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Posted on November 24th 2021
ADHD Awareness Events at Harris Boys’ Academy
We have recently held a series of ADHD Awareness Events following from our very successful Autism Awareness events held in March.
These began before half term with our parent/carer SEND Forum which was attended by around 30 people. Discussions included general SEND feedback and support, an outline of our plans for our ADHD Awareness Events and gathering their views on what they as families and carers felt was important to include.
Five boys with a diagnosis of ADHD gathered for sessions with our SENCO and helped her to plan materials to include in Form Time ADHD Awareness sessions for Years 7-11.
The boys offered really valuable insights into what they felt was important to include, and the kind of message and information that they felt other pupils and staff should get from the events. The boys all worked in such a sensitive way and the sessions were really well received by pupils and staff.
One message the boys really wanted to get across was the many positives that ADHD can bring.
They were also very honest about the difficulties they can face, and what we as a community can do to help them feel included and respected.
Additionally on Friday 19th all staff and parents of pupils with ADHD were invited to a training session delivered by one of our Speech and Language Therapists Egypt Payne. This focussed on both the strengths and challenges faced by young people with ADHD and focussed particularly on The Zones of Regulation and how we can support those with ADHD to function in the most optimal, calm state ready for learning and taking part in all areas of school life.
Parent feedback included "Egypt Payne has been an amazing support to our family and Katherine Price has been very supportive of both my sons."
One of our Year 10 parents also kindly gave up her time to end the session with her perspective on the impact that ADHD has on her son’s life and learning. She quoted some stark figures from a national survey of education professionals around how little they felt they understood ADHD.
At HBAED our awareness sessions and training are working to ensure that this is not the case in our community, and our parent speaker talked about the personal touch she and her son have received at Harris Boys’, and the difference this has made to his development and his ability to see himself as a successful young person, rather than to be defined just as somebody who has ADHD.
Ms Price
Our wonderful Librarian Mr Delaney has created a display with ADHD information and some brand new fiction and non fiction books.
