Yes @ Areté Learning Trust

Pupil Support At Yes @ Areté Learning Trust we aim to ensure that pupils are central to their own learning.

The SEN Code of practice highlights the importance of parents having a real say in decisions that affect their children. Yes @ Areté Learning Trust aims to help parents to make informed decisions by providing access to up to date information about services and support available to them.

Key Information

SEND: guide for parents and carers

NYCC Local Offer

Parent Carer Voice (Formerly NYPACT) is the forum for parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in North Yorkshire.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Advice and Support Service or SENDIASS provides free impartial, confidential and accurate information, advice and support about education, health and social care for children, young people and their parents on matters relating to special educational needs and disability.

Dyslexia Network Plus (DNPlus) is a local association in North Yorkshire to support people with dyslexia, dyslexic type difficulties and other specific difficulties with literacy and numeracy. It is run by volunteers and based in the Hambleton and Richmond area, but is open to anyone in the region who is prepared to travel.

Ask Listen Do: Top Tips for Families and Carers

Support and Inspiration

Youthability Richmondshire - Youth club for young people aged 11-25 who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Fly Like A Dyslexic
The Codpast created by Sean Doughas. Inspirational videos and podcasts
Dyspraxic Fantastic - a positive insight into coping with Dysraxia
Marginal Gains - a project currently being rolled out at Richmond School by Mr Bolton-Lear. It encourages students to make 1 percent positive changes in lots of areas of their lives and studies. For example, go to bed half an hour earlier; do half an hour of revision per week; etc...The students involved all identified areas of weakness and then used these to set targets for themselves. Students are also introduced to the idea of 'aggregation of marginal gains', which is the idea that marginal gains are compounded and that as time goes on the gap between success and failure widens.
Dyslexia Advocacy Posters

If you have a Specific Learning Difficulty and think that the strategies you have developed, and experiences you have had, could support others please get in touch. We would love to hear from you. Email yes@aretelearningtrust.org

An A-Z of Clubs in Richmondshire Open to Young People

A practical guide to a good nights sleep promoting positive mental health for teenagers

Supporting Autistic Children and Young People to Access Activities

Students with Access Arrangements

Access arrangements are adjustments during exams e.g. extra time, breaks, a reader, which allow students with specific difficulties to perform at their best.

Students with access arrangements should be confident that the access arrangements they have are their 'normal way of working.'

Using Extra Time

Readers and Writers for Exams

Preparing for Adulthood

Yes @ Areté Learning Trust is committed to ensuring that students and parents with a 'Learning Difference' have up to date information about gaining employment following full time education.

1. The Government are currently working on implementing the recommendations made by Paul Maynard's 2016 Taskforce in order to increase the number of apprenticeshps for students with a learning disability.

2. Preparing for Adulthood is a website funded by the DfE to support Local Authorities and their partners to embed preparing from Adulthood from the earliest years.

3. The Westminster AchieveAbility Commision for Dyslexia and Neurodivergence have produced a report Neurodiverse Voices: Opening Doors to Employment. Hailed as a groundbreaking report it has been developed with focus groups, extensive surveys, expert witnesses, employers and written evidence. This significant study is aligned with the government’s stated aim of increasing the number of people with disabilities in employment, set out in the Improving Lives Green Paper (2016) and Command Paper (2017). It highlights the abilities and workplace support needs of the large neurodivergent population and points to better recruitment and retention practices, for the benefit of the national economy. It highlights a widespread lack of awareness, failures in government support and workplace discrimination - but also many examples of good practice as most neurodivergent people are able and skilled - it is recruitment processes that disable them.

4. Neurodiversity at Work is a guide for HR Professionals who want to find out more about Neurodiversity, the benefits to their organisation and how they can support neurodivergent people to be more comfortable and successful at work.

5. The SEND GATSBY Benchmark Toolkit A blue-print of what good careers provision looks like. Clear advice on how all schools can help young people with SEN needs and disabilities move into the fast changing world of work.

6. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions. It has replaced the previous Two Ticks Positive About Disabled People scheme.

It is voluntary and has been developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives. The Disability Confident scheme has three levels that have been designed to support organisations. It aims to help employers make the most of the opportunities provided by employing disabled people.

Disability Confident: list of employers that have signed up: View online Download CSV 1.75MB

Learning to Drive

Special Needs and the Theory Test

When you book your Theory Test you should say if you’ve got special needs. In many cases, special arrangements can be made to help you during the test.

If you have learning difficulties, problems with reading or writing, or have required additional help with schoolwork or taking examinations at school or college, then you may be able to get help with the Multiple Choice Theory Test; this may be:

Extra time to take the test.
Spoken test – via the computer, (English speaking voice over using a head set is available for any test candidate – no proof of special needs is required).
One to one reader/recorder – where a person, provided by Pearson Vue (the company that administers the theory test), will read the questions on the computer screen word for word and then record the answer given by the candidate (they are not permitted to explain the meaning of the English language).
Oral Language Modification (OLM) – in exceptional cases, where the candidate has severe difficulty understanding the meaning of the language used for the test, the reader can explain the meaning rewording the questions to make them easier to understand; technical terms (e.g. anti-lock braking system) may not be reworded.
Private environment / separate room may also be available on request.

No special allowance is made when taking the Hazard Perception Test.

To apply for Special Needs Theory Test – if extra time is needed, if a one to one reader/recorder is needed or if an OLM test is required – the easiest way is to email your details to “DVSA/Pearson Vue Customer Care Team” (name, address, contact phone no, and driver number – from licence) and request a Special Needs Test. Attach proof of the Special Needs – a letter from School / College (stating what Special Needs provision was made when taking tests/exams) or from GP (detailing the medical condition and Special Needs requirements) on headed paper should be sufficient.

Advice from the British Dyslexia Association