A Guide to Physical Disability, Acquired Brain Injury and Down’s Syndrome – Online Interactive Course
£20.00
This course has been developed to support school staff who want greater confidence in meeting a range of physical and developmental needs in the classroom. It is particularly relevant for Teaching Assistants and Early Career Teachers but is equally useful for any staff working directly with pupils.
The training focuses on physical disability, Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and Down’s syndrome, exploring how these can present in school and what they can mean for access, learning and wellbeing. Rather than being theory‑heavy, the course centres on practical, realistic approaches that can be adapted within everyday school routines, helping staff remove barriers and create a more inclusive experience for pupils with these needs.
This course forms part of a wider SEND training offer from Services For Education and is designed to build whole‑school understanding of a range of additional needs. In this session, the focus is on physical disability, Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and Down’s syndrome. Staff are supported to consider how these needs may affect a pupil’s day‑to‑day experience of school, before exploring a range of practical and achievable reasonable adjustments.
The emphasis is on strategies that can be implemented quickly and with minimal cost, helping ensure pupils are properly supported to access learning and flourish within the school environment.
By the end of this course, you should understand:
What is physical disability?
How this affects learners and top tips for supporting pupils in class
What is Acquired Brain Injury?
How this affects learners and top tips for supporting pupils in class
What is Down’s Syndrome?
How this affects learners and top tips for supporting pupils in class
Who would benefit most from this training?
This training is suitable for a wide range of school staff. Teaching assistants and staff working in 1:1 roles will find it particularly helpful, while more experienced staff may use it as a refresher or to support their understanding when working with pupils who have physical disabilities, ABI or Down’s syndrome.
The course can also be used as part of bespoke ECT training, helping to build confidence before working with more vulnerable learners. Designed with time pressures in mind, it offers SENCOs and leaders an efficient way to share clear, reliable information with the wider staff team, equipping them with practical, ready‑to‑use strategies that can be applied immediately in their setting.
About the Course Leader
Claire Steele - Adviser, Services For Education
With over 20 years of experience in primary education, Claire Steele is a respected and committed school leader who has worked across a diverse range of schools and multi-academy trusts.
Her previous roles include Assistant Principal, Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), SENCo, and Senior Mental Health and Wellbeing Lead. She has also worked extensively with partners to support the delivery of a wide range of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs). Claire also holds the NPQSL and NPQLTD.
Claire is deeply passionate about creating safe, inclusive, and nurturing school environments, where the well-being of pupils is at the heart of practice. She brings her extensive knowledge, dedication, and enthusiasm to Services For Education, supporting schools in embedding effective and compassionate safeguarding and SEND practices at every level.
As part of the team of advisers at Services For Education, Claire champions SEND and equality, ensuring these values remain central to all aspects of her work. Most recently, she has developed the newly launched SEND offer from Services For Education. She also delivers high-quality safeguarding training and conducts comprehensive safeguarding audits in schools.
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Our blogs and resources provide general information about safeguarding and related topics. They are not legal or tailored professional advice, and should not be relied on as such. You should obtain specific advice about your particular circumstances. If you require specific advice, please contact us using hello@servicesforeducation.co.uk
We make no representations, warranties or guarantees (express or implied) that the information is complete or current. Content reflects the position at the date of publication.
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Our content does not replace or supersede your statutory duties under Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) and Working Together to Safeguard Children. Always refer to the latest official versions of these documents.
Lucie Welch has worked in the field of Primary Education for the last 15 years, holding the positions of Assistant Head of School, Designated Safeguarding Lead, Attendance Lead and Designated Teacher for Looked After Children. Through working across several local authorities and within multi-academy trusts, Lucie has garnered a passion for safeguarding and supporting children and young people to enable them to thrive.
At Services For Education, Lucie is an integral part of the Safeguarding team, sharing her expertise with schools, colleges, trusts, and other educational settings across the city of Birmingham and beyond. Dedicated to improving safeguarding practices in an actionable and impactful way, Lucie works closely with settings to provide bespoke training, supports with reflection on their own practices during Safeguarding audits and always strives to contribute to a better learning environment for all children. Through delivery of statutory training for DSLs and Safer Recruitment, Lucie works with colleagues in all age ranges and is a source of expertise within these areas.
Lucie also wears other important hats within the School Support Team. Not only is she dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of students through her role in safeguarding, but she also plays a key part in the PSHE/RSE and Health for Life teams. Additionally, Lucie partners with the Best Practice Network to deliver the Early Career Framework, supporting new teachers in their professional development.
Jo Perrin - Interim School Support Lead, Adviser, Services For Education
Jo Perrin is a seasoned Education Adviser with a strong background in safeguarding. She has held key roles as a Designated Safeguarding Lead, secondary school teacher and pastoral lead in the education sector. Facilitating training to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals working directly with children and young people is her passion.
With a wealth of experience in teaching PSHE and expertise in childhood trauma from her time as a foster carer, Jo is dedicated to supporting organisations that work with children and vulnerable adults on safeguarding issues.
She is actively involved in professional safeguarding groups in the West Midlands and is currently collaborating on a research project with colleagues from the University of Birmingham focusing on FGM awareness within communities. Jo has worked as a West Midlands' Adviser for national PSHE resources, presented at the Sex Education Forum National Members' Event and authored an advertorial for PSM magazine, and articles for both SEND magazine and SecEd.
Jo's expertise extends to training on topics such as Safer Recruitment and Mental Health at Work. She is also a facilitator for the nationally recognised NPQSL and NPQ SENCO qualifications, supporting senior leaders in education. Her contributions to publications and development of resources for RSE provision have been well-received by schools nationally and internationally.
With her extensive experience and dedication to professional development, Jo Perrin is a highly respected figure in the field of education. Her guidance on safeguarding, mental health awareness, personal development, and relationships education is highly valued within the industry.
After teaching for 25 years, Liz worked as an advisor with Services For Education for over 10 years leading on Mental Health, Emotional Health and Wellbeing before becoming an independent consultant. As well as working with schools Liz has presented key note talks, workshops and research findings at national conferences.
Liz has written 4 books and teaching resources that are used across the country by schools and other professionals working with children. Liz also works as a schools’ engagement trainer for the Anna Freud Centre, a Wellbeing Award advisor for Optimus Education and is a Protective Behaviours practitioner and trainer.
Charlie Laffan – Independent Integrative Counsellor
Charlie is an Integrative Counsellor who works with adults and children, delivering family support, mentoring and counselling.
She has extensive experience of providing specialist support with families and individuals in schools, and across a wide range of sectors.
Charlie’s counselling has a holistic approach and is tailored to the client’s needs. She brings this philosophy to mentoring and family support, providing therapeutic and practical interventions for young people and families.
Julia brings over 20 years experience in Education and Social Care. Her roles have included school advisor, national safeguarding programme developer, strategic lead in SEND and Safeguarding and qualified systemic supervisor in multiple contexts. With understanding of the daily challenges of a DSL in a school setting and wider safeguarding considerations, Julia brings knowledgeable and sensitive insights alongside practical tools, to generate solution focused actions for individual cases and the whole school system.
Edwina Langley – Lead Attendance Officer, Birmingham City Council
Edwina Langley is the Lead Attendance Officer for Birmingham City Council. A qualified social worker with a Masters’ degree in Social Science, and experience in family support, Edwina has worked in the city for 26 years, working directly with schools. Currently, Edwina leads the Education Legal Intervention Team providing statutory support and advise to schools relating to school absence, legal processes and related early help.
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Emma Mudge has over 20 years of experience working in primary education. Throughout this time, she has become a leader in a wide variety of areas throughout the school including Assessment, Teaching and Learning, Curriculum Management and Lead DSL, to name but a few. As Deputy Head Teacher and Acting Head Teacher, she has been at the forefront of school leadership and improvement.
During her role as English leader, she successfully introduced new approaches which significantly raised attainment. This led her to be approached to support other English coordinators across Birmingham, make presentations to school leaders and become a member of a small group of specialist teachers and leaders, tasked with improving the reading attainment in a number of schools across the city.
Emma now works as the Educational Adviser for English at Services for Education, sharing her experience and knowledge of working in primary schools to continually promote and improve the standard of teaching and learning in English, and in school improvement.
