Victoria Norrish

In my current role:

• Offer support, advice and guidance for children and young people where autism and speech, language and communication needs (SLCN including DLD) is the primary need
• Work in partnership with educational settings from 0-25, as well as individual children and their families. Where possible this is in partnership with other agencies in education, health and social care.
• Enable settings to provide best practice in educational provision for pupils with autism and SLCN (DLD), including:

High-quality teaching

Targeted group interventions

Individualised learning

Holistic support through joint agency working

Through whole-school development, consultancy and training which includes:

- Adjusting and adapting teaching methods according to individual student's needs and interests , ensuring inclusive learning environment.

- Promoting neuro-inclusive practice by supporting the development of inclusive classroom setting to ensure all students felt accepted and valued.

- Assessing student progress, providing constructive feedback for improvement.

- Working collaboratively with other teachers to review data and develop instructional strategies to address student learning objectives.

- Worked closely with colleagues within advisory teams in implementing cross-curricular projects that support children and young people holistically.

- Support the implementation of proven methods to overcome common barriers to learning.

-Completed training courses to keep up-to-date with new research and developments in the field.

- In collaboration with schools and other professionals, support parents and carers through parent programs for both autism and SLCN.

Ensured all students within the KS2 unit were able to achieve through:

• Promoted a nurturing school culture that respected diversity and inclusivity for all learners.
• Adapted the curriculum to meet both need and varied learning styles and abilities amongst autistic pupils whilst collecting and interpreted specialist assessment data to measure impact.
• Provided pastoral care support ensuring emotional wellbeing of students.
• Successfully maintained a safe, calm classroom environment by employing structured routines and clear rules, ensuring reasonable adjustments were available to meet need.
• Participated in continuous professional development workshops to stay updated on latest teaching approaches for autism.
• Ran training sessions and supported all staff in understanding needs of SEN pupils.
• Met with other professionals to discuss individual student needs and progress.
• Guided teaching assistants in providing targeted support to individuals or small groups of pupils under supervision.
• Coached and mentored paraprofessionals in methods and requirements for teaching neurodiverse students.

• Created a friendly, positive and inspiring learning environment.
• Monitored students response to learning activities and modified appropriately to achieve intended learning outcomes.
• Tailored curriculum delivery according to each student's Individual Education Plan.
• Adopted multi-sensory approaches for improved comprehension of complex concepts.
• Advocated for students' rights within the wider school community; resulted in more inclusive policies being adopted school-wide.