Curriculum and achievement planning for transition

Abstract

This paper reviews recent trends in the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs (SEN). It considers the impact on teaching and learning of initiatives such as Records of Achievement, and the National Curriculum. In particular it sets these curricular developments within the framework of the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Education Needs. The influence of differentiation as a key curriculum tenet is discussed as a strategy for designing learning contexts that are sensitive to individual student needs. The paper focuses in particular on the process of transition planning during the latter school years, and the central role students themselves should play. The identification of learning routes for students with SEN is debated, with a particular emphasis on their right to attain adult status, regardless of the severity of their learning disability. The paper concludes with a plea for the curriculum to be acknowledged as a source of personal celebration and empowerment for students with SEN. © 1996 A B Academic Publishers.