Enabling Access

Barry Carpenter, CBE, is Honorary Professor at the Universities in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Australia. He has undertaken research with families of children with disabilities, motivated professionally and personally as the father of a young woman with Down’s syndrome. He is currently writing on such topics as mental health, complex needs and girls with Autism.Rob Ashdown has been Headteacher of special schools in England. He is currently an editor for the PMLD LINK journal. Keith Bovair has been Headteacher at special schools in England, a lecturer at the University of Birmingham, UK and has worked extensively in the field of special education in the United Kingdom and in the United States of America.

‘Enabling Access was published at a time when the professional community was engaged in an evolving discourse on what constitutes an holistic curriculum for students with significant disabilities. This book was instrumental in contributing to the pedagogical landscape for this group of learners by reminding the professional community that breadth and balance need to be at the heart of any pedagogical decision-making: something as pertinent today as when the book was published. It definitely warrants a place alongside other classic contributions to our understandings and practice of teaching and learning. A well-deserved accolade!’– Professor Phyllis Jones, University of South Florida, USA ‘I warmly welcome the publication of the new edition of Enabling Access. In many respects, its first edition marked the start of a quiet revolution in how we view the education of a new, distinct and all too often disenfranchised group of learners who need new and personalised responses to their profile of learning needs. The growing number of children and young people with complex learning and other disabilities have always challenged the system – in schools, families and in their multiple interactions with health and social care. Enabling Access introduces new concepts, of holistic learning pathways and engagement, and importantly it takes forward the potential of pro-active personalisation in education. Personalised education can transform the responses of schools but it necessitates new and more collaborative relationships across schools, between families, with a range of other professionals and sometimes using the insights offered by neuroscience as to how children learn – and how they see their worlds. Enabling Access provides that transformative guidance and offers a rich range of essential advice, case studies and shared learning vital to the new 2lst century pedagogy which will ensure that our pupil population with the most complex needs can indeed achieve their full potential.’– Dame Philippa Russell, DBE

• An Appraisal after 15 years 1 Enabling Access Part I: Perspectives on the National Curriculum 2 English 3 Mathematics 4 Science 5 Physical Education 6 History 7 Geography 8 Art and Design 9 Music 10 Modern Foreign Languages 11 Design and Technology 12 Information and Communication Technology Part II: Access and Entitlement to the Whole Curriculum 13 Religious Education 14 PSHE and Citizenship 15 Classroom Processes 16 Assessment 17 Pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties 18 Teachers Researching the Curriculum Part III: The Context for the Whole Curriculum 19 Enabling Partnership: Families and Schools 20 Access to the System: The Legislative Interface 21 Issues in Teacher Training and Development 22 Changing Public Attitudes 23 Preparing for Self-Advocacy