupil engagement. Whilst this does not provide all the answers in often very difficult situations, it can provide a new way forward. Our teams are keen to help and support school staff wherever they are on the Equals journey.