Greenfields Specialist School for Communication

Meet our Conductive Education Team

At GSSC we value the huge benefits brought to our young people to enable them to access their personalised curriculum, supported through access to Conductive Education (CE) if deemed suitable. 

Our Conductive Education Team is led by Zsuzsi Mate an experienced, qualified Conductive Education Teacher and her newly qualified Conductive Education Assistants: Stacey Johnson, Callum Clare and Amanda Snow. 

Zsuzsi has worked with The National Institute of Conductive Education (NICE) and the University of Birmingham over the last 2 years to mentor and deliver accredited training to her CE Assistants, who all qualified in July 2019. 

As a school we are immensely proud of the work that Zsuzsi leads, supported by her team of CE Assistants.

CE AS PART OF A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM

At GSSC Zsuzsi represents CE as part of a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MTD) to support our pupils.  We are aware that all of the ‘cogs of the wheel’ need to operate together to enable our pupils to access all opportunities. 

As such, our Assistant Headteacher Claire Frogley chairs regular MDT meetings which includes the following professional leads:

• Conductive Education
• Physiotherapy
• Occupational Therapy (Seating and postural support)
• Occupational Therapy (Sensory)
• Special School Nurses
• SaLT (Speech and Language Therapy)
• Social Care
• Family Liaison Officers

For all of our pupils to achieve their personal best, we as professionals must work together to remove barriers.

Conductive Education

Conductive Education (CE) is a unique teaching method that was developed in 1945 by a Hungarian doctor and educator named Andras Peto. Dr Andras Peto specifically designed this educational system for individuals with neuro-motor impairments such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis and acquired brain injuries. He believed that motor control and coordination can be learned in order to improve the quality of life of people living with these challenges.  

This comprehensive approach uses active learning to reduce the physical effects of a disability. Conductive Education combines physical activities with cognitive tasks, emphasises communication and takes place in a group setting to optimise active participation and social interaction. It focuses on the development of the person as a whole and utilises a complex program to teach skills related to gross and fine motor movements, social participation, communication and activities of daily living. The overall goals of Conductive Education include increasing the quality of an individual’s motor function and providing participants with the confidence and problem-solving skills needed to live as independently as possible within the greater community. 

CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION AT GSSC

As a school we strive to ensure that all of our pupils achieve their personal best.  We are aspirational for our young people and provide the scaffold to enable our pupils to be aspirational for themselves.

CE enables our pupils to develop confidence and independence in a setting where they feel safe and supported to push the boundaries of what they can do for themselves.  We believe that our pupils have immense potential and we are the facilitators who allow our pupils to grow and aspire.

Whilst some pupils access 1:1 or small group CE sessions in the Conductive Education Suite as part of their timetables; all pupils who benefit from access to CE continue to practice and develop their skills as part of their whole school timetable regardless of where they are in school. 

All staff at GSSC are committed to supporting the practice and ethos of CE as an integral part of our whole school curriculum.

CE and CPD at GSSC

We are committed to the continued professional development of our staff and as such, strive to develop and expand our team of qualified CE Assistants.

We are also passionate about providing opportunities for students who are studying CE to be given opportunities to experience CE within a school setting.