TeachRock

In 2022, TeachRock began a partnership with The Beckmead Trust in London, the largest multi Academy Trust of special schools in the UK.

Beckmead delivers state funded education, residence, and care to approximately one thousand disadvantaged children and young people who are identified as having autism, challenging behavior, and various other ‘Social, Emotional and Mental Health’ needs. Many of Beckmead’s students also suffer from comorbidities such as fetal alcohol/crack syndrome, learning difficulties, communication issues, experience of domestic violence, attachment disorders, exposure to gangs, criminalized families, sexual abuse, and neglect.

Beckmead’s CEO Jonty Clark recognized that the “multiple intelligences” approach that is a hallmark of TeachRock curriculum would also benefit their student population, and Beckmead’s Director of School Improvement & Teacher Training Manager Anna Orsini has worked tirelessly to adapt TeachRock material to the various sites’ needs over the past year.

This July, TeachRock executive director Bill Carbone and Board Member Vagn Sørensen visited three Beckmead sites: Chaffinch Brook Upper for children aged 11 – 16, Beckmead Park, also aged 11 – 16, and Chaffinch Brook Lower for children aged 5 – 11.

At Chaffinch Brook Lower, the hallways were covered in the art projects that are assessment options in many TeachRock lessons.

The school hosted an assembly in honor of TeachRock’s visit, at which they shared their work from lessons in the “Environment Jukebox” collection. The students presented information about ocean pollution as well as thoughts on how to remedy the issue. They had made instruments from recycled materials and written a song about the environment–both activities from the unit–and they impressed us all by performing the song on the instruments!

Some of these students had been nonverbal until they arrived at Beckmead–this performance was an incredible achievement.

TeachRock’s approach to curricula centers multiple ways in–reading, listening, watching–and multiple assessment strategies (ways out), such as writing, speaking, drawing, and performing. We’ve seen it work wonders generating excitement and engagement in US schools, but, until the Beckmead collaboration, had never worked with a population of students with such specialized needs. It was moving to see the success, and we look forward to helping many more students in the years to come.