On Wednesday 4 February 2020, Andover Twenty1 welcomed Victoria Ralfs, Ben Tyler and his mother Jo, to talk about what works in primary education to help children with Down’s Syndrome be socially immersed, independent and ready for secondary school. Over 20 attendees came from local primary and secondary schools.
Victoria Ralfs, head of Schools Advisory Service for Portsmouth Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA), explored the successful model used in schools supported by the Portsmouth DSA in terms of differentiation, adult support, social inclusion and RSE. The audience enjoyed lots of practical examples of what this looks like in daily life for young people with Down’s Syndrome and the adults in their lives.
The second half of the morning was hosted by Jo Tyler, mum of the very talented Ben Tyler. Jo’s description of Ben’s positive participation in mainstream education, primary and secondary, and how he went on to win medals for Tennis in the Abu Dhabi Special Olympics was truly inspirational. The audience also enjoyed hearing from Ben all about his family and how he spends his time when not preparing for the Olympics!
The next Andover Twenty1 training session is about Developing Literacy Skills and is on 4 March 2020, at Portway Junior School in Andover.
