Kerry has a diagnosis of developmental delay and Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). She was referred to NT&AS by an independent fostering agency in Year 9. Her foster placement was tenuous and she was struggling in school. She was constantly ‘in trouble’ for disrupting the learning of others and had difficulty in organising school and homework. A place in a specialist, residential SEBD school was being considered. NT&AS began working with Kerry, school and home putting in strategies to improve participation and learning. NT&AS also worked 1:1 with Kerry targeting gaps in learning which had accumulated in Key stages 1 and 2. Kerry gained confidence and made swift improvements both at home and school. NT&AS prepared Kerry for the rigours of Key Stage 4 and supported her in accessing GCSE learning differentiating the curriculum to meet her individual needs. At the end of Year 11 she achieved 8 GCSEs, 4 at grade C. She has now moved on to further education and is managing college independently. Kerry remains with her foster carers.

Liam was identified as having Dyslexia following an NT&AS assessment. He had been excluded from school. He was under achieving in all areas of the curriculum and was identified as disruptive in his year 5 class. NT&AS began working with Liam on literacy and numeracy and with Liam and his teacher on behaviour management strategies. It became apparent that there was a specific difficulty preventing learning taking place. He was assessed by a specialist Dyslexia practitioner within NT&AS who concluded that Liam had a specific difficulty in the Dyslexia range. Specific styles of teaching and learning were introduced and Liam began making good progress in all areas and soon approached target national curriculum levels. His behaviour improved beyond recognition and his self esteem was raised.

Samantha had a statement of special educational need under the category of Asperger’s Syndrome. She lived in a children’s home with two other young people. Sam had not attended school for an extended period and the staff at the children’s home had little understanding of her condition. NT&AS introduced a programme of 1:1 learning for Sam. A specialist teacher with experience and skills in working with young people with ASD provided training for care staff and managed the work of specialist subject teachers who taught Sam at higher tier GCSE. All Sam’s extra curricular activities were of a very solitary nature. Opportunities for Sam to meet other teenagers was identified within ‘team skills’ training days for young people. Sam was entered for GCSE in maths and science in Year 10. A place in high school was identified and inclusion followed. Sam flourished in school and achieved 9 A* to C grades (including 4 A*). Her ambition is to go to university to study Physics.

*Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.