Kestrels

Welcome to Kestrel Class – Our slightly chaotic but amazingly unique class. We have a class of wonderful children, full of character, who range from ages 7-10, all following an Informal Pathway.

 

                  

                                                                                                              

Our Team

Class Teacher: Charlie

Support Staff: Sandie, Ashleigh and Hayley

Hello, my name is Charlie, and I’m the Class Teacher for Kestrels Class. I am extremely lucky to have 3 amazing Teaching Assistants who all care for the children and strive to give them the best opportunities.

Due to having a mix of ages in Kestrels Class, we have different goals depending on what age they are. For our Year 5’s and 6’s, we are focusing on their independence in preparation for adulthood, setting high expectations and providing opportunities for them to learn and develop their independent living skills through meaningful and exciting activities.

For our Year 3’s and 4’s, they are also developing these skills, with more of a focus on developing the skills to become as independent as possible.

We are achieving this using TEACCH, a structured teaching model that helps individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC) by using their strengths and interests, particularly in visual processing, to create predictable and understandable environments. This has been a huge hit in Kestrels Class, and we are very proud of the progress the children have made so far!

The children in Kestrel Class learn best through structured routines and their personal interests. We have found the TEACCH model to be fantastic as we have been able to use it to motivate the children to learn through activities suited to their needs and interests.

The children particularly love swimming, going out on the green bus to different places around the Wirral and their circle time in the morning, where we all come together learning through songs and visuals. These activities have enabled the children to develop their language, which is becoming more apparent as time goes on.

Our topics this year are ‘Me and My Senses, Light & Dark, Winter Wonders, Animal Antics, Watch me Grow & Seaside Sensations’. As a class, we don’t stick to the theme rigidly but use it as a basis to introduce new language to the children and link the topics to their interests, with the hope the children are able to transfer the language and skills learnt into different scenarios.

We have an honest and open professional relationship with the parents and carers we work with, communication and trust being key. As a team, we care very much for the children and, due to our personal ethos, have been able to communicate with parents and carers to give the children amazing opportunities and experiences in the classroom and in the community. We consistently check in with the families and share photos and information of what their children have been getting up to during their school day!

I am very proud of the children in my class, and it is an absolute pleasure working with them and their families!