Lesley Mead - Class Teacher Rainbow II

Lesley Mead has been a member of staff at Egerton Rothesay School for the last 12 years during which time she has worked with a range of different aged children, some of whom had special needs of one kind or another.

Lesley’s interest in typical and atypical language development has grown over the years as she has become aware increasingly of the impact such difficulties
may have on a child’s self-esteem, their ability to socialise successfully with their peers, and, above all on their ability to access the curriculum.

Lesley was delighted, therefore, when the need for a speech and language unit for junior-aged children was recognised, and she was chosen to become the class teacher. Here, the children follow the National Curriculum, (adapted appropriately), and work is differentiated to meet the individual needs of each child.

Over the years, Lesley has attended a series of short courses on topics such as the Listening Programme, behaviour management, Makaton signing, and specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and dyslexia run by the school’s educational psychologist. She was, therefore, very pleased to be funded by ERS to study these topics at a more advanced level and registered on a post graduate distance learning course at the University of Sheffield in ‘Language and Communication Impairment in Children’ this September. This Lesley felt will allow her to increase her knowledge of language impairment and its management. It will also allow her to take part in on-line discussions and group sessions during the residential study weekends where teachers and SLTS working in similar educational settings have the opportunity to exchange ideas and share their expertise.