SEN Magazine - SEN72 - Sep/Oct 2014

September • October 2014 Issue 72

The SEN Code of Practice

Children’s Minister Edward Timpson and Shadow Minister Steve McCabe write exclusively for SEN

Keep taking the tablets…

Responding to the latest classroom revolution

Capturing autism Photographing the everyday reality of autism

SEBD • inclusion • school buildings • visual impairment • SEN law • Asperger’s adoption • how to choose the right school • dyspraxia • school visits • dyslexia teacher and TA collaboration • SEN news, CPD, recruitment and much more...

This issue in full 06

SEN news

12

What's new?

20

Point of view

22

SEN Code of Practice

30

SEN legal Q&A

34

Inclusion

38

School buildings

41

Visual impairment

48

SEBD

53

SEN publishing

We are also delighted to welcome specialist SEN solicitor Douglas Silas as a regular contributor to SEN Magazine. Each issue, his legal Q&A column will look at a different topic relating to SEN and the law. In this issue, Douglas answers key questions about how the new SEN system will impact on families (p.30).

56

Autism

64

Asperger's syndrome

68

Dyslexia

75

Dyspraxia

78

Book reviews

80

Choosing the right school

92

School visits

Also in this issue, you will find articles on inclusion (p.34), school buildings (p.38), visual impairment (p.41), SEBD (p.48), SEN publishing (p.53), autism (p.56), Asperger’s (p.64), dyslexia (p.68), dyspraxia (p.75), choosing the right school for a child with SEN (p.80), school visits (p.92), adoption (p.96) and much more.

96

Adoption

100

TES Special Educational Needs Show preview

105

Recruitment

108

CPD and training

120

SEN resources directory

122

SEN Subscriptions

Sept • Oct 2014 • Issue 72

Welcome The new SEN system is now upon us. From the start of September, schools, local authorities and all professionals involved in the education and care of children and young people with SEN will be working under a new framework for SEN provision and support. Although the Government’s reforms were more than three years in the making, the final version of the new SEN Code of Practice was only published in July, less than two months before it comes into force.

This issue of SEN Magazine features extensive coverage of the SEN Code of Practice and what it will mean for those who live and work with people with SEN. We are pleased to include exclusive articles by the Minister responsible for SEN, Edward Timpson (p.22), who has led the Government’s SEN reforms for the past two years, and Labour’s Steve McCabe (p.24), Shadow Minister for Children and Families. In SEN news (p.6), we outline some of the main

Contacts DIRECTOR Jeremy Nicholls EDITOR Peter Sutcliffe editor@senmagazine.co.uk 01200 409 810 ADVERTISING SALES Denise Williamson Sales Manager denise@senmagazine.co.uk 01200 409 808 MARKETING & ADMINISTRATION Anita Crossley anita@senmagazine.co.uk 01200 409 802

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

changes to how SEN support is organised, and we look at how the Code will affect the way that teaching staff work (p.28).

For the latest from SEN, join us on Twitter and Facebook, or visit: www.senmagazine.co.uk Peter Sutcliffe Editor editor@senmagazine.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTION ADMINISTRATOR Amanda Harrison amanda@senmagazine.co.uk 01200 409 801 DESIGN Rob Parry www.flunkyfly-design.com design@senmagazine.co.uk Next issue deadline: Advertising and news deadline: 8 October 2014 Disclaimer The opinions expressed in SEN Magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot be held liable for incorrect information, omissions or the opinions of third parties.

SEN Magazine Ltd. Chapel House, 5 Shawbridge Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1LY T: 01200 409800 F: 01200 409809 W: www.senmagazine.co.uk E: info@senmagazine.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS Emma Abdulaal Sophie Bowlby Beverley Breen Sarah Chestnutt Richard Curtis Sara Dunn Ed Evans Carol Frankl Louise Holt Robin Johnson Sue Keil Jennifer Lea Hannah Leniston Steve McCabe Lorna Miles Mary Mountstephen Yvonne Newbold Janie Nicholas Sally Payne Laura Perry Hannah Postgate Jenny Rollinson Kate Saunders Douglas Silas Edward Timpson Nikki Threlfall

SEN Magazine ISSN: 1755-4845 SENISSUE72

In this issue Visual impairment 22

41

53

SEN publishing

SEN Code of Practice

53

Children’s Minister Edward Timpson discusses how the new Code will help children and families

24

A question of delivery

A fresh look at teaching

56

Q&A: SEN reforms

64

Include me

66

Constructive collaboration How pupils are becoming the teachers when it comes to designing SEN schools

41

Who’s counting?

With official figures varying widely, just how many children have vision impairment?

46

48

Aiming high

68

75

12

20

Girl power

Dyslexia matters

Secondary coordination Are the needs of teenagers with dyspraxia being overlooked?

80

Horses for courses A useful guide to choosing a school for your child with SEN

92

Why naughty is no longer nice

96

Cultural engagements How cultural excursions can help pupils with SEN

Changing attitudes to children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

6

Give 'em a job!

How dyslexia affects people throughout their lives and what we can all do to help

How one young athlete’s vision impairment has helped her on the road to Rio

Regulars

Capturing autism

Helping girls with Asperger’s to develop their social skills

Improving the social inclusion of children with SEN

38

Keep taking the tablets…

Why all employers should give young people with Asperger’s a chance

Specialist SEN solicitor Douglas Silas answers key questions about the new SEN system

34

Adapting to adoption The challenges and rewards of adopting a child with dyslexia

78

Book reviews

SEN news

105 Recruitment

What's new?

108 CPD, training and events

The latest products and ideas from the world of SEN

Point of view Have your say!

64

The story of a unique project to photograph the autistic experience

What does the new SEN system mean for teachers and TAs?

30

Asperger's syndrome

How SEN publishers are responding to the classroom tablet revolution

Shadow Minister Steve McCabe outlines his fears for the SEN Code of Practice

28

Sept • Oct 2014 • Issue 72

Your essential guide to SEN courses, seminars and events

120 SEN resources directory

22 SEN Code of Practice 56 Autism

68 Dyslexia

80 Schools and colleges

In the next issue of SEN:

PMLD • safeguarding • creative arts • dyslexia • epilepsy • attachment problems autism • CPD • professional support for teachers • parents’ rights alternative therapy • spina bifida and much more...

Follow SEN Magazine on

Visit us at:

www.senmagazine.co.uk

Join SEN Magazine on

6

SEN NEWS

New SEN system comes into force Final SEN Code of practice published Schools and LAs gear up for major changes From 1 September this year, education settings and local authorities in England will be operating under a new system for supporting the estimated 20 per cent of children and young people who have special educational needs.

The Government’s long-heralded reforms to the system, which began with its SEN Green Paper of March 2011, received their finishing touches in July this year as Parliament approved the new SEN Code of Practice.

This Code provides statutory guidance for organisations who work with and support children and young people with SEN and disabilities. Across its 282 pages, it provides a detailed account of the duties of schools, local authorities and other settings in relation to SEN provision, and the policies and procedures they must adhere to.

All change The new SEN Code of Practice effectively fleshes out Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, which became law in March this year. The Act also saw the Government amending the systems for adoption, looked-after children, childcare and family justice.

In addition to the changes in the Act, education providers are being tasked with implementing a raft of education reforms, including an overhaul of the National Curriculum and changes to GCSE and A level examinations.

SEN reforms Under the new SEN system, education, health and care professionals will be charged with working together to produce integrated education, health and care (EHC) plans for children and young people with SEN. Over time, EHC plans will replace statements of special educational needs and learning disability assessments (LDAs). These plans will run from birth, or when a person is identified with SEN, until the age of 25 years.

Local authorities will have to publish their “local offer”, explaining what support is available for children with SEN and disabilities in their area. This must include information from schools about the services and teaching available, and details of how the needs of those with complex or profound difficulties will be met.

The existing mechanisms for proving support in school to pupils with SEN, School Action and School Action Plus, are being scrapped in favour of a new approach called “SEN support”, SENISSUE72

Young people are to have a greater say in the support they receive for SEN.

which the Children’s Minister Edward Timpson says “is designed to ensure support is focussed on individual need and personal outcomes rather than classifications.”

Under the new Code, local authorities must have regard to the views of young people with SEN and families in determining the support needed for each individual. Parents and young people have a statutory right to take part in decisions about such things as assessments, provision and reviews.

Parents will have the right to control a personal budget for their child with SEN, should they choose to, giving them a greater say over how money is spent on their child’s SEN support.

Personal budgets will list a specified amount of money to meet the provision laid out in the child or young person’s EHC plan.

Where local authorities agree, direct payments may be made to parents, or a young person with SEN themselves, to purchase SEN provision.

Young people over the age of 16 are also to have a greater say in the SEN support they receive. If they are judged to have “mental capacity”, they will be able to deal directly with providers and local authority officials regarding decisions made about their case. These young people will also have a right to appeal themselves to the SEND Tribunal, if they are unhappy with the support they receive.

The new SEN Code of Practice can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-ofpractice-0-to-25 For in-depth comment on, and analysis of, the SEN Code of Practice, see the feature starting on page 22 of this issue of SEN Magazine. It includes articles by Edward Timpson, the Government Minister responsible for SEN and Labour’s Shadow Minister Steve McCabe.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN NEWS

Pupil premium is starting to work, says Ofsted The pupil premium is boosting the education prospects of poorer children in a growing number of schools, according to a new report by Ofsted.

The Government’s education watchdog has published a progress report on how well schools in England are using the extra funding they receive to raise the attainment of their more disadvantaged pupils.

It finds that, while it is too early to point to any significant narrowing of the gap nationally between more affluent and poorer children in key tests and exams at 11 and 16, school leaders are generally spending the pupil premium more effectively than at any time since the funding was introduced in 2011.

HM Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw says that this improving picture could be credited in part to Ofsted’s strong emphasis on the issue, which was concentrating the minds of headteachers and governors alike. Heads now know that their schools will not receive a positive judgement unless they can demonstrate that they are focused on improving outcomes for eligible pupils. A number of previously outstanding secondary schools have recently been downgraded after inspectors judged their pupil premium money was not being spent effectively or the progress and attainment of poorer children was lagging behind other groups.

Every inspection report now includes a commentary on the attainment and progress of pupils eligible for free school meals and an evaluation of how this compares with other children. Inspectors are also increasingly recommending external reviews of a school’s use of the pupil premium in under-performing institutions.

Closing the attainment gap The report finds that school leaders, overall, are demonstrating a strong commitment to closing the attainment gap, forensically targeting interventions and putting in place robust tracking systems.

There is a strong association between a school’s overall effectiveness and the impact of the pupil premium. Of 151 schools sampled, the attainment gap between free school meal children and their peers was closing in all 86 schools judged by Ofsted to be good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. In 12 of these schools, this gap had narrowed to virtually nothing.

In these good and outstanding schools, governing bodies are taking strategic responsibility for ensuring the pupil premium funding improves the teaching and support for eligible pupils.

However, the new report shows that weak leadership and governance remains an obstacle to narrowing the attainment WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Ofsted inspections take account of how the school uses pupil premium money.

gap in a significant minority of schools, particularly in those judged inadequate for overall effectiveness.

Inspectors found that the most common uses of the pupil premium funding are to pay for additional teaching staff, booster classes, reading support, raising aspiration programmes and “learning mentors”. Many schools also use the money to provide after-school, weekend and holiday sessions. Spending is typically focused on English and maths.

The report also includes data that shows wide variations across local authority areas in terms of the achievement of poorer pupils in tests and exams at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4. For example, many London boroughs have well above average proportions of free school meal children achieving five or more good GCSEs, while eligible children are least likely to achieve this benchmark in places like Barnsley, Portsmouth, South Gloucestershire, North Lincolnshire and Northumberland. The change in these proportions between 2012 and 2013 also varies considerably – from a ten per cent fall in Thurrock to a 13 per cent increase in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Sir Michael says that “The success of London illustrates vividly that poverty should not be an automatic predictor of failure and so the Government needs to tackle those parts of the country like Barnsley where poorer children are still getting a raw deal.

The report, The Pupil Premium: an update, can be found at: www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/pupil-premium-update SENISSUE72

7

8

SEN NEWS

BAME families are missing out on autism support Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities are missing out on essential support for people affected by autism, according to the National Autistic Society (NAS).

In a new report, the charity says that language and cultural differences can create additional barriers to accessing a diagnosis and support.

For the Diverse Perspectives report, the NAS conducted 13 focus groups across England involving around 130 parents and carers of children with autism from BAME communities.

Participants were asked about their needs and experiences and encouraged to consider the role that ethnicity, faith and religious beliefs, gender and language could play in this.

The findings suggest that levels of understanding of both autism and traditional child development can be lower in some communities than in the wider population. Teachers can also fail to spot characteristics of autism due to incorrect assumptions about a child’s behaviour or language abilities.

Barriers to accessing support services were identified, with parents reporting challenges understanding autism and knowing what services are available due to poor availability of information in languages other than English and professionals’ use of jargon.

A number of families said they were not confident in dealing with professionals.

Participants also reported that some people from BAME communities could hold unnecessarily suspicious attitudes towards professionals and authorities. Many participants also said they had encountered hostile or judgemental attitudes, and that disability is stigmatised in certain communities where it is seen as unnatural and sometimes blamed on parents. In some cases, families were said to deny or refuse to believe that their child had autism, while others believed that their difficulties should remain private and not be discussed outside the home.

Dr Laura Cockburn of the NAS Lorna Wing Centre, called on professionals to understand the impact that culture and language can have on autism screening, assessment and intervention. “If we are to improve the lives of BAME families dealing with what can initially be a devastating diagnosis, it’s vital that decision makers, service providers and faith and community groups listen to those families and work together to produce effective, culturally appropriate support”, she said.

SENISSUE72

Childcare system is failing disabled children MPs and Peers are calling for urgent action to address the serious faults at the heart of the childcare system which have led to thousands of disabled children, from toddlers to teenagers, missing out on education and social opportunities.

The recent cross party Parliamentary Inquiry into Childcare for Disabled Children found widespread failures for disabled children across the childcare system. It revealed that 41 per cent of families with disabled children aged three and four are unable to access the full 15-hours free entitlement to childcare and early years education due to a chronic lack of appropriate settings or lack of funding.

Of those who responded to the Inquiry’s survey, 86 per cent reported paying above average childcare costs, while 72 per cent of families with disabled children have cut back or given up work because of childcare problems.

The childcare situation gets worse as a disabled child gets older: the cost increases and availability gets even more limited as mainstream holiday and after school clubs are often not inclusive.

The Inquiry also found confusion among local authorities, nurseries and schools about what their duties are in providing childcare for disabled children.

To start tackling some of the key issues, the Inquiry called on all parties to commit to developing a coherent policy to improve access to affordable, accessible and appropriate childcare for all children.

Robert Buckland MP, who co-chaired the Inquiry, blamed a “decade of piecemeal policies” for the confusion among local authorities and childcare providers about their duties. “We need one coherent policy to improve access to childcare for disabled children”, he said.

Inquiry Co-chair Pat Glass MP said the Inquiry had heard from families who had been turned away from mainstream nurseries simply because their child had a disability. “Providers must not be able to get away with this”, she said.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN NEWS

Lack of EPs could leave most vulnerable children at risk The Association of Educational Psychologists (AEP) has warned that the lack of a sufficient supply of educational psychologists in school settings will be detrimental to the implementation of the Government’s SEN reforms, introduced from September 2014.

The professional body for educational psychologists welcomed the Government’s acknowledgement in the SEN Code of Practice of the essential role that its members play in the lives of children and young people with SEN. However, it stressed that an uncertain funding future for the initial training of the educational psychology workforce and the ever increasing demand for educational psychologists’ posts will mean that there will be an insufficient number of educational psychologists supporting local authorities and schools in future. The AEP fears this could put the wellbeing of vulnerable children and young people across the country at risk.

AEP General Secretary Kate Fallon is concerned that there are not enough educational psychologists in nurseries, schools and colleges to carry out the proposals outlined in the Government’s new SEN Code of Practice. “We are reaching the point when educational psychologists will not be able to meet all the demands on their time”, she said.

Educational psychologists play a key role in helping to shape how education settings approach SEN, including identifying what specific support a child may require during their education and helping teachers and other professionals to tailor the services provided to the child’s individual needs.

Kate Fallon called on the Government to ensure, with some urgency, that there is secure long-term funding for the training of educational psychologists. “There has never been a worse time for there to be uncertainty over how the training of future educational psychologists will be funded”, she said.

Dyslexics’ guide to the SEN system A new online guide has been launched to help parents and carers supporting children with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties navigate the changes in the SEN system.

Created by Dyslexia Action, the “How to… Navigate the changes in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) provision” guide, highlights the new legal requirements that schools and colleges have a duty to follow in England, under the new SEN Code of Practice, and what this means for children with SEN. The guide includes information topics such as: what is changing in relation to SEN; education, health and care plans; how the local offer should help; who will receive a personal budget; what teachers should do if a pupil is identified with dyslexia; and what parents can do if they are not happy with the support their child receives.

The Guide can be found on the charity’s website: www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

New resource to tackle bullying of deaf children Primary and secondary schools can access a new resource proving advice and support to help prevent deaf children from being bullied.

Bullying and deaf children: a guide for primary and secondary schools has been developed by The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS). A survey run by the charity found that almost two thirds of deaf young people have been bullied because of their deafness.

Supported by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, the resource highlights what to look out for to identify if bullying is taking place, and includes tips on creating a safer school environment to help tackle and prevent bullying. It covers all forms of bullying, including verbal, physical, cyber and emotional, such as deliberately ignoring someone. Ian Noon, Head of Policy and Research at the NDCS, believes that deaf children and young people can be particularly vulnerable to bullying. “Difficulties with language, communication and social skills, such as simply not understanding a joke that everyone else is laughing at, can contribute to a deaf child feeling isolated and at risk of being bullied by their peers”, he says. “Whatever the reason, bullying is unacceptable. There are 45,000 deaf children and young people in the UK and this guide aims to help mainstream teachers and special educational needs co-ordinators spot, handle and prevent bullying from happening in the first place.”

Alongside its resource for schools, the charity has produced a guide for parents, with tips on how to spot if bullying is taking place and how to tackle it. Resources for deaf children are also available to help them understand what bullying is, how to deal with cyberbullying and what to do if they are being bullied.

Martha Evans, Acting National Coordinator at the Anti-Bullying Alliance, has welcomed the new resources, saying “It is important we all work together to prevent bullying and ensure we respond appropriately when it does occur.”

Anti-Bullying Week, organised by the Alliance, will take place from 17 to 21 November 2014. To find out more about AntiBullying Week, go to: www.antibullyingweek.co.uk For more information on the NDCS resources, visit: ndcs.org.uk/bullying SENISSUE72

9

10

SEN NEWS

Dyspraxia Awareness Week Dyspraxia Awareness Week 2014 will take place from 12 to 18 October. The theme this year is “There’s more to it than just motor skills”.

Organisers the Dyspraxia Foundation will be focussing their efforts on raising awareness of the problems facing teenagers with the condition.

Schools join coffee morning for cancer Schools from across the UK will take part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in September to help Macmillan Cancer Support raise over £20 million for people affected by cancer.

The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning has been running for 24 years and last year £1.8 million pounds was raised through schools alone. To date, more than 12,000 schools have registered to take part in this year’s event.

Alva Academy, a high school in Clackmannanshire near Stirling, Scotland, is the number one fundraising school in the UK, raising over £90,000 for Macmillan through their support of the Coffee Morning. Sixth form pupils take over the orchestration of the event, engaging with the local community as part of their learning activities.

Students are encouraged to develop skills while hosting Coffee Morning events, through creating the promotional materials such as posters and invitations, handling money, understanding health and safety and communicating with different people. This year, Macmillan have also partnered with ASDAN, a charitable social enterprise with awarding body status. ASDAN's courses can accredit the skills and knowledge that students gain while fundraising for the cause.

Schools taking part in the event also have the opportunity to tie their fundraising efforts into their cancer education work.

Macmillan have developed a range of resources and lesson plans to support primary and secondary schools to take part in the Coffee Morning; these complement the charity’s wider education resources including their Talking About Cancer toolkits.

Many people are familiar with some of the physical signs of dyspraxia, such as frequently falling over, difficulty walking up and down stairs, poor hand-eye co-ordination, lack of spatial awareness, difficulty getting dressed and illegible handwriting.

However, according to the Foundation, it can be the emotional aspects of dyspraxia that hit teenagers and young adults the hardest. These problems can be particularly profound for young people as they negotiate common issues such as the transition to secondary school or college, friendships, potential bullying, leaving home and having to fend for themselves.

The charity believes that developmental dyspraxia is a much misunderstood condition – it used to be labelled “clumsy child syndrome” – yet it has very real complications for the many people living with it.

This year, Dyspraxia Awareness Week will include its first “Funky Friday”, on 17 October, when the public will be urged to show support to the Foundation by wearing their most colourful item of clothing to work or school.

Following the recent award of a three year grant from the Big Lottery Fund, the charity has also announced that it has reinvigorated its key support services and awareness packages, and resources for people living with dyspraxia, their families and the professionals who support them.

It has launched a new website and taken on a full-time Information Officer. Later this year, a new Teenage Information Officer will also be appointed to offer advice for young people with dyspraxia, particularly via social media networks.

For more information, visit: www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk To read about the difficulties faced by teenagers with dyspraxia, go to page 68 of this issue of SEN Magazine.

For the latest news, articles, SEN resources, CPD and events listings, visit: www.senmagazine.co.uk

For further information, visit: coffee.macmillan.org.uk

follow us on www.twitter.com/senmagazine SENISSUE72

join us on www.facebook.com/senmagazine WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN NEWS

Mental health commissioning system clarified

App gives young people with SEN a voice

Information about patients eligible to be cared for under a new commissioning system for mental health has been released for the first time.

A new app will provide children and young people with SEN with a platform to share important information about their needs.

The figures are included as part of the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s (HSCIC) April 2014 monthly Mental Health Minimum Data Set report.

The information will support commissioners introducing the new mental health currencies and payment system, which is due to be rolled out across England in 2014/15.

The new system involves assigning patients to one of 21 “care clusters” so that payments for their care can be appropriately managed. Care clusters are groupings of people in contact with secondary mental health services based on their needs.

The report features 75 new measures, including the ten national quality and outcome measures recommended by NHS England and Monitor. It includes information about the number of patients using mental health services who were in scope for mental health currencies and payment and assigned a care cluster. It also includes information about the number of people who were within the review period of their care cluster at the end of April, the number of patients newly assigned to a care cluster in April, and how many of these newly assigned patients met the “red rules”, or essential criteria for their care cluster.

The Council for Disabled Children’s Early Support app will enable children and young people to upload details about their condition and the support they are receiving to share with people closely involved in their life, such as teachers and doctors. In turn, it will make it easier for those working with children and young people with SEN to understand their needs in an easy and straightforward way.

By sharing their likes and dislikes and hopes for the future, young people can use the app to make sure the help they get is tailored to their needs and that their voice is heard in important decisions made about their lives. Strict safeguards are also promised to ensure their safety and privacy.

Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson has welcomed the new app saying it will “give young people a simple, single place to set out their needs to those who work with them – creating a digital link between the young person and their key professionals.”

The measures are presented at national, CCG and provider levels for April 2014 and show where patients are receiving services and the volumes of activity. The data will continue to be produced on a monthly basis.

A desktop version for the app and an Android version for tablets are available to download now. An Apple version for tablets is due out in the near future.

The report is available at: www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/mhmdsapr14

More information on the Early Support app can be found at: www.councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/earlysupport/app

Autistic young people twice as likely to be NEET Nearly double the number of young people with autism are not currently in education, employment or training (NEET) than their peers in the general population. In a recent survey

by Ambitious about Autism, 27 per cent of young people with autism said they are NEET, compared with the national average of 14 per cent.

Only one in four young people surveyed felt they had the support needed to get a job and just ten per cent thought employers were likely to recruit someone with autism. Most of the young people polled (77 per cent) identified that increasing employers’ awareness of autism would make the biggest difference in enabling them to get a job. They also thought there was a need for schools and colleges to actively help them develop the necessary skills to gain employment.

with special educational needs and disabilities are capable of paid employment.” The Minister called on everyone who works with these young people to have high aspirations about what they can achieve.

David Nicholson, Youth Patron for Ambitious about Autism, believes he is part of a generation of young people on the autism spectrum who want to do well. “We are aspirational. We want to work. We want to contribute positively to the life of our nation”, he said.

News deadline for next issue: 8/10/14 Email: editor@senmagazine.co.uk

Commenting on the findings, Children’s Minister Edward Timpson said that “With the right support most young people WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

11

12

WHAT’S NEW?

What’s new?

Abacus Healthcare launches new website for assisted bathroom solutions For over 25 years, Abacus has worked closely with care providers and special education professionals to ensure disabled individuals receive the best in assisted bathing, toileting and transfer solutions. This bathing specialist has launched a new, user-friendly website that provides an invaluable online resource to therapists, specifiers and families.

Abacus’s new, easy-to-navigate site includes details of its bathing, hoisting and toileting solutions, along with videos, useful downloads and an interactive bath selector guide. This handy, step-bystep tool helps visitors select the right bath for a specific client’s needs.

Tel: 0800 542 5819 Email: sales@abacushealthcare.co.uk www.abacushealthcare.co.uk

Thinking of adoption but don’t know where to start?

Medpage launch affordable pager alarm system There are numerous occasions when a reliable pager alarm system is required. Medpage’s new pager system includes special door and window sensors that send a message to a pager when a door is opened.

The equipment is expandable from a single alarm to unlimited alarm sensors. The system is ideal for monitoring people with autism, those with dementia and people with learning disabilities, who may wander or attempt to escape from a building.

There is also a waterproof pendant with a range of up to 400 Metres that also sends a message to the pager.

01536 264 869 www.easylinkuk.co.uk

Working together

If you would like to find out more about adoption, you could visit one of Families That Last’s regular Exploring Adoption events. You can drop in throughout the day to meet the team, have a chat and see profiles of the children they are currently family finding for.

EHCAP have an integrated health (Sarah is a GP) and care (Shoba is a Social Worker) team providing training for professionals, including SENCOs and teachers in mainstream, special and independent schools. With a focus on person centred practice, emotion coaching and mindfulness, EHCAP find solutions that work for children, young people and families.

The Exploring Adoption events are held across the North West, North Wales and West Yorkshire every month. Families that Last build and support families to change the lives of children through adoption.

EHCAP have a special interest in the new SEN Code of Practice and in how we are all going to work together in a person centred way with (0-25) Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans.

To find out about upcoming events, visit: www.familiesthatlast.org.uk

For more information and to discuss your training needs, email Sarah on: sarah@ehcap.co.uk, text: 07961116819 or visit: www.ehcap.co.uk

Adopters sought for Birmingham

Outdoor musical instruments

Birmingham urgently needs more adopters. Some of the children in care have disabilities or health problems but like all children, they need nurturing “forever” homes to ensure the very best for their futures.

Playtime by Fawns’ range of outdoor musical instruments combines stunningly clear and defined notes with bright coloured durable components, manufactured from 100 per cent recycled plastic. They are available in a range of colours with decorative HDPE facia panels to enhance the longevity of the instruments. The instruments are arranged in a pentatonic scale to enhance the melodic nature of the sounds the children produce. The range includes a Babel Drum tuned to replicate the sound of steel pan drums and a Rain Wheel which creates the soothing therapeutic sound of rainfall.

Birmingham is looking for people like you, with specialist knowledge and skills, who might be considering adopting a child or children.

The Council provides all necessary support and is keen to hear from you if you think you could give one or more children the stability, love and care which they deserve.

Call: 0121 303 7575 or visit: www.adoptbirmingham.co.uk

Call: 01252 515199 or email: sales@fawns.co.uk to receive Fawns’ outdoor musical instrument brochure.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

WHAT’S NEW?

Teachmeet

A Guide to the SEN Code of Practice

Teachmeets are designed to allow teachers to share good practice, innovation and personal insight in an organised but informal setting. They present a unique opportunity to hear from Sir Tim Brighouse, one of the most influential figures in education, and David Cameron, a well-known presenter and trainer across the sector.

Douglas Silas Solicitors, the nationally acclaimed experts specialising exclusively in SEN, have produced an e-book breaking down the new SEN Code of Practice, which is in force from September 2014. It is available for all e-book readers, such as the Kindle, iPad, Nook and Kobo.

Anyone can participate and contributions should be in the format of a two, five or seven minute presentation of your choice. The focus should be on the exchange of practice or research and there is time for questions and comments to the presenters.

Contact your local Hays office to find out about Teachmeets happening in your local area: www.hays.co.uk

Henshaws College students complete Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Five Henshaws College students recently completed their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. The group walked 20.5 km and climbed to a height of 460 metres during their two-day expedition in Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire.

College staff created photo maps showing students which objects they needed to look out for to find their way, such as bridges, gates and local landmarks.

Jill Green, one of the expedition leaders said: “We supported our students to use their individual strengths throughout the training and the expedition. They worked together and have formed a good team. We are incredibly proud of them all”. www.henshaws.ac.uk

Douglas says: “This is an essential guide for anyone involved with children/young people with SEND, either personally or professionally. It tells them quickly what they need to know or do, contains the full Code and provides links to the myriad of legislation, regulations and guidance that they need to understand.”

For more information, visit: www.AGuideToTheSENCodeOfPractice.co.uk

Wear it For Autism On 6 October, Wear It For Autism will be pampering mums, dads, grandparents and carers, who either have autism or care for those with the condition, as they take centre stage and receive full makeovers at a stylish fashion event in Knightsbridge’s Millennium Hotel.

Organiser Anna Kennedy OBE says: “The idea behind Wear It For Autism was to spoil those who usually never get a chance to treat, or even think, of themselves. Living with autism can be challenging and extremely demanding so we wanted to create a special event that would be fun for all involved”.

Tickets (including free goody bags) are available by emailing: lisa.robins@thevines.org.uk

Free Sheffield events on autism and intensive interaction/TCI

Overcoming barriers at Hindleap Warren

Taking place on 14 October and aimed at parents and carers, Practical Guidance on the Challenges of Autism will be chaired by Barry Carpenter.

Parents Cathy and Martin Billett will share their journey as parents, alongside renowned author John Clements and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI) Consultant Angela Stanton-Greenwood.

Hindleap Warren is set in 300 acres of natural woodland in Ashdown Forest, East Sussex.

Specifically aimed at professionals, Enhancing Lives: Making Connections Through Intensive Interaction and TCI takes place on 15 October. Experts in their field, Graham Firth and Angela Stanton-Greenwood will hold a day of comprehensive but humorous workshops.

For more information and online bookings, visit: www.hesleygroup.co.uk/events/sheffield WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

The centre works with all young people, with a particular emphasis on those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to the kind of opportunities on offer. The centre has 40 years’ experience of working with young people with complex needs and disabilities and helping them overcome barriers so that they can develop confidence, character and skills.

The staff are passionate about providing fun, adventurous and safe outdoor activities for every young person that visits the centre. www.londonyouth.org.uk SENISSUE72

13

14

WHAT’S NEW?

Integrex the interactive specialists

Mencap wills and trusts events

At the forefront of special needs technology, Integrex design and manufacture versatile, interactive systems that offer all ages and abilities the opportunity to enjoy a rewarding learning or working environment. Products include fully mobile, height-adjustable interactive touch screens and tables with cutting edge multitouch ability.

Between September and November, Mencap will be hosting fourteen free events across the country providing information on wills and trusts.

Integrex’s innovative, immersive sensory rooms provide stunning audio-visual interactivity through a series of original, programmable software applications. A dedicated, experienced team provides bespoke software and hardware, full support and training for all SEN environments. Contact Integrex to arrange a demonstration of their innovative, interactive systems.

Planning for the future of a loved one with a learning disability can be daunting. Many parents worry how their child will cope financially when they’re gone. Mencap’s two-hour events are an opportunity to gain access to specialist legal advice, helping you to protect your loved one’s future and to prevent the risk of financial abuse from others.

For event details and to book a place, visit: www.mencap.org.uk/pffe or call: 0207 696 6925.

Tel: 01283 551551 or visit: www.integrex.co.uk

Autism and Communication conference

Lucid updates

Lucid Exact provides student and teacher friendly software for objective and detailed assessment of literacy, while Lucid Recall offers objective and time efficient assessment of working memory.

This event, on 25 November 2014 in Reading, will discuss the types of communication difficulties children and adults on the autism spectrum can experience and the various tools and strategies to support verbal and pre-verbal communication.

Lucid Exact and Lucid Recall are norm-referenced assessments with proven psychometric validity. Both programs can be used to help to identify those students who require exam access arrangements. They can be used as screeners or as part of the specialist assessment. Standard scores are used as “core” evidence or to “paint the picture” on the JCQ application form.

Gina Davies, one of the UK’s top experts in helping young people to develop communication skills, will be looking at how we can inspire attention. Carol Gray, pioneer of the development of Social Stories™, will be coming over from the USA to give her insights into the next generation of social stories. There will also be talks on using iPads and on developing partnerships with parents.

www.lucid-research.com 01482 882121

www.autism.org.uk/conferences/communication2014

Recent updates to Lucid Exact and Lucid Recall make these programs even more time saving and cost efficient.

sales@lucid-research.com

Apps for deaf children Claire Whittaker is a Speech and Language Therapist based at Mary Hare School in Newbury Berkshire. She has demonstrated the benefit of using tablets during her speech and language sessions with deaf children.

Tablets open up the possibility of accessing a range of apps including the “Visible Sound” app which enables children to “see” their speech, and the “Bla Bla Bla” app which makes different faces move as the deaf child talks.

There are also a multitude of other apps to help with listening to sounds, as well as some to help children “follow instructions”, like “Splingo”.

To read Claire's article in full, go to: maryhare.org.uk/research-publications SENISSUE72

Let your fingers do the talking this October Give the children at your school the chance to learn a new skill and help deaf children at the same time.

The NDCS Fingerspellathon is a great way for your pupils to learn the BSL (British Sign Language) fingerspelling alphabet and also get sponsored and fundraise for the National Deaf Children’s Society at the same time. As well as being fun and interactive, it also teaches children about deaf awareness.

You will receive a link to free Fingerspellathon resources which include word lists and posters once you register.

Sign up or find out more at: www.ndcs.org.uk/fingerspell WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

WHAT’S NEW?

Are you supporting a student who is visually impaired?

Strong, safe and practical furniture from Pineapple Contracts

New College Worcester, a national school and college for students who are visually impaired, have announced new training courses for 2014-15.

Finding furniture that can withstand the demands of an SEN environment can be difficult. The few products that are fit for purpose often look more like functional equipment than their domestic equivalent.

The events, which are aimed at professionals supporting VI students, will include topics such as Preparing Students for Exams, UEB Braille Literacy Workshop, Introduction to Supporting Students with a Visual Impairment and Outreach Open Days covering a range of subjects, including maths, PE, music, IT, geography, mobility, independent living skills, science and many more.

The Ryno range by Pineapple Contracts solves this problem by combining exciting modern design with exceptional strength and durability. The lounge chair, available in eight vibrant colours, has been rigorously tested for over 500,000 cycles and can be weighted up to 75kg for added safety.

For further events, dates and details, go to: www.newcollegeworcester.co.uk or call: 01905 763933.

Benefit from greater flexibility with Cogmed now on tablet Cogmed Working Memory Training, used by a number of schools across the UK with great success, will be available to download on iPad and Android tablets this autumn.

The Cogmed app features all three training programs, as well as RoboRacing – the instant reward game for Cogmed RM. With the same look and feel as the traditional version, the app allows greater flexibility in using the program.

Look out for Cogmed’s new smaller licences, for schools wishing to use Cogmed with five to ten individuals.

Visit: www.cogmed.uk.com for details.

Motor training program helps dyslexic/ dyspraxic children with learning Under the Crispiani Method for dyslexia/ dyspraxia, Activity Gym (used for five minutes each morning) is applied in the initial phase of each training activity in order to make efficient neuronal circuits and tackle cerebellar dysfunction and lateral dominance.

Champion LIRM (sequences of intensive reading and speed motor activity) is a very intensive therapy conducted for short periods (three days and for five or six hours a day in two phases) with a neurological praxic play program which is used in play situations.

For more information, contact Dr Eleonora Palmieri, Dr Sara Pellegrini or Prof. Piero Crispiani: palmieri.eleonora@alice.it +39338-7051712 www.centrostudiitard.it www.pierocrispiani.it WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Other products in the range include dining tables, dining chairs and a coffee table.

For more information, call: 01689 891020 or visit: www.rynofurniture.co.uk

Self-awareness Children lacking in self-awareness may suffer difficulties on physical, cognitive, emotional and social levels.

Peter, a seven-year-old, suffered a very traumatic hospitalisation which had left him unable to manage mainstream schooling without continuous one-to-one adult support.

Play therapy allows children freedom to play as they wish, in an environment where the therapist will keep them safe, physically and emotionally. A lot of Peter’s play was physical, building towers with large foam blocks and throwing cushions. This enabled him to begin to reconnect with, and to trust, his body, resulting in a better awareness of what his body was doing.

For information on play therapy, visit: www.playtherapy.org.uk

LVS Oxford opens its doors LVS Oxford, a new Oxfordshire school for people aged 11 to 19 years who have a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, opens in September 2014.

Modelled on the successful LVS Hassocks, West Sussex, it offers a structured environment as well as pastoral care and its approach is focused on building life skills and educational achievements to help young people with Asperger’s and autism gain independence and skills for employment.

Facilities include generous grounds for sporting activities, a teaching kitchen and garden, and a dedicated suite for speech, language and occupational therapies.

For more information, call: 01865 595170 or visit the Facebook page: LVS Oxford.

SENISSUE72

15

16

WHAT’S NEW?

Professional development days at RNC

Family open day at RNIB College Loughborough

The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) is running two professional development days, one for professionals working with younger learners on Wednesday 8 October, and one for professionals working with adult trainees on Wednesday 22 October.

RNIB College Loughborough, a national specialist college for people with disabilities invite you to their Family Open Day on Saturday 4 October 2014, 10am to 2pm. You will have the opportunity to visit the College and its purpose built accommodation. You will find out all about life at the College and hear about learning in enterprises such as the Bell Bar, Arts Centre, Office and eBay shop. You can also meet students, staff and governors.

Discover how the specialist college for people with sight loss works to help people who are visually impaired move into higher education, employment or self-employment.

The days are for qualified teachers of visual impairment, SEN teaching assistants, careers advisors, transition support workers, local authority representatives and social workers.

For more information or to book a place, contact the Enquiries Team on: 01432 376 621 or: info@rnc.ac.uk

Family services at RNIB Sunshine House School Family services at RNIB Sunshine House School in Northwood, Middlesex (jointly run with The Eden Academy) give parents, carers, siblings and other family members the chance to get together, support each other and have fun.

There is something for every child aged 0 to 14 years.

Sessions include: after school clubs, activity days, stay and splash family swim, stay and play activity sessions, Tinker Bell’s music making, parent and carer workshops and counselling sibling support groups.

For more information, visit: rnib.org.uk/sunshinehouse or call: 01923 82 25 38.

New nursery at RNIB Pears Centre graded "Good" by Ofsted RNIB Pears Centre for Specialist Learning in Coventry recently had its first Ofsted inspection for its early years education for young children with a range of physical, learning and sensory needs.

The School opened "The Orchard", a nursery leading to primary education for children from the age of two years who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, in December 2013.

Ofsted’s report praised the “super methods of communication with parents” and found that “children are very happy and their complex individual needs are well met”.

For more information, visit: rnib.org.uk/pearscentre SENISSUE72

Call: 01509 611077 to book your place or arrange a visit on a different date.

Essex needs adopters Essex County Council is looking for loving families which can meet the needs of children with disabilities and SEN during childhood and beyond.

The Council understands that families come in all shapes and sizes so, whether you are a single person, family with children, same sex couple or any other type of family, if you think you have space in your life for a child or want to talk about adopting a child with a disability, they are keen to hear from you – and you don’t even have to live in Essex.

For more information, call: 0800 801 530, email: adoption.recruitmentteam@essex.gov.uk or visit: www.essex.gov.uk/adoption

New SEN Press iPad apps with one free story 30 best-selling SEN Press life skills stories are now available as iPad apps, including all the titles in the following series: Work Experience, Everyday Challenges, Teen Issues, Making Sense of Money, Relationships.

Tap the text on the screen to start and stop the story audio track. Record your students as they read. Record your own sound “hotspots” on the page (great for adding questions, descriptive captions or discussion starters). Get one story free, plus significant discounts for multiple licences and site licences. Download the SEN Press app from the App store.

More information from SEN Press: 01727 825761 info@senpress.co.uk www.senpress.co.uk WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

WHAT'S NEW

Sensor Floor™ – special offer price includes installation

Breakthrough eye treatment helps dyslexics

Sensor Floor™ is an interactive projection floor system that has been designed and manufactured in-house

by Sensory Technology.

With just the smallest of movement, a user can produce an action that is revealed on the projected flooring.

A treatment for dyslexia that has helped more than 22,000 Australians is now available in the UK.

For all new orders received before 31 December 2014, Sensory Technology are offering their Sensor Floor™ system inclusive of computer, software, projector, flooring, games and installation throughout the UK at a special offer price of £5495.

In a one-off treatment programme, Mrs Lawson’s LASD machine, used for ten one-hour sessions, enables the malfunctioning eye to become as effective as the good eye. The clear binocular vision enables clear processing of information to the brain, improved memory retention, better reading, writing and coordination, and removes stress and lifts confidence.

You can find out more, place an order or book a free demo at: www.sensorfloor.co.uk or tel: 01157 270 777

Family open day at St John’s Families are invited to visit St John’s, a centre of excellence in the oral education of deaf and multi-sensory impaired children, at an open day on Thursday 16 October 2014, from 11am to 3pm.

St John’s is a residential and day school which caters for students aged three to 19 who have sensory and communication needs. The school has specialist teachers of the deaf and trained intervenors, and its SENCO is a qualified teacher of the multi-sensory impaired. Ofsted rates the school’s sixth form and residential care provision as outstanding, and its teaching as good with outstanding features. www.stjohns.org.uk

It has been developed by Alison Lawson, whose research as an orthoptist revealed that where one eye is not functioning properly, all the features of dyslexia are apparent in varying degrees.

For more information, visit: www.dyslexia-treatment.co.uk

Artsbox available to all schools this autumn term Artsbox is a digital space and app where children and young people can record and share their arts experiences or work towards an Arts Award.

It’s fun, free, suitable for all ages and open to all UK schools this term.

Young people can upload video, audio, photographs and documents to record their creative journey, and organise them into a personal arts portfolio. The Artsbox app means they can also collate and share on the move.

You can register with Artsbox at: artsbox.co.uk

Sensory cube tunnels

Latest Easy News published

Looking to create a sensory area? Timotay’s new sensory cube tunnels are an easy and versatile way to create a great sensory experience. Let children enjoy the light reflections and the tactile aspects of the grass.

National disability charity United Response has produced the tenth edition of its awarding winning Easy News – the first ever newspaper designed specifically for people with learning disabilities.

These specialised products are safe and durable and especially designed for children with special needs. Suitable for indoors and outdoors, you can use the cubes to create a retreat area, a role play zone or a free play area.

Cubes can be produced in all shapes and sizes, so contact Timotay to discuss any special requirements: enquiries@timotaygroup.com WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Featuring simple language and visual cues, this edition gives readers a news round-up which includes the Scottish Independence Referendum, Iraq, the World Cup, Rolf Harris and other stories.

To download a copy and sign up for future editions, visit: www.unitedresponse.org.uk/press/campaigns/easy-news SENISSUE72

17

18

WHAT’S NEW?

New consultant for Veredus Veredus has announced the appointment of Caroline Needham as consultant for its interim management practice in the North of England, with responsibility for the appointment of interim leaders in special schools as well as in alternative provisions such as pupil referral units and hospital schools.

Having worked predominately in SEN environments and within public sector recruitment for over ten years, she has a real passion for special needs education and strongly believes that senior leaders play a defining role in shaping the futures for young people.

For further details, see the Veredus advert on page 106. www.veredus.co.uk

New young adult provision for Bristol St Christopher's has announced the opening of its new young adult (19 to 25) provision in Hyde Lodge, Bristol. This beautiful Victorian building has been extensively refurbished into a spacious and airy home for young people with autism and complex needs.

The vision is to ease the transition between children’s and adult’s services, whilst continuing to build life skills and independence, enabling more diverse opportunities for an eventual adult placement. Young people contribute to home life; they also have the opportunity to attend college and a wide range of activities in the vibrant local community.

Call: 01179736875 or email: info@st-christophers.bristol.sch.uk

A Voice for education professionals Voice is the non-striking union for education, early years and childcare professionals. Voice provides essential cover, full support and a wide range of benefits for both workplace and personal matters.

Voice negotiates with government departments, local authorities and private employers to seek recognition for its members. This is assisted by the union’s strong position in government working groups, attending regular meetings and consultation forums.

The goal of Voice is to ensure that your place of work is somewhere you feel valued, secure and rewarded. www.voicetheunion.org.uk

New literacy support app CapturaTalk will greatly aid anyone with special educational needs – such as those with visual impairment, dyslexia and dysgraphia – and learners of English as a second language. The app assists users with reading, writing and comprehension.

The app is now available on ios and new features include a web-browser that reads text aloud and presents it in accessible formats, and a word processor with an integrated dictionary, word banks and confusable word checker. It also has digital audio recording and an OCR tool that converts photographed text into digital, editable and audible prose.

For more information, see: http://www.capturatalk.com

Can computer games improve functional vision?

WESC Foundation, the specialist centre for visual impairment, wants to improve the way in which young people with visual field loss use their remaining vision.

The specialist school is looking for young people aged eight to 25 with a visual field loss to take part in research looking at whether a specially designed computer game could be used to improve functional vision. The research will explore the potential of computer games to increase motivation and engagement with rehabilitation.

To get involved, call Jonathan Waddington on: 01392 454 349 or email: jwaddington@wescfoundation.ac.uk SENISSUE72

Longdon Hall wins SEN School of the Year A school working with some of the hardest to place young people in the Midlands was named Special Needs School of the Year at the recent TES Awards.

Staff from Longdon Hall School received their award from Chris Hall (pictured right), the Managing Director of Pearson Assessment who sponsored the SEN Award.

The celebration of teaching excellence was hosted by Hugh Dennis (left), of TV’s Outnumbered and Radio 4’s The Now Show, at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on 4 July. www.tesawards.co.uk

www.pearsonclinical.co.uk WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SLCN/PLAY

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN LAW

SENISSUE72

19

20

POINT OF VIEW

Point of view: SLT

Speaking up

Hannah Leniston calls for greater awareness of language impairments amongst education professionals

A

lthough it has been estimated that one child in every classroom has specific language impairment (SLI), there remains a lack of awareness and understanding about this hidden condition and the significant impact it can have upon a child’s life. Language difficulties can be masked in the classroom by secondary issues such as difficult behaviours and problems with literacy, whilst the child’s underlying language impairment goes unnoticed. It is essential therefore that all educational professionals are aware of the signs and have some understanding of how a child can be helped.

Language impairment presents differently from child to child. Some children have receptive language difficulties, affecting their ability to understand spoken and written language. This may include difficulty following instructions, understanding complex vocabulary and making sense of non-literal uses of language, such as idioms. Receptive language difficulties can be particularly hard to spot as many children are able to mask their lack of understanding by smiling and nodding in the right places.

Some children experience expressive language difficulties, affecting their use of language. The child’s sentences may be simple with a limited use of vocabulary. The child may have difficulty formulating coherent, grammatically correct sentences or finding the right word to use in conversation. In addition, many children have pragmatic language difficulties, meaning they struggle to use language appropriately in social situations.

Any one of these difficulties can have a significant impact on a child’s life, SENISSUE72

from being able to learn core curriculum vocabulary and follow instructions in class to making new friends out in the playground.

How can therapists help?

Given the complex and hidden nature of language impairment, it’s hardly surprising that support provided by the speech and language therapist (SLT) is something of a mystery to those outside of the profession. The parents of Michael, a child on my caseload, admitted that they “didn’t have a clue” about language impairment until Michael

Any one of these difficulties can have a significant impact on a child’s life experienced significant difficulties understanding and using language as a young child.

Michael has SLI and attends a special school for children with severe speech and language impairments. Here he receives support from the SLT in oneto-one and group therapy sessions.

Michael works on developing his language skills, including understanding new curriculum vocabulary, and developing his knowledge and use of correct sentence structure.

The SLT has also helped Michael to develop strategies for overcoming his language difficulties, including asking for clarification if he hasn’t understood something, or describing the word

he is trying to think of when he can’t remember the specific word. Work on strengths and self-awareness is integral to every session, ensuring Michael understands the nature of his difficulties and that he is able to use his strengths to help develop his language and make learning fun for him.

Communication with the adults in Michael’s life has also been essential to ensure they understand his difficulties and what they can do to facilitate the development of skills and strategies. This involves close liaison with teachers as to his difficulties, and strategies to support in the classroom, along with regular contact with parents as to therapy goals and strategies to use at home.

Developing understanding Increasing awareness of language impairment and what can be done to help is essential if we are to enable these children to access the National Curriculum and to develop communication skills to participate actively in everyday life. Michael bravely agreed to be filmed for the RALLI channel, but I am aware that much more work is still needed by therapists to increase knowledge of language impairments amongst educational professionals, and to bring them to the attention of the general public.

Further information

Hannah Leniston is a Speech and Language Therapist at Moor House School and College. Michael’s film can be found on the RALLI campaign YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/rallicampaign

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

POINT OF VIEW

Point of view: parent

Childcare in crisis Hannah Postgate asks why childcare arrangements are so skewed against families of children with SEN

I

am a mother of two children, aged seven and five. Rosy, my older child, has autism, complex learning disabilities and needs one-to-one care. Finding appropriate, affordable childcare can be a challenge

her unless we also organised someone to personally supervise her. That meant the price of a holiday club for Rosy would have been £164 a day – the cost of the club plus a helper for Rosy. That same club cost only £43 per day for my son to

Opportunities for parents

for any parent; for those whose children have disabilities, it is sometimes an insurmountable one.

Lots of parents have to give up jobs they have worked hard for.

Despite fighting for my career, I was no exception. Childcare is a massive barrier to returning to work. Families with disabled children need better access to specialist childcare, and it should be as affordable as it is for children without disabilities. A family shouldn't be penalised financially due to disability – that is discrimination that has no place in modern Britain.

I did initially return to work at my local city council – a job that I loved – but the difficulties in arranging flexible and affordable childcare forced me to leave.

I found myself housebound and socially isolated. My family also felt a financial impact with one less breadwinner.

attend. With 13 weeks of school holidays, it was completely unaffordable.

It is not statutory for local authorities to provide affordable, appropriate childcare for children with disabilities and it needs to be. Often the local

left me with only one option: continuing as Rosy's full-time carer. I decided that working from home would allow me to regain my own sense of identity, whilst also giving me the flexibility I needed to be a good carer for Rosy.

Improved childcare provision, employment practice and support services are desperately needed to allow parents of disabled children to enter and remain in work. We need to change legislation and attitudes.

In June, Rosy and I were able to give evidence to an Independent Parliamentary Inquiry into the Disabled Childcare Crisis. I hope that through such initiatives we will be able to make a significant step towards fairer childcare solutions for children with disabilities and SEN.

The cost of care I eventually found a childcare setting that was appropriate for Rosy’s needs, but the cost was prohibitive. Funding only covered term-time, which meant that in the school holidays we were left to fend for ourselves. I would have liked Rosy to be included in a mainstream after-school club or holiday play scheme, so that she could have gone and socialised with her brother who does not have special needs. However, we were unable to enrol WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Good quality childcare is important for the development and wellbeing of the child and the family childcare provision is inadequate or insufficient. The truth is that many areas do not have enough childcare facilities for this group of children. No parent wants to leave their child in care they feel is unsuitable, yet parents of children with disabilities have to make hard choices all the time, based on cost.

Parents of children with SEN cannot normally rely on the informal arrangements which many families find invaluable, such as play dates, childcare swaps and drop-in sessions. Rosy's grandmothers have been amazing but it is much harder for my friends to help out.

I was easily able to set up an informal childcare network for my son, but I don’t have the same kind of network for Rosy.

Good quality childcare is important not only because it allows parents to work, but also for the development and wellbeing of the child and their family.

The lack of adequate childcare for Rosy

Further information

Hannah Postgate runs a website selling toys, gifts and products for children with special needs: www.RosyandBo.com

What's your point of view?

Email: editor@senmagazine.co.uk

SENISSUE72

21

22

SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

SEN Code of Practice: new beginnings Children’s Minister Edward Timpson writes exclusively for SEN Magazine about his hopes for children and families

M

onday 28 July 2014 was a landmark day for our reforms to the special educational needs system. The Code of Practice, which cleared Parliament on that day, is the culmination of four years of hard work.

For me, as Children’s Minister, I’ve used my two years at the helm to strive to improve and tighten the legislation in order to strengthen and underpin the rights of children and parents, so that every child, whatever their start in life, gets the support needed to be the best they can be. And that means giving them an outstanding education.

So we re-introduced into the Children and Families Bill clauses an unequivocal right for families to request special educational needs assessments. We fought for a specific SENISSUE72

duty on health providers to provide the health care set out in new education, health and care (EHC) plans; even if that means commissioning it specially for that child or young adult. We tested and retested the new EHC plans and the single assessment process through our 31 pathfinder councils. No longer will families have to fit around the system; from 1 September, when these reforms take effect, the system will have to shape itself around the family.

From joint commissioning of health and social care services, to the faster, co-ordinated single assessment process and an EHC Plan which sets out in one place all the assistance to which a child is entitled, focusing on outcomes from birth to adulthood, this is a child and family focused system.

Of course it won’t be perfect straight

No longer will parents face a wall of silence from councils when trying to find out what support is available away – 152 councils will not all get it right immediately, there will be bumps and disagreements along the way – but I’m confident that these are changes which will genuinely reform the SEN system for the better.

Listening to parents No longer will parents face a wall of silence from councils when trying to find out what support is available locally WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

No young person will miss out simply because the system is changing

Children’s Minister Edward Timpson (centre) on a visit to Hereward College in Coventry.

for a child with SEN. From September, every council must publish a local offer – clear information explaining the support they give to children with SEN or disability in their area. It has to include information from schools about the teaching and services they offer, and out of area support for the most complex or rare needs where they cannot be met locally. This information – clear, public and to be regularly updated in consultation with parents – will help not just the quarter of a million children and young people with statements or learning disability assessments (LDAs), but the millions who have lower level SEN which attract additional SEN support within mainstream schools.

We’ve ended the categories of School Action and School Action Plus that were too often driven by the need to label rather than the need to provide the right support at the right time; and we’ve adjusted the categories of special educational needs to prevent poor behaviour being wrongly categorised as SEN to stop lower level needs being used by schools to justify poor attainment to parents.

Children with existing statements and LDAs will be transferred to the new EHC plans over time so as not to overwhelm the new system – within two years for LDAs and no later than WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

April 2018 for statements. No young person will miss out simply because the system is changing; I’ve made it clear that simply switching over to the new system should never be an excuse for children losing the support they currently have.

Importantly, we’ve provided extra support to local authorities of £115.2 million and indicative funding of a further £31.7 million which will be available in 2015/16 to help them deliver these reforms successfully. We’ve funded a new £30 million cadre of independent supporters to help families who most need help to navigate the SEN system.

Available over two years, I hope they will prove their worth and become a valued and visible part of the new system. We want to see an end to the confrontational battles of the past between parents and LAs, and to the stressful and expensive appeals which resulted.

Over time, personal budgets will become the norm for parents who wish to have them – putting more power and control directly into the hands of families.

Working in partnership I recently met with councils to get their take on how they and partners are preparing for the reforms. They told me there is something in this

new legislation which is revitalising professional practice and introducing real cultural change – forcing them to work in genuine partnership with other services and with families. Councils simply cannot deliver the reforms if they do not work with families. This is backed by the evaluation of the pathfinders. Parents who now have EHC plans up and running in pathfinder areas have described their experiences as hugely positive – designed around their family needs and focusing on their child’s strengths, not their limits.

This is exactly what we wanted our changes to achieve – and I’m delighted that families are already starting to feel the benefits. It’s for local government to run this new system from September, but ministers will continue to oversee it, surveying parents, monitoring councils, working with Ofsted on a tough accountability framework.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the hard-working professionals – and all the families and children – who’ve worked with us to make the new Code the best it can possibly be. Thanks to their expertise and experience, we’re delivering a reform which should transform the lives of our most vulnerable children, and make life a little easier for their families as well.

Further information

The new SEN Code of Practice (now ratified by Parliament) can be downloaded at: www.gov.uk/government/ publications/send-code-ofpractice-0-to-25

SENISSUE72

23

24

SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

SEN Code of Practice: a question of delivery Shadow Children’s Minister Steve McCabe presents the Opposition’s take on the new SEN Code of Practice

T

he Government’s reforms provide a unique opportunity to transform the way children and young people with SEN and disabilities (SEND) are supported and educated. Whilst I hope that the Code of Practice and the Children and Families Act 2014 will prove to be a success, the question of implementation and the difficulties of joint working should never be underestimated.

In 2010/11, government figures revealed that 21 per cent of children in England had a special educational need, equating to around 1.70m children. At age 16, young people with SEND are twice as likely not to be in any form of education, employment or training as their non-disabled peers.

Such statistics are alarming; raising the quality of support for young people SENISSUE72

with SEND to improve educational and employment opportunities has never been more crucial.

The Government’s Code of Practice, to be introduced from September 1, intends to integrate services and place choice and control in the hands of pupils and parents. It essentially acts as a bible for local authorities, schools, health agencies and others to justify the services they offer to children with SEND. Unfortunately, it has been a long time coming to fruition. The Government defends such tardiness as an extensive consultation period, while critics blame it on a lack of urgency and the consultation methods used.

It is surprising that the Act will launch at the very time that supplementary material to support the Code, such as guidance for parents, schools and practitioners, is still being produced. It

If communication and partnerships break down, it could create a system which is even more bureaucratic is also unclear how the material will be cross-referenced with the Code or the 31 pathfinder local authorities, which are not due to report on their progress until next March.

Integrated support At the very heart of the legislation is a goal to bring together health, education and social services by requiring local authorities and health and care services to jointly commission services. The WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

The Act risks being high on aspiration at the legislative phase but low on delivery when it comes to cultural change

Steve McCabe MP (right) with young Mencap Ambassador James Hamilton.

current system of statements and learning difficulty assessments will be replaced with education, health and care (EHC) plans – contracts drawn up to cover all an individual’s needs from birth to 25. A strong emphasis on joined-up support can only be a good thing. However, changing the culture of the various agencies involved during a time of significant funding cuts is not going to be easy, and if communication and partnerships break down, it could create a system which is even more bureaucratic.

Each council across England must publish a local offer, which lists the support and services available to children with SEND in the local area. Yet it is uncertain as to how the local offer’s adequacy will be assessed, who will take responsibility for ensuring children get the necessary provision and how the mandate will be enforced. Personal budgets have also been introduced, and whilst these budgets are designed to put power into the hands of families, they could increase bureaucracy and create more stress and confusion for vulnerable parents.

Working for all children I am even more concerned about the absence of protection for children who are not subject to statements or education health and care plans but were previously supported using WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

the School Action and School Action Plus regimes. Children with speech, language and communication difficulties, or those in mainstream schools who depend on outside support to overcome their learning difficulties could be overlooked post September due to the rigid nature of the EHC plans. Some schools are capable of effectively supporting their most vulnerable children, but many struggle to work the system or have the capability to get the necessary support from other bodies – which can all impact on the quality of teaching.

The Government’s acknowledgment of the Code as a “living” document is welcome, as it implies that the Code will be subject to regular review with the aim of continually improving practice. Such a commitment, which should include consultation with parent groups, carers and young people, is necessary to ensure that the delivery of the Code’s original aims remain effective. However, a regular review should not be an opportunity to water down commitments if they are regarded as too costly or difficult, nor should it lead to a lack of clarity about roles and expectations.

For Labour, ensuring that all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, get the most out of their education, whether it is in their early years, at

school or at college, is a crucial goal.

I welcome the Government’s ambition to streamline the SEND system, reduce confrontational methods and place families at the heart of the decisionmaking process. However, the Act, like many of its predecessors, risks being high on aspiration at the legislative phase but low on delivery when it comes to cultural change. At a time when council budgets are facing severe cuts, and health and education services are becoming increasingly reformed and fragmented, the Government must be clear on how it expects those on the frontline to deliver on such ambitions and provide support to those who struggle with such sweeping reforms.

Labour, in government, will not seek to overturn the legislation. However, only by monitoring the impact of the Code of Practice, involving the voices of parents and young people and encouraging schools, local authorities, the NHS and charities to cooperate together can we ensure that children, whatever their start in life, receive the support they need to achieve their full potential.

Further information

Steve McCabe is the Labour MP for Birmingham, Selly Oak and Shadow Minister for Children and Families: www.stevemccabe-mp.org.uk

SENISSUE72

25

26

SEN RESOURCES

SENISSUE72

WILLS AND TRUSTS

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

HEARING

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

PLAY

SENISSUE72

27

28

SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

A fresh look at teaching Carol Frankl on how teachers and TAs can work effectively together, in light of the new SEN Code of Practice

T

his article will explore how the changes outlined in the 2014 SEN Code of Practice will impact on class and subject teachers' roles in meeting the needs of SEN pupils. It will focus on effective highest quality teaching and how best to use support staff to maximise learning experiences for children and young people.

The move away from the individual needs led approach of the 2001 Code of Practice, towards an outcomes led model is a fundamental change in the 2014 SEN Code of Practice. The Code is encouraging schools, and teachers in particular, to change the way in which they think about and provide learning opportunities for this group of students, who make up 20 per cent of the classroom population. This shift of attitude and expectation will need to be carefully thought through in the way that provision for teaching and learning

is made. Teachers will now be expected to identify those in their classes who require provision that is “additional to and different from” other learners in the same class. Before any provision is made, expected outcomes for pupils with SEN will be identified, and then the path to making appropriate provision can be planned, provided, monitored and evaluated. This is the “Assess, Plan, Do and Review” process which replaces School Action and School Action Plus in the current SEN Code of Practice (2001).

Assess, Plan, Do and Review Within the Assess, Plan, Do and Review cycle, teachers and teaching assistants (TAs) will have to work seamlessly together working towards enabling their SEN pupils to reach the outcomes that have been identified as their learning goals. Decisions about the use of curriculum modifications and

The new Code offers an opportunity to assess differentiation in the classroom.

SENISSUE72

The expectation of the Code is that teachers will be at the forefront of identifying needs interventions will be based on whether any chosen additional provision is the best way to move towards the identified outcome. There is an element of individual tailoring of activities to match each child's needs that will need to be considered. Currently, there are a plethora of individual plans for children with special needs, including IEPs, behaviour support plans and lookedafter plans. It makes sense for all of these plans to be person-centred so that pupils and teachers are working to one set of targets.

The new Code of Practice provides an opportunity to take a fresh look at how to provide the best differentiation.

The expectation of the Code is that teachers will be at the forefront of identifying needs, and providing teaching experiences to meet these will require some thought and planning. The way that teachers and teaching assistants plan and work together is a cornerstone strengthening highest quality teaching.

TA deployment to support learning will require careful consideration in the light of the new Code.

We know from the research carried out since 2003, and published in 2009

by Peter Blatchford and his team at the Institute of Education, that using WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

teaching assistants to support those with the greatest needs isn't the most effective way to get the best learning outcomes. What these researchers and others have identified as effective support includes: • effective planning meetings between teachers and TAs • good collaboration between teacher and TAs underpinned by a robust collaborative working policy • techniques for effective questioning to encourage independent thinking and problem solving • high quality training for TAs and teachers about how effective collaboration can be achieved • an understanding of how children learn.

Effective planning between teachers and TAs A regular weekly meeting between teachers and TAs where learning is discussed and the appropriate next steps are planned together is important. Discussion about who leads the learning for particular groups is also very useful and it is important that the class teacher monitors the amount of time the class teacher and TA spend with different ability groups in the class.

Traditionally, TAs work with the pupils with the greatest needs and this may need some re-thinking. It is worth considering how much access pupils with SEN have to the teacher, who is the leader of learning in the classroom.

Joint meetings give teachers and TAs the opportunity to plan who will deliver and support the learning for different groups. Differentiation can be discussed and roles assigned.

Good collaboration In the classroom, good collaboration between all adults is essential. This needs careful negotiation about who does what. Consideration of such things as managing behaviour, marking work and whether TAs should have a teaching role is important. TAs who WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

teach either small groups or whole classes will be most effective with appropriate training and support to fully understand the planning and learning intentions. Regular discussion with the teacher around pupil progress is essential in planning the next steps.

TAs also have a vital role in supporting the “soft skills” associated with teaching and learning. These include encouraging, boosting self-esteem, hearing children read and listening to children’s personal stories.

Effective questioning The most recent research by Blatchford et al. (2013) and Black (2008) took a long hard look at how teachers and TAs work with children and concluded that quite a high proportion of TA time is spent in helping pupils to complete their work. Teachers and TAs often ask children questions that require one word answers. Children are expected to “guess” what the TA wants to hear.

This kind of closed questioning is not as successful in moving learning on as open dialogue, where for example, the question is posed, a range of answers given and children are expected to debate the answer.

There are many questioning techniques that encourage discussion which leads to real understanding of what is being taught. Practicing together different types of open questioning that are appropriate for specific activities can enhance learning.

Examples of open questioning include providing the answer and asking what the question might be, giving opposing views and opening a debate or just giving a statement for discussion (Clarke, 2012). Giving children time to answer questions, improves problem solving skills and independence, and a “no hands up” policy can take the fear out of being asked to speak out loud. Where such a policy is employed, all children are expected to have an answer to every question posed and the answer “I don't know” is acceptable and indeed encouraged.

All adults who work alongside children in the classroom should understand how children learn Training All adults who work alongside children in the classroom should understand how children learn. The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky explained the importance of scaffolding – where adults know what skills and understanding a child brings to learning and the prerequisite knowledge and skills that are needed to successfully complete the task in hand. This knowledge, coupled with respectful and high-quality relationships between the teacher and learner are likely to produce the best learning. Creating an environment where learners are given time to think, to take risks, to question and debate are the cornerstones of the best kind of learning.

Good collaborative working does not happen automatically. Opportunities for teachers and TAs to train together to work out each other's respective roles in the learning process will produce very positive results in the classroom.

The new Code offers class teachers and TAs opportunities to sharpen their collaborative practice and take a step back from the day-to-day classroom activities to make changes that will really make a difference to pupils' learning and improve outcomes.

Further information

Carol Frankl is the founder of The Southover Partnership, which runs a school, support services and SEN training and consultancy: southoverpartnership.com

SENISSUE72

29

30

SEN LAW

The new SEN system In a new regular feature for SEN Magazine, specialist SEN solicitor Douglas Silas answers questions about the new SEN system

What has the SEN system been like until now?

Although the modern SEN system started in the early 1980s, the current framework emerged in the 1990s with the Education Act 1993/1996 and the issue of an SEN Code of Practice (as revised in 2001). The Code of Practice has now become the “bible” of SEN for anyone involved with children with SEN.

Why do we need a new SEN system?

In recent years, there have been many criticisms of the SEN system.

Parliament’s own Education and Skills Committee said in 2006 that the system was “not fit for purpose”. Five separate inquiries conducted about SEN/disability issues between 2006 and 2010 made other criticisms. After a change of Government in 2010, a call for views led to an SEN Green Paper in 2011, promising “the biggest reforms to SEN in 30 years”. A subsequent SEN Green Paper has become the Children and Families Act 2014 and a completely SENISSUE72

new SEN Code of Practice has now been issued, coming into law from 1 September 2014.

What were the main concerns about the previous SEN system?

Many people felt that getting children and young people with SEN the provision that they required had become a “fight” between parents and local authorities (LAs), with schools often caught in the middle. Getting a statement of SEN was often an adversarial process. Parents also perceived that LAs had a conflict of interest, as they both assessed need and made provision. There was criticism of the SEN system and particularly of statements in an Ofsted report in 2010 entitled A Statement Is Not Enough.

Whilst the media sought to argue that it was about the over-identification of children with SEN, or poor quality teaching, the report also pointed out that there were low expectations of children with SEN and that the majority of these children needed more than a statement.

Parents perceived that LAs had a conflict of interest, as they both assessed need and made provision So what are the main changes?

Whilst previously there were two school-based stages in mainstream schools for the majority of children without a statement (known as School Action and School Action Plus), there is now only one, called SEN Support.

Statements were only for children and young people between the ages of two and 19 years who were in school, and they were focused on education.

However, statements are now being replaced by education, health and care plans (EHCPs) which run from birth to 25 years. Whilst the test for getting an assessment is still the same as before, instead of conducting one for a statement, or a learning difficulty WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN LAW

assessment (LDA) if the young person had already left school, LAs will now assess children/young people for EHCPs.

What is the difference between a statement and an EHCP? Although there was a standard format for statements prescribed by law, the Government has now left it to each LA to decide their own format for EHCPs (whilst maintaining control over its content). The fear is that this may lead to 152 different EHCPs and that, although they are called education, health and care plans, EHCPs are still only legally focused on education. EHCPs are not just meant to be statements by another name which now run from birth to 25.

So have statements now been replaced by EHCPs? Yes and no! Although no new statements will be issued after 1 September 2014, there are so many already in place that it is not practically possible for everyone to change to the new system immediately. Instead, the plan is to “transition” those children/young people currently with a statement to an EHCP by April 2018 (and those with an LDA by September 2016). The current guidance states that, where possible, LAs should transfer children at points in their education at which a significant review of the statement would have taken place – for example, early years to primary, primary to secondary, secondary to post-16, mainstream to special school or vice-versa. LAs should publish a transition plan by 1 September 2014 setting out details of how and when statements/LDAs will be transferred to the new system.

Will everyone with a current statement get an EHCP and how will they transfer?

The legal test of when a child/young person requires an EHCP still remains the same as that for a statement. It is therefore expected that all children/ young people with a statement will be WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

It is expected that all children/young people with a statement will be transferred to an EHCP

concern that when young people turn 16, their parents (typically their main advocates) may be unable to directly advocate on their child’s behalf.

transferred to an EHCP. The Government has stated that no child/young person should lose their statement and not have it replaced with an EHCP simply because the system is changing. To transfer to the new system, LAs must initiate a “transfer review” which includes an EHC needs assessment. There is no need for the LA to seek further assessment reports if there are existing ones. A transfer review should replace the annual review in the academic year that the child/young person transfers to the new SEN system.

Parents still have the right to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Tribunal against LA decisions. Young people over 16 now also have a right of appeal, in contrast to previous complicated legal proceedings if they wanted to challenge an LDA. Transitional arrangements state that when an LA is conducting an assessment for a statement/LDA before 1 September 2014, it can still treat it as an EHC assessment if everyone agrees. The transitional arrangements also state that existing appeals against decisions not to assess/reassess/make a statement can still be dealt with under the old system.

Are there any concerns?

There is an understandable fear amongst many parents that the new system may be an excuse for LAs to reduce the number of children/young people who will get an EHCP. There are also fears that there may be less children now considered to have SEN. Following major financial cuts that LAs and others have experienced in recent years, many people also feel that now is an inappropriate time for such a big change. There is also concern that, although those working in education, such as schools and LAs, are familiar with the current system, those working in health and care, or in colleges and further education (who are now also covered by the new law) may not be ready.

Is it true that young people with SEN will now have greater rights themselves?

Yes, young people over 16 will now be able to request assessments and challenge decisions about themselves in their own right, provided they are deemed to have “mental capacity”. This is positive, especially as EHCPs now continue to 25. However, it is of some

Will parents still have a right to appeal if they disagree with the LA?

Further information

The advice provided here is of a general nature and Douglas Silas Solicitors cannot be held responsible for any loss caused by reliance placed upon it: www.SpecialEducationalNeeds.co.uk

Douglas is the author of A Guide to the SEN Code of Practice, which is available for all e-book readers: www.AGuideToTheSEN CodeOfPractice.co.uk Unfortunately, Douglas cannot respond to questions sent to him directly but if you have a question you would like answered in a future issue of SEN Magazine, please email: editor@senmagazine.co.uk

SENISSUE72

31

SITUATIONS VACANT

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

ASSISTIVE BATHING

SENISSUE72

33

34

INCLUSION

Include me!

Louise Holt, Sophie Bowlby and Jennifer Lea look at how to improve the social inclusion of children with SEN

T

his article summarises the findings of a project about the social experiences, friendships and social capital of young people with and without SEN and how these interconnect with formal aspects of schooling and broader patters of socio-economic inequality.

We explored the experiences of young people with and without SEN via indepth research with adults and young people, observation in schools and analysis of the school census.

We found that young people with SEN are more isolated and bullied than peers without these diagnoses (see also Sellgren, 2014; Chatzitheochar, 2014). Young people with problematic social relationships had relatively negative attitudes towards, and participation in, school, in addition to well-known emotional and social consequences. The young people who were most socially isolated came from SEN groups in which those eligible for free school meals are overrepresented. Further, those who were both diagnosed with SEN and from

poor or socially excluded backgrounds were the most socially isolated.

Importantly, we also found that many young people with SEN are included and have good friends, and experiences varied in different contexts.

Exploring what helps young people with SEN have friends and good social relationships gives insight into good practice to inform schools and local authorities (LAs).

In total, 104 young people (aged seven to 16 years) participated in the research, 53 per cent of whom were diagnosed with SEN, mainly with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD), autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) or moderate learning difficulties (MLD). We also included young people without diagnosed SEN to compare their experiences. Research included participatory activities (such as photography and drawing), focus groups and semi-structured interviews, usually conducted in pairs. It focused on nine schools across three LAs – one segregated special school, one primary and one secondary school in each LA.

Having friends is important for a child’s social and emotional wellbeing.

SENISSUE72

Those with SEN and from poor or socially excluded backgrounds were the most socially isolated In-depth observation occurred in each school and 60 key figures in schools, LAs and nationally were interviewed, as were 14 parents.

Who is excluded?

Most young people have some friends, although many young people also experience some bullying and isolation. We found that young people with BESD, and to a lesser extent those with ASD or MLDs, were more excluded, isolated and bullied than peers without diagnoses of SEN. We also found that young people with these SEN from socially excluded backgrounds often were extremely isolated and bullied. Gender was also a factor, since girls with BESD, and to a lesser extent those with ASD, were often regarded relatively negatively by teachers and were more isolated and excluded, partly because more boys are diagnosed with these conditions. It is important for young people to have friends for their social and emotional wellbeing. Moreover, we found, overall, that most young people who had some good social relationships had positive attitudes to, and participated in, formal aspects of schooling. Those who were socially isolated had more negative views of school.

Many young people with SEN were socially included, and young people’s WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

INCLUSION

experiences differed according to their location. Some of the main factors that could make a difference are discussed below.

Making friends It seemed to help if young people made friends in leisure spaces, such as clubs and activities or just hanging out or at home. Cyber-spaces were also important, mostly (although not only) to connect with friends made in other leisure arenas. These children had more friends in school (sometimes friends made from these activities, but sometimes other peers). However, young people’s access to out of school activities or socialisation was limited by: • availability • cost (in some families even relatively small costs were prohibitive) • parents’ ability to drive or pay for transport • parents’ perceptions of the importance of leisure activities • general transport provision and cost • flexibility of transport to and from school.

In some LA areas, taxis and minibuses would pick up young people from places other than school at times other than the end of the school day; in other LAs this was viewed as impossible.

Families matter Families could also make a big difference. Even families who had some problems were important to young people, providing love and support, often embodied as confidence. Families also provided sources of informal education, sometimes teaching children useful skills not learned at school. Pets were also often seen as “friends”.

An inclusive place The location of a school, and the practices and policies of schools, LAs and individual teachers, could be important to how inclusive the school was. Young people in special units or schools had more friends and were WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Teachers in mainstream classes did not always have to challenge their own practices and be more inclusive less excluded than those who were in mainstream school spaces. However, being in a unit or special school affected who young people’s friends were and could limit their access to qualifications or a meaningful alternative curriculum.

Being in a special unit or special school can emphasise young people’s difference. However, difference is not always negative, and units within mainstream schools can help educate peers and adults that some young people are different because they have particular SEN, but that they also have valuable contributions to make. The best special units or schools were open and connected to other places in the school or other schools, allowing young people to access good courses and to meet peers without the same SEN as them.

In many special units and schools, much time was spent on therapies or personal and social education attempting to address children’s perceived deficiencies. Although these can be helpful, they are not always carefully designed and always have a cost to the young person in terms of time they could be spending on learning other things.

Some young people were isolated or bullied in special units and schools; these were often those with the most severe SEN and those from poor backgrounds. Special units in mainstream schools are sometimes a place to send young people seen as troublesome, meaning that teachers in mainstream classes did not always have to challenge their own practices and be more inclusive.

Sometimes, teachers accidently marked out young people with SEN

35

for special treatment, for instance by sitting them at the front or back of the class or right next to a classroom assistant. While this was not done to stigmatise the young person, it often had a profound negative effect on the young person, with some young people preferring to sit with a classroom assistant than their peers.

Professionals who worked specifically with young people with SEN were usually empathetic and understood the frustration felt by most young people who tried hard but struggled to behave appropriately or to learn specific things. However, mainstream teachers have many competing pressures and sometimes found it difficult to understand the behavioural or learning difficulties of young people. Some young people had experienced bullying by teachers and young people in previous schools, often leading to a change of school.

More often, teachers watched more frequently and chastised more readily young people with SEN.

Interpreting diagnoses A diagnosis of SEN does not guarantee that it will be perceived in a uniform manner; a diagnosis is couched within specific ideas of appropriate behaviour or learning ability which vary socially and spatially, even between classrooms, and between schools in the same and different LAs. The context of the school is often important to a diagnosis of SEN. Consequently, resources attached to SEN are unequally distributed; some schools have large numbers of young people with some differences who are not diagnosed because these differences are seen as usual in that context. These schools generally have many students from poor and socially excluded backgrounds.

Therefore, young people from poor or socially excluded backgrounds are disadvantaged by the variations in how the SEN system is employed. >> SENISSUE72

36

INCLUSION

Key recommendations 1. A greater awareness is needed of the importance of young people’s friendships and social capital to their attitudes and participation in school, along with their social and emotional wellbeing. Promoting friendship should be a central element of all aspects of school.

2. All education professionals need to be aware that students with SEN are more likely to be isolated, excluded and bullied, and to think about how their practices, such as seating arrangements, could help or hinder these young people socially, as well as educationally.

3. Policy at all levels needs to address the intersecting exclusions of young people from poor backgrounds, who might have multiple issues of hardship in their homes and who are overrepresented among those with BESD and MLD. 4. Awareness is needed that SEN conditions are diagnosed within the context of particular expectations of learning and behaviour which tend to favour certain groups and vary between individual schools, classrooms and LAs. The context of the school is as important to the diagnosis of some young people as the context of the home.

5. We suggest a change in terminology from “difficulties” to “differences” as this is less negative, but does still express that young people experience frustration at their difference, which cannot be ignored.

6. Awareness is needed that in schools with a high number of students from poor or socially excluded backgrounds, some learning or behavioural differences are expected, and young people who might be diagnosed with SEN elsewhere are not subject to diagnosis SENISSUE72

Education professionals need to be aware that students with SEN are more likely to be isolated, excluded and bullied

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

in these contexts. This means that some schools in areas with high levels of poverty are not receiving as many resources for young people with similar differences as those in areas with fewer poor children.

The key to socially including young people with SEN is to provide opportunities to socialise and to develop shared interests and activities with others. Well-meaning attempts to address bullying, such as buddy schemes, can sometimes cause more difficulties.

Awareness is needed of the importance of access to leisure and extra curricula activities for young people with SEN. Where possible, clubs and extra curricula activities should be free.

Transport to and from school should be flexible to enable young people with SEN to participate in extra curricula activities or informal leisure opportunities.

Parents sometimes need more information and support to help their child with SEN participate in leisure and extra curricula activities.

Special units or special schools can be important in allowing these children to access school, because schools and LAs are not fully inclusive, despite their best efforts. Special units or schools worked best when young people could also access mainstream schools or facilities to take up a meaningful curriculum.

12. The decision about what courses young people should study should be based on the young person, not the category of SEN s/he has. If young people are seen as unable to take GCSEs or A levels, they need to have access to a good alternative curriculum.

13. The time dedicated to therapies intended to assist young people in overcoming their difficulties needs to be carefully considered, and these interventions need to be of a high quality. Most effort should be placed on allowing young people to fulfil their talents and abilities.

14. The implementation of the new SEN Code of Practice (2014) needs careful monitoring and consideration to avoid exacerbating issues of social and educational exclusion for young people with SEN.

Further information

Dr Louise Holt, the lead investigator of the study discussed above, is Senior Lecturer in The Department of Geography at Loughborough University, where Professor Sophie Bowlby is Visiting Professor. Dr Jennifer Lea is Lecturer in the Department of Geography, University of Exeter.

Details of the study can be found at: http://socialcapital.lboro.ac.uk. webhost1.lboro.ac.uk

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN CODE OF PRACTICE

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

PLAY

SENISSUE72

37

38

SCHOOL BUILDINGS

Constructive collaboration Pupils are becoming the teachers when it comes to designing SEN schools, writes Ed Evans

A

s part of any building project, there is a great deal of consultation with affected parties. In the case of a school, this typically includes staff, parents and local residents. However, a trend is emerging that is seeing pupils increasingly become a valuable part of the consultation process, helping to shape how their new school looks.

This has been particularly prevalent and successful within SEN schools, where the learning environment and visual stimuli play such a key role in engaging pupils in education.

Listening to pupils In the past, many construction teams may have thought: why bother consulting if you’ve already decided what you’re going to do or the project is almost finished?

Thankfully, though, this attitude is becoming less prevalent, and what was once a tick-box exercise has

now become a valuable part of the development process. Construction project teams are now conducting a much more thorough consultation process, in a bid to understand and deliver on the needs of end users.

This has been accompanied by a fundamental shift in the timing of builds, as we are seeing more project teams initiate the consultation process much earlier in the design and build process.

Only by collaborating from the very start of a project can we ensure that the objectives of all parties involved are met. It is no longer just about putting up a building in the fastest time and using the cheapest suppliers.

In the education sector in Wales, we are increasingly working with project teams that are keen to involve both teachers and pupils at the earliest opportunity, as they can often highlight a design or architectural flaw in plans or suggest a great new feature before it becomes too late to do anything about

A computer generated image of Penarth Learning Community.

SENISSUE72

Pupils were engaged with curriculum enrichment activities, site visits and training it. Not only can pupils help in the design stages, they can also feel a real sense of pride and ownership in a building if they have been able to voice their opinion and ultimately impact on the final design in some way.

Creating modern learning communities Led by Vale of Glamorgan Council, Penarth Learning Community, a £39m project, is due to open on 6 October 2014. It marks a step-change in the on-going transformation of educational delivery within the Vale and involves the construction of a new school campus with integrated SEN facilities to replace the current secondary St Cyres School and the existing SEN facilities at Ashgrove School, Ysgol Erw’r Delyn and Ysgol Maes Dyfan.

The project is seeing the integration of two distinct school provisions under one roof as it looks to provide modern educational facilities for the benefit of both pupils and staff.

Within the schools, there is provision for the delivery of modern teaching practices, sport, arts and specialist areas, including a sensory pool, sensory rooms and other therapies.

Furthermore, both education and WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SCHOOL BUILDINGS

The artist worked to integrate the ideas and artwork of the pupils into his work

enrichment activities, site visits and training.

facilities and a range of additional facilities to encourage enhanced pupil participation and performance.

Furthermore, by equipping teachers with the best environment possible, this has allowed them to focus on delivering the best teaching experience they can.

Harnessing pupil creativity

A sense of ownership

Another example of a construction project listening to the needs of its users is the redevelopment of Ysgol y Gogarth

by Conwy Council, an alternative learning needs (ALN) school. Catering for 175 children across North Wales, the £13m development comprised of a new two-storey ALN school, vocational hub and a residential block with four selfcontained apartments for short-term respite care. This replaced the 1950s single storey school building which was nearing the end of its serviceable life.

The residential block, in particular, was driven by the end users. The chosen design concept was of a distinctive “home” character, to contrast with the school, so that pupils felt as if they were leaving school and going home at the end of the day. In order to achieve this, pupils were asked to design their perfect home and these ideas ultimately influenced the final residential block design.

To provide added value and further ensure the development met the needs of its users, an artist was also brought into the team to develop a number of elements including the branding and logo, entrance features and a fish sculpture for the main atria. The artist worked to integrate the ideas and artwork of the pupils into his work, which was met with widespread approval.

The school opened its doors in January 2014, providing modern

By involving and engaging with pupils throughout the development and construction processes of projects, pupils and community members alike have an overwhelming sense of ownership of the project. They are proud to have been part of the process and subsequently part of its success.

This is very much the way forward for new school developments as without buy-in from your pupils, you simply won’t be able to meet their wants and needs. However, for it to work successfully, it needs a collaborative procurement approach which brings together the whole project team, including pupils, staff and community members from the earliest possible stage. This should ultimately be the project team’s goal.

Members of the project team with Ysgol y Gogarth pupils.

therapy facilities will be made available for use by the wider community too.

As well as meeting Welsh Government requirements in relation to the delivery of twenty-first century education, the completed facility will also meet the aspirations of providing a community based facility for lifelong learning.

Appointing a number of school construction ambassadors from amongst pupils was a simple yet effective way of receiving regular feedback and introducing two-way communications between pupils and project team to ensure it delivered the needs of the pupils. The project team comprised of a number of design and construction companies, which meant that everyone had to be on the same page with the consultation process in order to make it work. The delivery team continue to engage extensively with the local schools to maximise learning opportunities from the project, with a particular emphasis on those students with access and learning disabilities to ensure that all students gain benefit from the experience.

To deliver wider community benefits from this project, it was important that extensive stakeholder engagement also took place, notably with local and national employment and training agencies. Not only are these organisations central to the design and delivery of schools but they also helped to maximise opportunities for young people and socially and economically disadvantaged groups. By doing so, pupils were engaged with curriculum WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Further information

Ed Evans is Director Exemplar and Demonstration Programmes of Constructing Excellence in Wales, which is funded by the Welsh Government to encourage and facilitate innovative ways of delivering a better built environment: www.cewales.org.uk

SENISSUE72

39

40

FURNITURE

SENISSUE72

DYSLEXIA

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

41

Children with VI: who’s counting?

With official figures varying widely, just how many children and young people have a vision impairment? Sue Keil investigates

I

t is generally accepted that the prevalence of vision impairment in children is low, meaning that only a small proportion of the child population is blind or partially sighted.

There is however, some confusion about the actual prevalence rate and there is no single figure for the number of children with vision impairment.

It is worth noting that there is also no definitive figure for the disabled child population in England or the UK, with differences between education, health and social care services in how they define disability and the ways in which they collect data (Parsons and Platt, 2013). Similarly, population figures for children and young people with vision impairment vary depending upon who has provided the data, their reason for collecting it and the criteria they’ve used to define a child as vision impaired.

While many of the statistics discussed in this article relate to numbers of children in England, the principles apply to all four countries of the UK.

Different sources of data The different sources of information on the population of children with vision impairment can be broadly divided into three ways of collecting data: • epidemiological and clinical surveillance studies • social surveys • administrative data.

Based on evidence from the first two sources, there is now general agreement among health professionals and the vision impairment voluntary sector that approximately 0.2 per cent of children and young people from birth to 16 in the UK are vision impaired

Some people are not included in official VI figures even though their vision does affect their learning.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

The threshold is set too high for many children whose level of vision has educational and social implications (Patient UK, 2013; UK vision Strategy, 2013). This prevalence estimate applies to children who meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) international classification of childhood vision impairment (see box out overleaf) and is supported by clinical studies, national population based surveys (such as, Bone and Meltzer, 1989; Rogers, 1996; Flanagan et al., 2003; Cumberland, Pathai and Rahi, 2010), and caseload data obtained from surveys of local authority vision impairment (VI) education advisory services (Keil, 2012, 2014; Guide Dogs, 2012). This means that in England in 2012, an estimated 21,550 children and young people up to the age of 16 met the WHO criteria as blind or vision impaired.

However, these figures are not reflected in some of the official administration data, notably the NHS registration figures or Department for Education (DfE) published statistics.

In addition, not all children and young people with a visual difficulty that may impact on their learning or social inclusion are included in the 0.2 per cent prevalence estimate. >> SENISSUE72

42

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Registration figures For a person to be registered as blind/ severely sight impaired or partially sighted/sight impaired they must first be issued a certificate of vision impairment (CVI) by an ophthalmologist. This is sent to the person’s local authority social services department which should place them on the register for visual impairment.

Looking at the statistics for England in 2011, the number of children and young people aged 0 to 17 registered as blind or partially sighted was 9,635.

This is 0.08 per cent of all 0 to 17 year olds – a much smaller proportion than the estimated 0.2 per cent which would have been around 22,680.

Why the discrepancy? Firstly, the criteria for certification are stricter than the WHO definition of vision impairment. In fact it has been argued that the threshold is set too high for many children whose level of vision has educational and social implications (Flanagan et al., 2003; Rogers, 1996; Theodorou and Shipman, 2012).

Secondly, there is evidence of undercertification and under-registration of children. Not all children who are eligible appear to be certified, and

The DfE published statistics significantly under-represent the number of pupils with vision impairment not all children who are certified are subsequently registered by their local authority. A comparison of the number of child certifications that were issued in 2010/11 (RNIB, 2013) with the number newly registered in the same year shows that just under a quarter appear not to have been registered. Across local authorities, the proportions of children registered as blind or partially sighted varies significantly and some local authorities have no registrations at all for 0 to 17-year-olds (NHS, 2011). The process of certification and registration of children is currently being explored in a research project being carried out for RNIB, the findings of which are expected to be available on the charity’s website on publication of this issue of SEN Magazine.

DfE statistics The Department for Education (DfE) publishes statistics on pupils in England, including information on pupils with SEN. The figures are based on information collected from schools through the Annual School Census.

The reliability of the DfE data has been criticised due to inconsistencies between schools and LAs in the ways that SEN is defined and primary/

Definition of blindness and visual impairment World Health Organisation (WHO) There are four levels of visual function, according to the WHO International Classification of Diseases -10 (Update and Revision 2006): Blindness is defined as a presenting visual acuity of less than 3/60 to no light perception, or a corresponding visual field loss to less than 10° in the better eye with the available correction.

Severe visual impairment is defined as a presenting visual acuity of between less than 6/60 and 3/60.

Moderate visual impairment is defined as a presenting visual acuity of less than 6/18 to 6/60.

Normal vision is visual acuity of 6/18 or better.

Moderate visual impairment combined with severe visual impairment are grouped under the term “low vision”: low vision taken together with blindness represents all visual impairment.

For further information, visit: www.who.int/blindness/en/

Vision impairment can affect people in many different ways.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

main and secondary SEN details are recorded (for example, Florian et al., 2004).

The DfE published statistics significantly under-represent the number of pupils with vision impairment.

In 2013 in England, 13,140 pupils with vision impairment were recorded in the official DfE statistics (DfE, 2013). This is around 0.1 per cent of all 0 to 18-yearolds in England. By comparison, information obtained by RNIB from all 152 local authorities in England found that in 2013 a total of 25,698 children and young people were on the caseloads of local authority vision impairment (VI) education advisory services (Keil, 2014).

Again, why such a large discrepancy?

The main reason is that pupils who have other types of SEN, in addition to a vision impairment, often have their other needs recorded by schools as their primary/main (and possibly their secondary) SEN. So these pupils’ vision impairment is not captured in the statistics. This applies particularly to pupils with learning difficulties, and pupils in special schools who may have a combination of needs.

Another reason is likely to be underreporting of very young children and young people over the age of 16 who are outside of the educational settings represented by the Schools Census.

Pupils with mild vision impairment may also be excluded from the statistics if schools have placed them in the School Action category.

Under-represented groups There are some children who don’t meet the WHO definition of vision impaired and are therefore not included in the 0.2 per cent estimate. These are children whose level of visual acuity (VA) is below the definition threshold, and children whose visual acuity may be within the normal range, but who have specific visual processing or eye movement problems. It is important to be aware that clinical measures of vision impairment alone do not tell us how individual children use their vision WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Clinical measures of vision impairment alone do not tell us how individual children use their vision and therefore what effect the visual difficulty (for example, when combined with another disability) may be having on a child’s development and learning.

We don’t currently have an estimate for this population of children.

Conclusion There is no single figure for the prevalence or the population of blind and partially sighted children. This is because data are collected by different agencies for different purposes; as a consequence, definitions of vision impairment that are used and criteria for inclusion may also differ. When quoting any prevalence or population figure, it is important to know where it comes from and what definition of vision impairment was used. The available evidence tells us that around two in every 1,000 children aged 0 to 16 meet the WHO definition of vision impaired. Within this group is a smaller number with the most severe levels of vision impairment who are eligible for registration.

There is also, however, another un-quantified group of children who do not meet the WHO definition of vision impairment, but whose vision may nevertheless have some effect on their learning.

If commissioners are to plan services effectively, it is clearly essential that they have access to reliable data on the number of children and their characteristics. It is therefore important for them to be aware of the current limitations of the registration and SEN statistics and to plan services on the assumption that there will be around two in every thousand children in their area with a vision impairment that will affect their development and learning.

References: Bone, M. and Meltzer, H. (1989) OPCS surveys of disability in Great Britain Report 3: The prevalence of disability among children. London: HMSO. Cumberland, P.M., Peckham, C.S. and Rahi, J.S. (2010) Blindness certification of children 1 year after diagnosis: findings from the British Childhood Vision Impairment Study.

British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2010, 94: 1694-1695.

DfE (2013) Special educational needs in England: January 2013. Additional tables 1: SFR30/2013.

Flanagan, N.M., Jackson, A.J. and Hill, A.E. (2003) Visual impairment in childhood: insights from a community-based survey.

Child: Care, Health and Development 2003, Vol 29, Pt 6, pp 493 - 499.

Florian, L., Rouse, M., Black-Hawkins, K. and Jull, S. (2004) What can national data sets tell us about inclusion and pupil achievement? British Journal of Special Education, Vol 31, No. 3, 2004, pp115-121.

Guide Dogs (2012) Guide Dogs Research Findings: Data and estimates of number of children and young people with a visual impairment receiving specialist educational support in England, mid 2012. Guide Dogs: Reading.

Keil, S. (2012) RNIB survey of VI services in England and Wales 2012: Report for England. London: RNIB. Keil, S. (2014) Local authority Vision Impairment (VI) education service provision for blind and partially sighted children and young people: Report on findings from RNIB Freedom of Information (FOI) requests 2013.

London: RNIB. NHS (2011) The Health and Social Care Information Centre (2011) Registered Blind and Partially Sighted People, Year ending 31 March 2011 England.

Parsons, S. and Platt, L. (2013) Disability among young children: Prevalence, heterogeneity and socio-economic disadvantage. CLS Working Paper 2013/11.

London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies.

Patient UK (2013) Vision testing and screening in young children: Epidemiology of childhood visual loss.

RNIB (2013) Number of adults and children certified with sight impairment and severe sight impairment in England and Wales: April 2010–March 2011. RNIB Research Briefing.

Rogers, M. (1996) Vision impairment in Liverpool: prevalence and morbidity.

Archives of Disease in Childhood, 74: 299 – 303.

Theodorou, N. and Shipman, T. (2012) An overview of a UK paediatric visual impaired population and low vision aid provision.

British Journal of Visual Impairment 31(1) 60-67.

UK Vision Strategy (2013) Eye health and sight loss; statistics and information for developing a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

Further information Sue Keil is National Research Officer (education, transition and employment) at the vision impairment charity RNIB: www.rnib.org.uk

SENISSUE72

43

44

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

45

46

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

Aiming high Far from holding her back, Laura Perry tells how her visual impairment has put her on the road to Rio

I

’ve always been sporty, but never dreamt I would be lining up as part of the GB Women’s squad representing my country in a sport I love.

I had a really happy childhood, with weekends spent going to sporting events with my family. Dad used to be a semi-professional cricketer and mum used to row for the county and swim competitively. Family life consisted of flitting from one sporting event to another; it’s just what we did. My brother and I swam in county competitions and he was always better than me, and was a lot taller and stronger with it.

I knew sport would always be a big part of my life and had my heart set on a career as a physical training officer for the RAF but, the week before my seventeenth birthday, I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. After several SENISSUE72

I thought there would be a lot more closed doors than there actually are operations to remove it, I lost most of my sight. I was devastated. It felt like all of my dreams and ambitions had been taken away. For the first time in my life I stopped playing sport.

When you suddenly become visually impaired, it’s difficult to find information about what is out there for you. I just kept thinking about the things I couldn’t do any more. I really didn’t know how to move forward but I wanted to live a normal life, get a job and have a family, so after my operations I managed to get an office job with Rentokil. I worked there for five years. They were a great

bunch of people but I was just existing.

I had lost my passion for life. Everyone around me thought I was “coping well” with what had happened to me, but I didn’t just want to “cope”; I wanted to get the old Laura back.

I thought about re-training in something that was at least connected with sport, so I searched online for courses for blind people. A specialist college in Hereford came up and looked perfect for me. I had the chance to move away from home and learn how to be independent again. No-one would know me; if I didn’t want to tell someone about my life, I didn’t have to.

The right fit Finding a group of people in a similar situation to me, all dealing with their sight loss in different ways, made my life so much easier. Before, it was very WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT

easy for me to think about all the things I couldn’t do, and the jobs I couldn’t have, but I learnt there were so many options I hadn’t even thought about. I thought there would be a lot more closed doors than there actually are.

I didn’t even know goalball existed before I went to college. The feeling I get when I throw a really hard ball is difficult to describe – but I’d missed it.

The power I used to feel when I could see, playing rugby or in goal at hockey – the physical nature of it – I get a bit of that back when playing goalball and I love it!

As far as I’m aware, it’s the only sport where there isn’t a sighted version and that definitely makes it special. Goalball was designed by and for those with the disability, while everything else is adapted to become a blind sport.

After playing goalball at novice and then intermediate level, I was selected to attend a goalball UK training camp in Hereford. When I got the call from the GB Performance Director, inviting me to a training camp in Poland, I finally felt there was a sport I could do at a high standard and enjoy as much as I enjoyed sport before I lost my sight.

I’m actually in a better position now than I was before. All the hard work and everything I have been through has paid off.

Turning it around If I hadn’t had the brain tumour, I wouldn’t be here with the hope of playing for Team GB at Rio in 2016. I am flying all over the world to play and have progressed further than in any of the sports I used to enjoy. My life has completely turned around. My family have been so supportive throughout.

My gran has even bought a Team GB t-shirt in support. It’s great having my whole family around me and to feel that they are proud. They have been on this journey with me and I have come out the other side better for it.

My boyfriend plays for the GB men’s team. We train together, motivate each other and drag each other to the gym. Sometimes, we even play in a mixed team together at a domestic level; there aren’t many sports where you can do that.

Now that I am completely recovered, I am experiencing sport in a different way. I couldn’t not do it; it is part of me again.

I would really like to work within sport and I definitely think that playing for my country will help my CV stand out from the rest. I used to hate having to include my visual impairment on job applications, in case it meant I would be moved to the bottom of the pile, but now I am proud of it. I highlight that

I used to hate having to include my visual impairment on job applications, but now I am proud of it I play for my country in a Paralympic sport and it’s something I can talk about confidently at interview. Things like my communication, team building and leadership skills have all improved massively through sport, particularly as everyone is visually impaired.

I have learnt that it’s not all about being the fittest, the strongest or the best, but about doing something you enjoy. It’s about having a different world you can escape to and letting it all out when you’re there; it’s an escape from the other troubles of life. Sport picks me up and brings me back down when I need it.

I’m really positive about the future. I feel like me again and I don’t want to just be defined by my sight loss. If I asked someone to write five things about me, I wouldn’t want sight loss to be near the top. It’s just something that happened to me. This is what people have to learn.

I want to do everything I can to help break down barriers faced by people with sight loss. The best place to start is right here.

Further information

Laura Perry was a student at The Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) until last year, and is now an ambassador and mentor for the RNC Sports Academy. This article was written by Laura with Katrina Wilcox, RNC Marketing and Communications Manager: www.rnc.ac.uk Laura is hoping to make the GB goalball team for Rio 2016.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

47

48

SEBD

Why naughty is no longer nice Richard Curtis examines changing attitudes to children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

C

hildren with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) have long proven a challenge for teachers across the country.

Variously referred to over the years as maladjusted, subnormal or even plain naughty, children with SEBD are those who have persistent difficulties accessing and progressing in learning due to their challenging behaviour.

In 2010/11, there were 158,015 pupils registered as having SEBD at School Action Plus and with statements of SEN. In the same year, there were 258 injuries to teachers reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following assaults by pupils, there were 16,790 exclusion related to physical assaults against adults and 570 permanent exclusions relating to physical assaults against adults. This

is a serious matter for teachers, with teaching unions giving advice for what to do following a physical assault.

Since the introduction of the Equality Act in 2010, the provision for children with SEBD has become a highly emotive subject within schools.

Children, who would have been labelled as naughty in the past have gained a right to be treated as equal if the cause of their behaviour is considered to be a disability. Many of us have had to challenge our own thinking about SEBD as a result and there still remains a large number of adults in schools across the country who struggle with the inclusion of this group of children.

Disability law and education It is against the law in the UK to treat a disabled student unfairly and schools have a duty to make reasonable

Imagine how different your school would be if all children could recognise each other’s emotional needs adjustments to allow for the child’s disability. According to the United Nations definition of disability: “Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”

Children with SEBD have increasingly been classed as having a disability in recent years, particularly in light of the

Children with SEBD are often excluded socially at school.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

49

SEBD

Equality Act. Things that historically were often considered to be reasonable and were common practice are now illegal. Examples of this might be: • harassment – for example, where a teacher shouts at a student for not paying attention when the student’s disability or condition stops him/her from concentrating easily • direct discrimination – for example, refusing admission to a student because of disability or SEN (www.gov.uk).

This then leads to the concept of reasonable adjustment – the requirement that all schools have to make allowances and alterations to their school to accommodate children with disabilities. For those with SEBD, whatever the cause, these allowances are likely to have a daily impact.

Fair is not equal Many of us will have been brought up on the concept of fairness; indeed, we may seek to distil this concept into the children in our care. We feel a sense of injustice when someone cuts us up on the motorway or jumps a queue and is served before us. We may take pride in our sense of fairness and that we aren’t like those people who bend the rules or need extra support.

However, fair is not equal; life is not equal. Do we not owe the next generation the ability to cope with the injustices of life? Do we not owe them a chance to learn how to accommodate the different needs of other people?

Do we not have the duty to teach the children in our care to be emotionally literate enough to recognise the needs of others?

Imagine how different your school would be if all children could recognise each other’s emotional needs, if they could recognise when a friend is becoming angry and help him/her to access calming techniques. What if a class of children could ignore inappropriate behaviour rather than be drawn into it? What if insecure children with SEBD knew that the staff and other WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Teachers are obliged to make reasonable adjustments in their classroom for children with SEBD children around them understood their needs and would support them?

Today, this style of school is starting to become a reality – and it’s a very different style to that expected even just ten years ago, when it was common to see children with these needs being sent to pupil referral units or special schools for the rest of their education, when containment rather than understanding emotional literacy was often the priority. This transition is being felt across the country and enlightened school leaders are supporting staff to learn new skills.

Reasonable adjustments in the classroom This all means that teachers are obliged to make reasonable adjustments in their classroom for children with SEBD. Well-informed teachers have made a plan with their SENCO and included all of their support staff in envisaging what this plan entails. Parents are also involved in ensuring that the plan will meet the child’s needs. This is then communicated to the child with SEBD using language that is appropriate to him/her, and the rest of the class has the reasonable adjustments explained to them, so that they understand the benefits and calmness these arrangements will bring to the class.

The whole class therefore understands that they are all giving a little to help a child with additional needs to succeed and be a part of their class.

Examples of reasonable adjustments that could be made might include: • a work station • specific seating plans • labelled equipment with clear storage

• a separate pen pot on the table • designated seating on the carpet or on a chair • additional adult support to settle to task • pre-teaching the content of a lesson • circle times discussing the differences between people • recognition of the things the children like about each other so that they remember this during the difficult times • the opportunity for children with SEBD to earn rewards for the class • allowing these children to be special helpers rather than distractions during whole class input • rewarding them for being good, rather than punishing them for misdemeanours • having a staged response for particular children – for example, asking them to do something three times with a minute’s thinking time in-between.

Pre-teaching (above) involves working individually or with a small group of children to practice the content of a lesson so that children know what to expect, understand the routine and can begin to work on the answers they will be expected to give. It can empower children with SEN and speed up understanding of subject learning.

Reasonable whole school adjustments Our understanding of meeting the needs of children with SEBD has changed significantly over the last five to ten years and many staff may not be familiar with some of the newer techniques. This then affects the operation of the whole school.

Practices, policies and procedures across the whole school, such as exclusions, need to make reasonable adjustments for children with disabilities and SEN. The Department >> SENISSUE72

50

SEBD

for Education (DfE) states that “it would be unlawful to exclude a pupil simply because they have additional needs or a disability that the school feels it is unable to meet.” The Department says that state schools must have due regard to: • eliminate discrimination and other conduct that is prohibited by the Equality Act • advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it • foster good relations across all characteristics – between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

Questions school leaders may like to consider include: • does your whole school behaviour and attendance policy include reasonable adjustments for SEBD?

Are staff empowered to promote an inclusive environment where the differences between children are recognised?

• does your SEN policy include SEBD? • when considering exclusion, is it down to a child’s disability or SEN? • do you have interventions to teach children the tools they need to follow the rules or know what to do to when they make a mistake?

• is the emotional literacy of your staff team supported and are staff empowered to model this to pupils?

• are recognised de-escalation techniques seen as such or are

they viewed as “rewarding bad behaviour”?

• are staff empowered to promote an inclusive environment where the differences between children are recognised?

• do you support staff to teach and meet the needs of all children in their class?

Understanding and addressing the causes In the new SEN Code of Practice, the behaviour, social and emotional category is being removed and replaced with “social, mental and emotional health”. This reflects the view that behaviour is very much a symptom of underlying unmet needs.

The best ways of supporting children with SEBD include getting to the root of the problem and addressing these needs. Children don’t choose to have negative behaviours; they use the tools they think will work for the problem, dilemma or choice they are faced with. Although we commonly hear these children described as naughty, we should reframe our view to look at what is actually happening with these children and whether they have the right tools to manage their behaviour.

Helping the thousands of children in our schools with SEBD begins with the right mind set, not with impossible expectations.

Further information

Richard Curtis is a specialist behaviour teacher. He runs The Root Of It, a team of multiagency professionals who provide support for schools, unpicking the causes of a child’s difficulty and helping the school to meet those needs.

Richard is also known to many parents as The Kid Calmer: www.rootofit.com www.thekidcalmer.com Taking the time to understand the needs of a child with SEBD can make a big difference.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEBD

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

51

SEN PUBLISHING

53

Keep taking the tablets…

Publishers are offering some innovative responses to the tablet revolution that has swept through our classrooms, writes Janie Nicholas

W

ith 350 pupils up to the age of 19, Whitefield Schools and Centre is one of the largest providers of special education in Europe. IT Manager Khalid Hussein is responsible for sourcing and managing IT equipment and applications throughout the School. I visited Kal at the School to get a flavour of how the learning experience of students with special needs has changed as digital technology has progressed, and its impact on the delivery of what would have been purely paper-based resources in the past.

Whiteboards have been a key teaching tool for many years, facilitating

interactive group learning. But today’s new kid on the block in classroom technology is the tablet. Whitefield uses tablets extensively throughout the school. Two years ago they had none. Now they have over 100. Tablets are loved and used by children and young people everywhere, at home and at school, and they are particularly appropriate for young people with special needs. Kal sees huge benefits: “Tablets are such motivating items to use. Even autistic children who normally want to sit in the corner and keep away from the rest of the world will come running over and start playing with a tablet when it’s put out on the table.

They are tactile, and engaging. The

Even many difficult to reach pupils find it easy to engage with learning materials on tablets.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

“Give them a book and they are predisposed to think it will be boring” staff find them easy to use too, much more so than computers.” When asked if tablets make traditional books and worksheets redundant, Kal says: “Give them a book and they are predisposed to think it will be boring. Give them a tablet and they are pre-disposed to think it will be fun. The content may be the same, but the mode of delivery creates a receptive frame of mind that facilitates learning. A physical book can be a barrier – using a tablet removes that barrier. I think there is still a place for the traditional material. If you start with a digital introduction on the tablet, it is a sensory experience, and is a good way in to a subject which can then lead in to the less accessible printed resources.”

Tablets offer a variety of built-in tools and technologies that help people with disabilities to get the most out of the device and they can be powerful learning tools for people with SEN or learning difficulties. “Students love them”, says Kal. “There is of course the danger of distraction of more alluring apps than the one they should be using, but to ensure that students stay on task, the Guided Access facility [available on some tablets] can help students with autism or other attention and sensory challenges to stay on task. Teachers can limit the tablet to one app by disabling >> SENISSUE72

54

SEN PUBLISHING

the ‘Home’ button, and even restrict touch input on certain areas of the screen, so wandering taps and gestures don’t distract from learning.”

Tablets are having a profound effect on the teaching of literacy skills

New opportunities So what is the impact of the advent of the tablet on published materials? It is, of course, huge. Exciting creative tools, interactive textbooks and a huge range of apps and content create endless learning possibilities that engage students with their work, and invite them to add their own input to what they see on the screen. Multimedia experiences are literally at students’ fingertips. Fifty years ago, to learn about the world around us students would have looked at a book containing static pictures, or – if they were very lucky – sat in a darkened room and watched a cine film of an actual event. PCs and whiteboards brought multimedia to the classroom, and now with tablets students can hold that experience in their own hands, touch the screen for more information, write onscreen comments or audio record their own reactions to what they are seeing, save it all and print it out for later reference. It’s truly a revolution.

The line between publisher and app developer will inevitably become more and more blurred in the future. The availability of such an inspiring medium has led to a huge number of apps being launched. This is all to the good, if you have the time to research and evaluate them. There are review websites that do some of this legwork for you, but each pupil’s and school’s requirements will of course be different, especially in the special schools arena, so there is ultimately no substitute for trawling through the resources for yourself.

Always try before you buy; even paidfor apps will often allow you to trial for free, or allow you into a low level for free, and you pay to access more if you like what you have seen.

Tablets are having a profound effect on the teaching of literacy skills. As far back as 2012, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals SENISSUE72

(CILIP) and Hertfordshire Development Centre were already running pilot studies on the use of eBooks in schools, and found indications that there were real benefits in using tablets for reading: • more information is retained after using an electronic book • built-in dictionaries support more independent reading • there is potential for pupils to access texts at a higher level than they might otherwise read • eBooks can support learning, and comprehension levels appear to increase when pupils use them in classrooms • reluctant readers can’t see the thickness of a book and aren’t put off • reading is private, so students aren’t embarrassed about using a larger text size, or that their book looks different.

spots” on the pages where they record their own comments.

Teachers who want to create their own digital resources for tablet platforms can also do so using easyto-use manufacturers’ software.

The flexibility and relatively low development cost of eBooks offer many advantages for readers with special needs, and The Publishers Association is actively campaigning for mainstream materials to made more accessible: “The growing availability of eBooks provides a wonderful opportunity for people with print impairment – whether blind or partially sighted, dyslexic, or without sufficient dexterity to handle printed materials. Until now, special versions such as large print or Braille have been required, often at great cost and after considerable delay. There will soon be no good reason for people with print impairment to be excluded from the mainstream market.” Currently, one imagines, this initiative is aimed at bestselling fiction, but hopefully it will filter through to the education market, making more resources accessible to students with physical impairments.

An interactive experience Publishers of reading material for special needs are responding to the opportunities tablet technology offers by enhancing their readers in various ways. For instance, Badger Publishing have released eBook versions of many of their hi-lo readers, with features such as the ability to enlarge text, a dictionary, the ability to add notes and highlights and use different shade backgrounds. Rising Stars publish a digital library of books to be read on iPads and other devices, with quizzes at the end for testing comprehension and listening skills. SEN Press have launched new iPad app versions of their best-selling books which offer the usual eBook audio read through, but also enable students to record themselves reading the story, and to draw “hot

Further information

Janie Nicholas is a Director of the publishing company SEN Press: www.senpress.co.uk

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN PUBLISHING

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

55

56

AUTISM

Capturing autism Photographer Sara Dunn talks to SEN Magazine about her ongoing project to record the autistic experience

I

n October 2013, autism mum Sara Dunn set out to photograph the everyday lives of families living with autism. Spending time staying with families, Sara sought to create a visual record which engages with and challenges the myths surrounding autism by photographing the experiences of those it affects the most.

A work in progress, Admiring Autism has already involved families from across the North-West and Midlands, while attracting media coverage from the likes of the BBC. A selection of photographs from Admiring Autism can be seen on these pages and, at the end of the project, Sara plans an open exhibition dedicated to all the families who have taken part.

SENISSUE72

Here, Sara talks to SEN Magazine about how the project started and what she hopes it will achieve.

What was your inspiration for the project?

Admiring Autism all began with my son Frank. We first realised Frank had autism at the tender age of 14 months but we had no true insight into just how this would affect him. At the age of 23 months, Frank was diagnosed with autism and sensory processing disorder – the consultant told us that he was her youngest patient to ever have been given this diagnosis. I pondered what this meant for Frank.

I experienced some of the discrimination we’d have to face very

Thanks to these wonderful families, I don’t feel so alone and I don’t feel so isolated early on; Frankie was having an horrific meltdown at the age of 20 months old.

He would not tolerate touch, was head banging and hitting me and himself – and we were out in public. After struggling for half an hour to get from point A to point B I finally called my dad, crying on the phone “please come and get us; I can’t move; Frank is in a very bad way”. A woman came up to me and at WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

AUTISM

first I thought, thank goodness someone is here to help. Then she said: “How about you try hanging up the phone, you disgusting mother”.

This in turn triggered my own meltdown and the loss of my job and, amazingly, I loved Frank more than I ever had. I picked up my camera. I began to photograph the good and, yes, the bad days too. A year ago the mysterious woman who approached me made my blood boil and my head pound with anger. But today, I thank her.

Her ignorance and callousness towards myself and my son, acted as the catalyst to start Admiring Autism. I wanted to photograph other families. I wanted to show people what autism can and does look like, but mostly I wanted to try and visualise the spectrum and put faces to the names, in the hope that myths and taboos surrounding autism would be diluted. And I am still on that journey.

I never wanted just to go into their homes, take a picture and leave In your experience, what are the biggest challenges facing families with an autistic child?

I think most of the families that I’ve visited are in the same boat; a lot of us feel socially excluded and rather isolated. Many of us do not get to have a drink in a coffee shop or a successful meal as a family in a restaurant, as the experience is often too much for children with autism. That doesn’t stop us trying of course.

The hardest thing for me personally on these outings is the way in which a small but vocal minority of the public can react – “tutting” very loudly, shaking their heads and even approaching you to let you know that you’re “causing >> WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

57

58

AUTISM

a scene”; it’s all very unwelcome and I really do not appreciate it. It doesn’t help me or my son. I think that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

But, for every bad public experience, all the families have agreed that there are at least two more good ones to make up for it. People are really starting to think about autism a little more – and their kindness and compassion (not pity, but compassion) does shine through and make a huge difference to our days out.

How have the families you've visited responded to your project?

The families are incredible – a true inspiration. I’m in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome myself and the families have embraced me and the project whole-heartedly.

I don’t even see Admiring Autism as “my” project anymore; I see it as “ours”, because without them, it wouldn’t be where it is now.

When I stay with them, I often leave in awe. It can be a bit like looking in a mirror and seeing your own fears and triumphs reflected in their smiles and sorrow. Thanks to these wonderful families, I don’t feel so alone and I don’t feel so isolated. For them to open up their doors and welcome me into their home – to allow me to capture the

struggles and intimacy of caring for a child with autism – is amazing; it’s what makes this project unique. And I really do believe that the general public will respect what these families are doing: paving the way for their children, trying to break down the harmful myths and barriers that surround the complex world of autism.

What can photography reveal about the autistic experience that other media can't?

I’m an extremely visual person and I really do think that seeing is believing.

One of the most exasperating factors for me when I learnt of Frank’s autism

was that I couldn’t see other peoples’ experiences of autism. There are blogs upon blogs, medical notes and analytical readings on autism, but where was my visual aid? I couldn’t find one.

So I started one.

From the beginning of the project, I was very clear to all of the participating families that my visit with them was not a one-off photo shoot. I never wanted just to go into their homes, take a picture and leave, because that's not representing what life is like for these families. I stay with the families for a 48-hour period in an attempt to capture an honest, around-the-clock representation of their experiences of autism.

I want the UK public to see autism, to visualise it and to appreciate the condition’s severity, as well as the ingenuity it gives rise to. I want to do this by placing members of this too often excluded community at the centre of artistic expression. I believe that photography is the perfect platform to do just this.

Further information

All images are taken from the Admiring Autism project. You can follow the project, see more photographs and post your own at: www.admiringautism.co.uk

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

AUTISM

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

59

60

AUTISM

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

62

AUTISM

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

64

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

Give ’em a job!

Beverley Breen calls on all employers to give young people with Asperger’s a chance

A

pril Ryan has Asperger’s syndrome. She graduated from university with a slew of language qualifications, yet despite her “fantastic” applications – she was complimented on these by more than one potential employer – she found herself stuttering and stumbling through every job interview. Talented but jobless, she began to believe that her Asperger’s rendered her automatically unemployable.

April’s story is not unusual. The fate of young adults with AS after they leave education is a significant issue. Only 15 per cent of people with autism work fullor part-time. Three quarters would like to work but are claiming state benefits.

If employers would only open their eyes, they’d realise that many of these young people are highly employable.

Given the right support, they can make steady, reliable employees who can excel at certain types of roles. However, when I approach larger organisations

to suggest work placements for the students I work with, virtually all of them give me an outright rejection. In this climate, it is not surprising that many young adults end up leading solitary “online” lives.

We’d never seen that depth and intelligence in him. It was like a light had been switched on

Changing lives There are some glimmers of hope.

This year, the Department of Health has introduced a community-based programme called Think Autism.

It aims to help make community members – including businesses – more autism aware and accessible.

Why stop there, though? Let’s not just teach businesses how to cope with autistic people, let’s teach them how to employ autistic people.

I’m grateful, though, to the smaller organisations with the courage to take a young adult with Asperger’s under their wings. The story of Ralph Smith shows what can be achieved with the right support. When I first met Ralph,

he was extremely withdrawn and very easily stressed. His anxiety was triggered by heat and he’d storm out of an airless room. He also struggled with handwriting, although he had good computer skills. We sent Ralph off for a work placement with the charity Home Start. His job was to catalogue second hand books, to photograph them and then to sell them on Ebay. The role required precision and organisation but there was no time pressure and the employer understood that Ralph might need time out to de-stress during his working day.

Student Ralph Smith at work at charity shop Home Start Wirral.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

Six weeks later, Ralph came to see me. He was like a different person.

He had shorter hair and was clean shaven. His clothes were tidy and his complexion had improved. Best of all, he looked straight at me. I asked him to type a report about his work placement. He wrote a fabulous piece.

His language and style were a true revelation. He’d been with us for ten weeks before that work placement and we’d never seen that depth and intelligence in him. It was like a light had been switched on.

Mark Hayward’s story is a little different. His pressure point is that he needs a lot of processing time to understand and respond to an instruction. Once he’s on board with what’s needed, though, he’ll deliver work of a very high standard.

Mark is football crazy. He works in the kit room of Tranmere Rovers Football Club. It’s not a paid role and Mark prefers it this way, as there’s less pressure. He’s been taught to wash and dry the kit of all the teams at the club, including the first team. It’s a role that requires a steady, methodical approach and he has plenty of time to think through each next step. Mark’s mentors at the club say he’s becoming more and more open with them. He’ll make eye contact and even share a joke with them about his one true love: Manchester United.

People with Asperger’s are not disabled; they just have a different outlook on life

•

•

•

An employer’s guide to Asperger’s My plea to employers is simple; give these young people a try. There are a few things employers should know, though, when considering a role for a young adult with Asperger’s: • people with Asperger’s are not disabled; they just have a different outlook on life. A good way to think about this is to imagine that you are making tea and toast. You may find this straightforward but people with Asperger’s might falter because there are so many small steps involved. They need to WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

•

•

understand how to enact each and every step and the detail of this will be very important to them. An employer briefing an employee with Asperger’s would need to think through a task at this level of detail think about language carefully.

For example, when asked the question, “Can you turn the computer on?” an individual with Asperger’s may respond that, yes, s/he can indeed turn the computer on. S/he may not understand that s/he is being asked to switch it on.

The instruction should have been much more explicit – for example, “Will you turn the computer on please.” as the employer of someone with Asperger’s, you need to understand that your employee may take a little longer to process an instruction than you’d expect. It’s not that s/he won’t understand; s/he is just working out how to react for someone with Asperger’s, unfamiliar things are harder to remember, so don’t be surprised if the employee tends to do what is familiar instead if people with Asperger’s become upset, they are likely to become very introverted or agitated. This may happen if they try to process too much information. It is important to allow an employee time out for a walk or a drink, or some time to listen to music people with AS tend to enjoy repetitive, predictable roles. They are excellent at time-keeping, dedicated and dependable and

they won’t leave a task half finished. They may be good at the types of roles others may find limiting. Data input is a good example. The data itself may change, but the process of inputting it will not.

Employers in any doubt about the difference they can make to a young person’s life – and on how much someone with AS could contribute to their business – should spend five minutes with Chris Birss. Chris loved cinema but had no idea how to find employment in that environment. He was beautifully polite when we first met, though very quiet, and his easy courtesy made him a natural for a job in customer services.

Chris was trusted with a frontof-house role at a local cinema as a temporary placement. He sold tickets in the box office and worked behind the food counter, performing the same tasks as other team members. Over the weeks, Chris blossomed. He clearly enjoyed his role and felt safe and well supported. He became a chatty, jokey person and a valued team member; his employers are incredibly proud of his achievements. Chris did so well that he has since been offered a permanent, paid role.

I’ve been shocked at the outright rejection our queries about work placements have received from large employers, but increasingly heartened by the friendliness and humanity of the many smaller organisations I’ve worked with. My hope is that employers of all sizes will come to understand that young adults with Asperger’s can be real assets to their teams.

Further information Beverley Breen is Programme Manager for Step into Work Plus, a scheme run by Wirral Autistic Society: www.autistic.org

SENISSUE72

65

66

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

Girl power Sarah Chestnutt and Nikki Threlfall explain how a Girls’ Group is helping female pupils with Asperger’s to develop their social skills

A

wareness of the needs of people with high functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome is clearly growing. However, at present, there is comparatively little information about the differing profile of girls with high functioning autism, and the support they need to develop their skills and emotional wellbeing.

Over the past few years, the number of girls and women referred for a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased steadily.

The presentation of their behaviour is often very different from males with an ASD, and so the support they require also needs to be altered to best suit their needs. Commonly, girls with an ASD have better imagination, and observe and copy the social actions of others more readily, masking the problems they face with social understanding. These difficulties can significantly impact on their ability to interact and socialise with peers,

Aislinn cooks up a healthy treat in the kitchen.

SENISSUE72

particularly with other girls. This is due in part to the expectation in our society that females should be more social in their communication and interaction, including increased use of small talk and gossip. Alongside this, girls with an ASD have fewer opportunities to meet and socialise with girls without an ASD, which reduces their chances of developing and practising their social skills in these situations.

For girls with high functioning autism or Asperger’s, the increased awareness of their difficulties in social situations can lead to problems with emotional wellbeing and self-esteem. They may also need specialised support to teach life skills such as healthy eating and personal care. It was with these issues in mind that we developed the Girls’ Group at our school to provide a safe, non-judgemental environment for girls with high functioning autism to gain skills and knowledge. This enables the girls to express their feelings on a range of topics in a non-threatening setting,

The Group enables the girls to express their feelings on a range of topics in a nonthreatening setting and gives them a place to discuss how they would react in different social situations. They can then gain awareness, skills and knowledge which they can transfer outside of the group.

A safe and inclusive space By promoting a safe, comfortable space for girls with Asperger’s, the aim was to create an environment where they can express their feelings and learn new skills in a non-threatening way. One of the central premises of our Girls Group is a focus on key issues which are important to young women with autism.

Fundamental to the Group is the active inclusion of the girls in the planning and implementation of its daily running. This ensures that their ideas and opinions are integrated into the group’s core aims. What’s more, the Group allows the girls to meet other females with autism and share common interests. The aim is to foster an independence which will help the girls with independent living, learning and relationships in the future.

One of the features of the Group is to have professionals who are reliable females leading each session. Simply by listening, asking questions, and sharing their thoughts and feelings they can help to foster a friendly and supportive environment.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

ASPERGER'S SYNDROME

The structure of the sessions is the same each week, opening with “how are you feeling?” time. This allows the girls to talk about any issues they have had within the last week or any worries about the future. In this safe environment, the girls can share news, ask questions and develop their own communication skills. Following this, a theory-based work session is presented in an informal way, providing the girls with the knowledge on which to base practical skills. This may take various forms, but typically contains discussions, paper-based exercises and video-based learning. The final section of the session has a practical aspect to it, such as making healthy choices around food, identifying social groups or exploring different types of exercise.

Focussing on key issues Each term we concentrate on a specific topic, such as friendships, problem solving and general health. The Group’s current topic is called “looking after your body; feeling good about your body”. This includes several categories – healthy eating, skincare, body image, exercise, clothing and sleep – with each being explored during a weekly session. For each topic a set of general objectives are set. The girl’s current objectives are to: • show that they can identify and engage in healthy ways to look after their bodies and healthy ways to feel good about their bodies, by making healthy choices • show awareness of issues in the media related to female stereotypes and pressures to look or be a certain way • identify that there is a relationship between being physically healthy (eating, exercising and looking after your body), and being emotionally healthy (feeling good about your body) • share ideas and experiences through a PowerPoint, video, poem, story, artwork or creative piece.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Objectives are general enough to work within the group dynamic, yet tailored enough to suit the needs of each girl

The Group has helped students like Georgina with learning and social issues.

These objectives are general enough to work within the group dynamic, yet tailored enough to suit the needs of each girl. However, individual objectives for each girl have also been formed from pre-course questionnaires, which measured the girl’s thoughts and feelings around their own bodies. For example, one girl’s individual objective is “to identify that she is sometimes (not always) worried about her body image and demonstrating that she can make healthier choices about looking after her body”.

What do the girls think?

The girls enjoy talking about issues which are pertinent to themselves, both as females and as girls on the spectrum. They have particularly enjoyed participating in mini-projects which have a definitive goal and end point. These have included planning and running a school talent show, making and selling Valentine’s cards in school, and making a chocolate basket for Mother’s Day. A number of positive outcomes have been noted since the establishment of Girl’s Group. The girls are now significantly more comfortable within the group and have increased their awareness of, and concern for, others in the group. A recent example of this

was seen in a session which focused on clothes and fashion, where one task involved conveying a compliment to another member of the group. This was a lovely exercise which saw the girls exchanging phrases such as “I really like your stripy t-shirt” and “You have a nice style”.

A recent visit to a similar Girl’s Group in a nearby mainstream school has also allowed the girls to share their interests with others, and has increased their confidence in meeting other girls.

In the future, we plan to facilitate joint events with the Boy’s Group, which is also run in the school, to support the building of relationships with peers. We are also planning a group for younger girls once a month and we’re exploring the idea of trying to foster a mentoringtype relationship between older and younger girls.

Although we are still learning, we have already seen many positive benefits from the Girl’s Group in a short period of time, not least the girls’ increased confidence, social awareness and communication skills.

Further information

Sarah Chestnutt and Nikki Threlfall are Assistant Psychologists at Elizabeth Newson Centre, a facility for the families of children with any developmental communication disorder, run by the autism charity NORSACA: www.norsaca.org.uk

SENISSUE72

67

68

DYSLEXIA

Dyslexia matters Kate Saunders and Emma Abdulaal look at how dyslexia affects people throughout their lives, and what we can all do to help

W

hether you are a teacher struggling to find a way to engage the student who has difficulty with reading and writing, a dyslexic parent fearing your daughter will ask you to help with her homework when you can’t read yourself, or an employer looking to make your company more inclusive, it is clear that dyslexia touches all of us.

One in ten people has some degree of dyslexic difficulty. Many have not been formally diagnosed, but have struggled through their lives with weak reading, writing and/or spelling skills. For some, that struggle has led to disinterest or an inability to engage in tasks using literacy skills, when their peers can do the same task in half the time.

The theme of Dyslexia Awareness Week 2014 is “Dyslexia Matters…” It will focus at how this specific learning

difficulty (SpLD) affects the individuals who experience dyslexic difficulties themselves, and how all of us can work towards creating a dyslexia friendly society through awareness raising. 2014 has already proved to be full of changes for those with dyslexia, including the SEN reforms and cuts to the Disabled Student Allowance in England. But why does all of this matter? In this article, we will look at dyslexia from the different perspectives of parents, adults with the condition, educators and employers of those with dyslexia to see how the condition impacts upon them, and how dyslexics can be provided with the support they need.

The parent Olivia Loder was just six and a half years old when she was diagnosed with dyslexia. After she was bullied in two

“It seems so unfair that they struggle when you know they are so bright” state schools, her parents were able to move her to a dyslexia specialist school at the age of eight, where she has since blossomed. Her father, Tim Loder, acknowledges that it isn’t just the dyslexic child, but the parents and any siblings as well who end up going on what he calls a “huge journey of understanding and research” following a diagnosis of dyslexia, in order to help the child as much as possible.

As a parent of a child with dyslexia, Tim says “You go through a rollercoaster of emotions, like wanting your child to just be able to do schoolwork without

Problems with reading can have a profound effect on a child’s everyday life.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

DYSLEXIA

any struggles, like a non-dyslexic child, and it seems so unfair that they do struggle when you know they are so bright. You have the huge emotional side of seeing them fall behind in school, watching their self-esteem end up on the floor as they feel useless and inadequate, but you as a parent know they have so much to offer and unbelievable amounts of potential to achieve and succeed.”

One of the issues that Tim believes faces parents is that there is not a great deal understanding of a dyslexic child in schools, perhaps due to the lack of initial teacher training in dyslexia awareness. “Dyslexia matters because it can tear a child apart, but with the right support and help it can also open their vast and huge potential in life”, he says.

The adult For many adults with dyslexia, lack of diagnosis at school has meant they struggled through early education and employment. Despite showing signs of dyslexia from a young age, William Ford, part of Birmingham Adult Dyslexia Group, wasn’t formally identified as being dyslexic until he was 29 years old. From both his personal and professional experience, early intervention is incredibly important as he believes it causes less trauma and

Dyslexia Awareness Week 3 to 9 November 2014 The theme of this year’s Dyslexia Awareness Week is “Dyslexia Matters…” Downloadable resources for schools, including PowerPoint presentations for school assemblies and posters for display boards, are available (from September 2014) from: www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/ get-involved-and-fundraising/ dyslexia-awareness-week

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Society is becoming more text-based than ever, with people choosing to email and text rather than pick up the phone baggage for the person with dyslexia in later life.

One issue that is particularly close to William’s heart is the way society is becoming more text-based than ever, with people choosing to email and text rather than pick up the phone. Due to this development, William said that he has struggled to engage with society as much as he would like and that despite dyslexia being recognised as a disability under the Equalities Act 2010, many professional bodies and frontline staff do not understand the implications and ramifications of their failures to implement, engage and apply equality in the workplace or school. It is this lack of appropriate training that William believes needs to be addressed.

For William, everyone has a right to participate in, and engage with, their community but, in his case, a lack of appropriate provision and support created a barrier which prevented him from being able to do this. As he notes, being unable to read published material limits your ability to read up on facts and use these to form your own opinions; “I am forced to rely on everyone else’s views and opinions rather than basing my opinions on fact”.

What’s more, as William points out, dyslexia never leaves him. “I don’t get time off for good behaviour”, he says.

The educator With the SEN Code of Practice in operation (from 1 September 2014), big changes in the education sector are now upon us. They include the introduction of education, health and care plans for people up to 25 years old, which will,

69

over time, replace statements of SEN and learning difficulty assessments, as well as the new “local offer” from local authorities, where councils will publish what services and opportunities are available for children and young people in their area. As both a teacher and a parent of a child with dyslexia, Liz Loly is not convinced that these reforms will make any real difference to her child or other children – though she hopes to be proved wrong on this.

Building the confidence of children with dyslexia is very important. “I have always felt passionately about helping children with dyslexia”, Liz says. “In my first teaching job [in 1999] I had a conversation with the parents of an intelligent eight-year-old boy with dyslexia. I was explaining to them how impressed I was with how hard he worked to overcome his problems and what a confident boy he was.

They explained that he actually wasn't confident at all and at home often got very upset about not being able to read and write as well as his peers. This made me so upset that a very able child thought badly of himself because of dyslexia and had no idea how intelligent he actually was.”

Several years later, she now finds herself in a similar situation, but she is the parent and her seven-year-old is the child who lacks confidence in all things relating to literacy.

The employer For Hampshire Constabulary, it was the need to look at how it supports its staff with dyslexia that led to them starting up the Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) Project. They looked at staff across the force and identified the highest areas of risk from within it.

One of the positive steps made was the decision to ensure all staff were supported as needed from day one by screening new police officers, special constables, police community support officers, control room staff and police staff investigators for dyslexia. >> SENISSUE72

70

DYSLEXIA

Staff were screened by being matched up with an assessor who understood their particular area of work and was therefore able to assess what, if anything, they needed in order to be able to carry out their job to their full ability. They carried out this screening by initially training, through the British Dyslexia Association, ten staff members to carry out workplace assessments in 2010. By 2012, the project was such a success that a further 12 members of staff were trained to carry out this work within the force.

Why did this matter though? Staff and supervisors reported that following the launch of the project, they now feel more supported and informed, as well as having improved relations between the different departments. A reduction in stigma surrounding the learning difficulty, as well as better motivated and happier staff, show that it is not just those with dyslexia who benefited from the project, but the whole workforce.

Moving forward The call for dyslexia awareness training to be part of initial teacher training has come from many different

sources recently, including the main UK dyslexia charities. This is clearly something that Liz feels is important, as her experience, as both a parent and a teacher, suggests that there is still a limited understanding in schools of how to help children who are showing signs of dyslexia. Liz has found that many professionals do not understand at what age children can be accurately tested for dyslexia and when they can be helped to overcome their problems.

In general, though, Liz does feel there is more support around now, though it often takes a lot of input from parents to get action so that children get the support they need. “I feel strongly that the system should be set up so that children in need of support receive it regardless of how informed and involved their parents are”, says Liz. “Dyslexia matters because everyone deserves the right to achieve their full potential with their confidence intact.”

All teachers are teachers of dyslexic children because ten per cent of the population is dyslexic, meaning that on average, three children in a class of 30 have dyslexia. We need lasting change in the education system. Key

It often takes a lot of input from parents to get action so that children get the support they need to this is that a basic level of dyslexia awareness training should be provided in all initial teacher training courses.

This does not currently happen and is not a government requirement for teacher training providers.

All teachers should be trained to know how to spot the signs of dyslexia in the classroom, how to teach in a dyslexia friendly way and when to signpost the child on for further specialist intervention and assessment.

The Government has recently launched a Review of Special Educational Needs input in Teacher Training and dyslexia charities are providing evidence to the review team, but it is also important for the public to have their say and to help raise awareness of dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a hidden disability, so those who know the huge impact it can have on lives need to speak out.

This is the way to overcome stigma and lack of understanding. There is an opportunity here to improve the literacy skills and prospects of a fulfilled life for future generations.

Further information Dr Kate Saunders is CEO and Emma Abdulaal Media and Communications Officer at the charity the British Dyslexia Association: www.bdadyslexia.org.uk The right support at work can make a huge difference to adults with dyslexia.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

DYSLEXIA

Advertisement feature

Enabling independence for dyslexic students: Read&Write Gold exam reading software Recent changes to JCQ exam access arrangements mean that computer readers can now be used in exams, even where reading is being assessed, opening up a world of opportunity for dyslexic pupils to be assessed on a level playing field.

Read&Write Gold, Texthelp’s leading text-to-speech software, is being employed by many secondary schools not only in the classroom, but also as a computer reader to make examinations accessible. The software allows students to read all of the English Reading paper independently and can also be used in a wide range of other exam subjects. This has benefitted schools by: • enabling student independence and reducing stress levels • saving staff time and school funds • improving students’ grades.

Kate Blackmore, SENDCo at The Priory School, explains: “In 2013 we started using Read&Write Gold as a reader in exam situations. As a result of this we have seen an increased number of students using their access provision of extra time and readers, now that they no longer have to rely on human support. Students often comment that they are pleased to be independent and don’t have to draw attention to themselves, especially in exam conditions. These students now have WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

this software provision as part of their ‘normal working’ conditions to ensure they are confident with using Read&Write Gold. Read&Write Gold is invaluable to students and has transformed the learning experience of many of our students.”

Carole Pounder, Assistant Head Teacher at Heaton Manor School, comments: “We were looking for a resource for students with moderate learning difficulties and dyslexia, who were finding it hard to access lessons and achieve their full potential in exams. Initially we purchased Read&Write Gold as it is authorised to be used in English Reading exams as a computer reader. However, following the Read&Write Gold training we received, it became even more valuable as a resource to support students with a wide range of SEN needs.

Read&Write Gold has helped students who were struggling to pass their GCSE English before.”

For more information, email: exams@texthelp.com, tel: 02894428105 or visit: www.texthelp.com/uk/exams SENISSUE72

71

72

DYSLEXIA

Advertisement feature

Towards a Positive Future The annual Towards a Positive Future conference was held on 19 June 2014 at the offices of Field Fisher solicitors in London.

This event was for parents of children with special educational needs and the professionals who support them.

A legal update was provided by Elaine Maxwell (MGLaw) and there were presentations on how to achieve positive outcomes academically and in life, including pupil focussed planning tools, supported holidays, a parent’s journey through the SEN system, and avoiding meltdowns for young people on the autism spectrum. To view the 2014 presentations or book your place for 2015, go to: www.senconference.co.uk SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

DYSLEXIA/DYSPRAXIA Advertisement feature

Dyslexia and dyspraxia : Crispiani Method The Pedagogical and Psychological Victor Centre and Centro Studi Itard will present the Cripiani method for dyslexia and dyspraxia on stand 145 at TES Special Educational Needs.

The show takes place on 10 and 11 October 2014 at the Business Design Centre, London.

• Dyslexia - dysgraphia - dyscalculia as sequential dyspraxia • Disorganisation: cerebellar dysfunction and lateral dominance • Disorganisation space-time • Disorder, not a deficit • Disorder of executive functions • Disorder of automatism • Disorder of fluency How we work 1. Professional kit – DSA dyslexia-dysgraphia 2. Activity Gym 3. Motor training program 4. Special training 5. Champion LIRM (intensive reading and speed motor activity) 6. Praxic play program

Staff Prof. Piero Crispiani (University Macerata, Italy) Dr Eleonora Palmieri Dr Sara Pellegrini Dr Ivan Di Pierro Dr Antonio Grifoni For more information, contact: palmieri.eleonora@alice.it +39338-7051712 www.istitutoitard.it www.centrostudiitard.it www.pierocrispiani.it

Advertisement feature

Breakthrough eye treatment helps dyslexics – from the Alison Lawson Dyslexia Centre – UK A treatment for dyslexia that has helped more than 22,000 Australians is now available in the UK. It has been developed by Alison Lawson, whose research as an orthoptist revealed that, where one eye is not functioning properly, all the features of dyslexia are apparent in varying degrees.

In a one-off treatment programme, Mrs Lawson’s LASD machine, used for ten one-hour sessions, enables clear bifocal vision. This ensures: • clear processing of information to the brain • improved memory retention • better reading, writing and coordination • reduced stress and improved confidence.

A mother’s true story – July 2014 A young mother wrote: “I carnt hear the differents between F and TH… I only read what I have to because it takes me so long to read”.

After her two week course she wrote: “I have seen good progress. My headaches that I used to get are gone. They were like cloudy headakes all the time. My driving is much easier, I don’t feel like every thing is coming so close to me

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

anymore, also find it easier getting into parking spaces and reversing. I could never make my fingernails to grow before this treatment but now I can.

“I have been able to fill in school forms myself, whereas before I would have waited for my husband to help me. I will also write cheques now without worrying about it.

“My spelling is much better but I still have a lot to learn. I am doing things that before I thought I could not do.

“I find it much easier talking to people and thinking what to say next. Before I would have thought what I should have, or wanted to say after I had finished talking to them. I am also reading now rather than listening to CD’s……”

For more information, call: 01935 403260 or visit: www.dyslexia-treatment.co.uk

SENISSUE72

73

75

DYSPRAXIA

Secondary coordination Are the needs of teenagers with dyspraxia being overlooked in the drive for early intervention? Sally Payne investigates

D

yspraxia, a form of developmental coordination disorder, is a specific learning difficulty affecting the organisation of movement, perception, language and thought.

It can also affect speech. Early intervention is vital to help children with dyspraxia develop the fundamental movement skills they need to carry out daily activities such as writing, getting dressed, using cutlery and joining in playground games. Consequently, children aged five to 11 years are the main focus of dyspraxia research, intervention and support.

There is, however, increasing evidence that difficulties associated with dyspraxia continue into adolescence and often extend into adulthood. Many young people continue to be disadvantaged by poor

motor coordination and organisational difficulties during adolescence.

Such difficulties can have serious consequences at secondary school, as task demands increase and students are expected to take more responsibility for their daily lives and learning. While awareness and understanding of the impact of dyspraxia during adolescence is still limited, receiving appropriate support at secondary school can help teenagers with dyspraxia to reach their academic potential and develop important life skills.

This article will discuss some of the main issues faced by secondary school students with dyspraxia, alongside some revealing comments from students themselves which were gathered as part of a recently completed doctoral research project undertaken by the author. This qualitative study, involving 16 interviews with nine young people aged 13 to 15 years examined the impact of dyspraxia on teenagers’ daily lives from their own contemporaneous perspective.

What do students struggle with?

Finding the right sport for the dyspraxic teenager can be a big help.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Teenagers with dyspraxia have a marked impairment of their motor coordination. This means that they have to work hard to carry out some physical activities that their peers manage easily.

Despite this, by their mid-teens most young people with dyspraxia have mastered basic self-care activities through repeated practice as part of their daily routine, even if the end result isn’t quite to the standard that they had hoped to achieve. Whilst many teenagers with dyspraxia are able to

Students often have to decide whether to prioritise the quantity or quality of their writing in any given situation tie their shoe laces for example, they might struggle to pull them tight so they come undone quickly. It is often easier to avoid laces altogether.

“It takes more effort and practice to get stuff not like perfect, but to a standard that’s OK.” Poor gross motor skills can affect teenagers’ willingness to engage in sports and other physical activities that might expose their coordination difficulties. This could have implications both socially and for their long-term health and fitness.

“If it was a team sport with people that I didn’t know particularly well, then I wouldn’t particularly want to get involved in case I got it wrong.”

Handwriting is a particular challenge for teenagers with poor fine motor control and using an immature pencil grip can lead to pain and fatigue when writing. However, putting in more effort rarely improves the amount or legibility of work produced and students often have to decide whether to prioritise the quantity or quality of their writing in any given situation. Teenagers have to work hard to produce work that reflects their academic potential and can be very disheartened by teachers whose >> SENISSUE72

76

DYSPRAXIA

Dyspraxia Awareness Week 12 to 18 October 2014

“There’s more to it than just motor skills” According to the Dyspraxia Foundation, it’s the emotional aspects of the condition that often hit young adults the hardest, especially when they are trying to navigate the already tricky aspects of growing up, such as the transition to secondary school, friendships, bullying, leaving home and generally fending for themselves.

That’s why Dyspraxia Awareness Week will, this year, be focusing on teenagers. The results of an exclusive new survey of teenagers with dyspraxia and their parents will be released, to reveal exactly what dyspraxia means to them. Practical resources for teachers, parents and employers will be available to download and the Awareness Week will also include a new Funky Friday fundraising event.

For more information, go to: www.facebook.com/ dyspraxiafoundation

comments suggest they are careless and disinterested. There is the risk of underachievement when students are unable to demonstrate their ideas on paper.

“Because I ain’t got neat handwriting I’m not getting pushed enough. I’m in like not bottom sets, but not the sets I should be in” “I have to make my writing short so that I can finish it in time. If they say like ‘five minutes left’ then I have to take a bit away. The teachers don’t say anything because they haven’t really noticed.”

Practical subjects at secondary school can be very difficult for teenagers with dyspraxia who lack the ability to handle equipment safely and effectively. This is a particular problem in design and technology SENISSUE72

where poor motor control makes it hard for students to measure and cut accurately, especially when working under time pressure or in a distracting environment. Anxiety about the risk of injury can damage student’s confidence, while disappointment and frustration at their inability to create an acceptable product can lead to disengagement.

This is of particular concern in food technology where a perceived lack of competence might affect teenagers’ willingness to practice and develop their kitchen skills, which could have long-term negative consequences for their health and future independence.

“I don’t feel comfortable using the main woodworking materials at school, don’t like the equipment we use because it’s sharp and I’m just scared to use it.”

Difficulties experienced by teenagers with dyspraxia are not, however, just confined to their gross and fine motor coordination. Many also struggle with executive functions such as time management, attention, memory and planning actions. Teenagers with dyspraxia can spend much longer doing homework than their peers, but may not remember to hand it in, which is frustrating both for the student and the teacher. It is particularly hard for teenagers with dyspraxia to retain and act on a series of instructions that have a motor component. They have to put so much effort into organising their movements that they may not remember all parts of the task or might carry out instructions in the wrong order, sometimes with unfortunate consequences.

“I can’t take instructions, so I might have added the milk before doing something else. I might have cut too much or too little. It’s frustrating.”

What do students say about their support needs?

Teenagers who were involved in a recent study supported by the Dyspraxia Foundation recognised that most teachers wanted to help them reach their potential, but felt that

Many dyspraxics also struggle with executive functions such as time management, attention, memory and planning actions poor awareness and understanding of dyspraxia limited the availability, type and effectiveness of support that was offered at school. Teenagers felt that the support provided by SEN departments was not adequately differentiated to meet their coordination and organisational needs. Help was rarely offered in practical subjects, for example, where students with dyspraxia felt that being shown how to handle equipment safely and effectively would enhance their confidence and performance.

“Everyone got the same in the SEN unit so I don’t think they really differentiated between dyslexia, dyspraxia or autism, whatever it may be.

I think they just sort of gave everyone the same sort of support, and that wasn’t what I needed.”

Teenagers felt there was a need for more training about dyspraxia, but also said that teachers should not make pre-judgements about their support needs based on their diagnosis alone.

Teenagers wanted to be involved in making decisions about the strategies and supports that were provided and for these accommodations to be made without fuss. While teenagers were concerned that doing things differently or using alternative equipment might draw unwanted attention from peers, they were prepared to use equipment such as a laptop if they felt this would enhance their performance.

“Having a laptop for exams is a bit of a relief. I’d usually be stressing over them, losing sleep but this year I’ve just been able to focus. With the handwriting, I’d be worried about the WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

DYSPRAXIA

neatness and that, but now that really isn’t a problem.”

Teenagers also identified a need for help with organisation and planning.

They were puzzled and frustrated at their inability to retain and act on instructions and to plan tasks with multiple steps. They wanted subtle support from teachers and assistants in the classroom to check that they had processed information correctly, and individualised help to develop skills such as time management and essay planning. Some felt this would be more useful than being given extra time in exams and would give them useful skills for the future.

Understanding the perspective of teenagers with dyspraxia about their experience within the secondary school setting will help teachers and other professionals to identify the accommodations and approaches that are most likely to have a positive impact on students’ well-being and academic performance. Furthermore, developing students’ self-awareness and empowering them to articulate their support needs are important life skills that will help them to access the resources and support they might need to enable their future performance in higher education and the workplace.

Hands-on experience is a good way to teach tasks to dyspraxic students.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

People with dyspraxia don’t learn by watching others; they need to experience activities for themselves Top tips for supporting students with dyspraxia • Don’t assume that strategies and approaches that work for one student with dyspraxia will work for another. While teenagers with dyspraxia share many underlying problems, each will have their own unique profile of strengths and difficulties.

• Involve students in identifying the strategies and supports that work for them. Teenagers are more likely to use equipment and learning aids that they have chosen themselves which is therefore more likely to enhance their academic performance.

• Equipment and support should be easily accessed or provided for a student without fuss.

Teenagers with dyspraxia work very hard to fit in and do not want unnecessary attention drawn to their difficulties.

• If equipment such as a laptop is to be introduced, ensure that all staff know that it is to be used and why.

• Make arrangements for broken equipment to be replaced or repaired quickly.

• Teach students how to handle technical equipment such as woodwork tools and kitchen utensils. People with dyspraxia don’t learn by watching others; they need to experience activities for themselves.

• Acknowledge the effort students have applied to a task. Telling students to work harder when they have already done their

best is unlikely to improve their motivation.

• Reinforce multi-step instructions in writing. The cognitive and motor effort required for students with dyspraxia to manage tasks may mean that they miss instructions and opportunities to learn and master activities.

• Help students with dyspraxia to identify a sport or physical activity that matches their ability.

Participation in sports such as cycling and martial arts can continue into adulthood and can have long-term benefits for health and fitness.

Further information

Sally Payne is Head Paediatric Occupational Therapist at the Heart of England Foundation NHS Trust and a Trustee of the charity the Dyspraxia Foundation: www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk A set of Secondary School Classroom Guidelines for students with dyspraxia is free to download from the Dyspraxia Foundation website. These include strategies to support students’ handwriting, social and organisational difficulties. Printed copies can also be ordered via the online shop: www.dyspraxiafoundation. org.uk/dyspraxia-children/ secondary-school-guidelines Advice for teachers to consider before introducing a laptop for a student with dyspraxia can also be found on the charity’s website.

SENISSUE72

77

78

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviews

by Mary Mountstephen

The Teacher’s Guide to Attachment: Practical Essentials for Teachers, Carers and School Support Staff

Moving and Learning: A Physical Education Curriculum

Nicola Marshall

Redleaf Press £19.99 ISBN: 9781605542683

Jessica Kingsley Publishers £13.99 ISBN: 978149055505 A friend recently contacted me regarding a difficult circumstance with an adopted child whose family situation was breaking down. This book happened to be in my “to read” pile and I have found it very useful, informative and thoughtful.

The author is an adoptive parent who runs her own training company supporting schools in terms of attachment and classroom implications.

The language used is measured and the book is well structured. It opens with an overview of the theory behind attachment and trauma and outlines some of the symptoms.

The book then provides a number of guiding principles and links this to areas of concern such as, identity, empathy, toxic shame and self-regulation.

In the final part, Marshall provides a discussion about the role of reward systems and why they are sometimes counterproductive in these situations. She also describes one school where the focus on wellbeing underpins the whole school ethos in an area of high deprivation.

The book covers very difficult issues with sensitivity and provides those working in schools with sound advice.

Staff are cautioned to make sure that they do not become overwhelmed by individual circumstances and to take care of themselves as well as others in their charge.

There is much practical advice and this book would form the useful basis for staff professional development when delivered by appropriately trained leaders.

Highly recommended.

SENISSUE72

Rae Pica

Rae Pica is internationally renowned for her work on children’s physical activity and she is the author of many authoritative books. This book and CD with original music is one of three in a series for those working with young children in pre-school, kindergartens and primary schools.

The book opens with an introduction to early child development and it outlines some developmental milestones linked to the child’s age. Rae details the adaptations which should be made for children with visual or auditory difficulties and also refers to the use of relaxation and imagery and soothing music.

The book consists of 20 lesson plans with four activities per plan. These are presented in a logical, developmental manner to encourage positive responses from the children.

Rae emphasises the significance of providing daily opportunities for structured movement and believes strongly in the development of motor skills for all children.

She stresses the need for an inclusive approach and for the use of a few simple rules, such as “respect others’ space” and “no noise”.

The lessons begin from a very simple level with ways of walking and with extensions. Each lesson follows a similar format, with guidance on observation and evaluation, use of equipment and links to the curriculum.

This is a useful resource book which provides activities that could easily be adapted for more specialist populations.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

BOOK REVIEWS

Child Psychology: A Practical Guide Kairen Cullen Icon Books UK £6.99 ISBN: 9781848312586

This book forms part of a series – The Introducing Practical Guides series – which is founded on a philosophy of “big ideas for real life”.

It is packaged as a pocket book and provides an overview of significant research and theories, which are then applied to practical situations.

The author is a London based child psychologist and she has written for a number of academic and educational publications.

This book begins by briefly covering some of the major theorists – such as Piaget, Freud and Maslow – using a common format to describe their views of human beings, research methods and the criticisms of their theories.

This is then applied to how they would work with an “imaginary child” and the theory is finally condensed into a short paragraph.

This background is then applied to the assessment process with a child and the different types of assessment processes are described, with links to case studies.

This book would be of interest to teachers, students and parents. It could help us all to reflect on what it is to be a parent and how the communication with our child is affected by our own perceptions, aspirations and background. Cullen closes with a list of the most important qualities associated with effective parenting.

The book is intended as a “stepping stone” for those interested in further research. In this respect, it fulfills it task and is good value for money.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Using Physical Activity and Sport to Teach Personal and Social Responsibility Doris L. Watson and Brian D. Clocksin Human Kinetics £21.99 ISBN: 9781450404723

This book uses the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model developed by Don Hellison and applies it to the teaching of a number of sports and activities, such as yoga, tennis and adventure education. It is an excellent publication, which focuses on the development of these skills through providing a structure where students become more reflective in decision-making and in thinking about how they interact with others.

Over the last 30 years this has developed as a guiding philosophy rather than a taught unit of instruction and the authors stress its importance as part of everyday practice.

Concepts such as respect are broken down into key levels, beginning with teaching students how they can control their own behaviour to the extent that they do not interfere with the learning opportunities of others. The authors provide a detailed overview of the research, before linking the approach to specific sports.

This book is relevant to readers of SEN Magazine because the key concepts of respect, pride, judgment and character are woven into the activities in such a thoughtful way, and they can be adapted for a number of different populations. Students are encouraged to observe others, to work with partners and to develop patience and tolerance.

At the same time, the authors demonstrate how activities can be differentiated, with groups working at their own pace both recreationally and competitively.

SENISSUE72

79

80

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Horses for courses Yvonne Newbold provides a useful guide to help parents decide which type of schooling will best suit their child with SEN

N

early every parent has the same aspirations for their children’s school days. We want them to do well. We want them to be popular and make lots of friends. We also want them to be happy.

For many of us, the “doing well” aspect is the one which seems to dominate all others. Of course we want them to attain some level of academic success because, as adults, we know that good exam results can open doors to better careers and earning potential, which, in turn, will make our children’s lives much easier in the long-term.

However, for many of us, we also want our children to do well to make ourselves feel good. Educational SENISSUE72

achievement is often a benchmark by which parents feel judged, as if somehow passing or failing an entire test of our parenthood skills is completely dependent on our children’s exam results.

Exam results alone are a very crude measure of anything, and a particularly hopeless measure of most of the really important qualities a child may possess.

Yet we still feel judged by this singlefocused benchmark of academic success and we all know families for whom winning this particular race seems to be the only dream that matters.

When our children have disabilities or additional needs, we have to find a different dream and a different way of thinking. If we do it well and find a new

What are they really learning at school – maths and English, or the fact that they don’t think they matter? benchmark that works for our family, the real winners will be our children.

Too often, in the race for exam results, happiness gets overlooked.

Happy children achieve better at school; desperately unhappy children won’t do well regardless of how clever they are or how supportive their background might be. Happy children WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

tend to become happy adults who also do well in life, and the converse is equally true, regardless of how many exams they passed.

There are too many children who are having a desperately unhappy school experience, and this seems to be disproportionately true for children with SEN. Many have to go into school every single day to a place that makes them feel worthless, stupid and undervalued. What are they really learning at school – maths and English, or the fact that they don’t think they matter? That’s why it’s so important to find the right school for our children, where they can be encouraged to flourish and develop in their own way.

The right school for them may be the last one we really want to even consider, so we may have to examine our own educational values and beliefs, and find a way to step out of our own prejudices.

There are four options for children with SEN, with pros and cons to each: 1. special schools 2. mainstream schools with additional support 3. base units 4. home education.

Special schools Parents often struggle with the idea of sending their child to a special school; I know I did. It took me a long time to come to terms with one of my children’s severe disabilities and complex needs, and considering this as an option felt that I was virtually writing him off.

Then I went to see a few of them and I’m so glad I did because it changed my mind completely and I was immediately struck by the sense of “can do”, warmth and acceptance. I would recommend that any parent should go and have a look and have an informal chat with the headteacher before deciding against them. My child had an incredibly positive school experience in special schooling; indeed, he used to cry because there was no school on weekends and school holidays.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Special school teachers have made a conscious decision to specialise in SEN and it shows in their dedication and enthusiasm. Class sizes are tiny, with a high ratio of classroom assistants, so every child gets an individualised education.

The children have a peer group of other pupils with similar difficulties, so they can make friends on their own terms. There’s another very important aspect of this form of education: all the children have conditions or disabilities, so none of them are “special”. Nobody makes any extra allowances for one child that aren’t also made for their classmates. For many children with disabilities or SEN, this sense of feeling as if they fit in is an invaluable experience.

The overall classroom emphasis is on what a child can do, and even tiny attainments are noticed and celebrated.

There are usually specialist therapists on-site and all the therapies are properly integrated into the classroom and become part of the teaching.

The children are therefore offered a level of holistic education unavailable anywhere else.

Of course, many parents feel they want their child to benefit from the social inclusion and the broad-based opportunities that are more readily available within a mainstream setting.

Opinions vary, children vary, and what’s right for one family won’t fit another. All I’d suggest is that you keep an open mind and explore every option.

Mainstream schools with additional support This can be an excellent option for some children, particularly if a child is academically able, although anecdotally it appears that primary schools are often better than secondary schools at supporting children with SEN. Every school has a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), and legally has to offer support to children with SEN, but the quality and the range of support

81

The quality and the range of support on offer can vary greatly from school to school on offer can vary greatly from school to school. Crucially, so can attitudes.

Some schools are much more willing to go the extra mile in accommodating our children than others, so it really helps to do your homework when choosing the right school.

A visit to the school and meetings with both the headteacher and SENCO can tell you a lot, particularly if you ask questions about how they are supporting existing pupils. Find out how imaginative, or otherwise, they are being in the support they can offer, and try to discern the attitudes of these two key senior staff members. What we really need is for a school to show an ability to look outside the box rather than just produce a menu of restricted options.

Some schools struggle to see the big picture when embracing difference and disability, and other than the very pedestrian menu of additional support – which may include things such extra class-room assistant support, extra time in tests and the facility to use a laptop of similar – very few allowances are made. I had a situation with one of my own children where a mainstream school refused to adopt a recommendation made by the educational psychologist because “it wouldn’t be fair to the other children”.

However, I’ve heard of some very innovative ideas recently, including one for a primary school-age little boy who finds it very hard to sit down and concentrate but loves counting. His school has given him a high-visibility jacket and an official title: he is the “School Counter”. When he can’t sit still any longer he puts on his yellow >> SENISSUE72

82

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

jacket and goes off and counts things – pencils, rulers, books in the library or whatever there is that needs to be counted. His difference is being totally accepted by the school staff, who are in turn setting a great example of tolerance and understanding for his classmates.

Instead of his concentration issues becoming a source of him feeling that he is in some way failing, a solution has been found which gives him a sense of purpose and a position of responsibility.

Friendships can also be tricky to maintain for our children in a mainstream setting. Our children may be perceived as being odd or different and therefore can easily become ostracised or, even worse, bullied. Alternatively, they can become popular with other children but these friendships might be based on less than ideal values, such as pity, acquiescence or being ridiculed for the entertainment of others. It’s essential to find out what approach the school takes towards issues like this.

You can learn a lot by visiting the school, talking to the staff, and if at all possible, talking to parents of children with SEN already at the school. Ask about happiness and friendships too; our children need to paint their lives on a broader canvas than academic achievement alone.

Base units Base units are a relatively new concept which are proving very popular with parents and children alike. The idea is to combine special and mainstream education on the same site, with the base unit providing specialist education for children with a particular type of disability or condition, such as visual impairment, autism or physical disability.

Children are able to dip in and dip out of the base unit environment according to their needs and abilities. For example, a child might do art and music lessons with mainstream peers, but learn maths with base unit classmates.

Many of these base units are heavily oversubscribed and there are SENISSUE72

Our children need to paint their lives on a broader canvas than academic achievement alone no guarantees that your child will get a place, or that your child’s condition will be catered for at the local base unit.

Generally, there are some very positive stories emerging from these units, but again, a lot can depend on the ability of the school to make them work well. Currently, primary schools seem to have the edge over secondary schools in successfully integrating these base units, but it’s still early days and huge strides are being made in this area of education. Once again, I suggest you visit and ask a lot of focussed questions.

Home education For some families, home education becomes the only viable option when things go wrong. It’s not an easy option and takes an enormous commitment from parents, but if the only alternative is a desperately unhappy child who is losing his/her sense of self by the day, it becomes a last resort.

There is another option that’s a halfway house between homeeducation and going to school called “flexi-schooling”. This can work very well, being a real best-of-both-worlds solution. However, it is entirely up to the discretion of the Headteacher of your child’s current school, and it helps if you have a good relationship with the school too. Unfortunately, by the time it reaches a point whereby flexi-schooling might be necessary, relationships between families and the school have often been soured.

I ended up going down the fullblown home-schooling route with one of my three children with SEN for two

years. It worked for us, but mostly because it gave us breathing space for my child to recover and regain selfesteem before returning to full-time education in another setting for the crucial GCSE year.

For me as a parent, it all boiled down, once more, to happiness. Things had got so bad that we were risking severe mental health problems and there was a very real suicide risk too. That same child is now a confident young adult, still with needs but coping very well indeed, after six months of independent travel last year, holding down a regular job and with the prospect of an Open University degree in the pipeline.

Having children with additional needs and disabilities wasn’t supposed to be the way it was for any of our families. Our children will have extra struggles to contend with throughout their lives, which can break our hearts as parents. Somehow we have to help them by getting their education as right as we possibly can, and ensuring they get the springboard they need to a happy, confident adult life. That became my new dream, my benchmark of success, and it’s great to see that we’re finally getting there.

Further information

Yvonne Newbold is the author of The Special Parent’s Handbook, a hands-on, practical guide for parents. She is also the mother of three children diagnosed with different SEN/disabilities, and has been a school governor at a mainstream and a special school: www.yvonnenewbold.com

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Advertisement feature

New legislation – the biggest change to SEN for 30 years From September 2014, the new arrangements for SEN herald a major shake-up of the SEN system; The changes include: • a single assessment process from birth to 25 years • a single category of SEN – no School Action or Action+ • education, health and social care will be assessed all at the same time • education, health and care (EHC) plans will replace statements • a new Code of Practice. The “local offer” will help families ascertain what help is available in their area • the introduction of a personal budget for families.

The new arrangements promise to give better support to children and young people with SEN and to increasingly consider the wishes of families. Families can expect children’s support to be identified quicker and there will be higher expectations of what children can achieve at school. Parents will almost certainly demand better information regarding the care and education of their children. The aim is to help them make better informed decisions by giving them greater control and choice of educational provision whether it be mainstream or special.

With parents having more say on how their budget is spent and local authorities no longer being the sole providers, parents and placement officers will need better resources to help them search for special or mainstream schools catering

for individual special needs. This is where online school directories can be invaluable. Creating a shortlist of suitable schools can be a sizeable and protracted task and not many of us have time to trawl the internet, finding contact details and calling schools for a prospectus.

Once the child’s personal requirements are established, a directory can be used to search from an extensive range of criteria to tailor a shortlist of schools that meets each child’s exact needs. So, whether you’re looking for a co-educational mainstream day school in Surrey with experience of dyslexia, a free school in Ilford with provision for specific learning difficulties or a boys’ boarding school in Devon that specialises in autism, choose a directory that lets you draw up a shortlist of primary and secondary needs and compare suitable schools side by side to take the stress out of your search.

For more information, call: 01980 620575, email: schools@isbi.com, or visit: www.isbi.com

Advertisement feature

Treloar College – preparing disabled students for the future At Treloar’s we want as many of our students as possible to live independent, fulfilled lives when they move on and a major part of our role is to prepare them for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Whilst at the College students can study vocational, creative and enterprise or sensory pathways and are involved in a wide range of projects and work experience to help them to develop essential skills to prepare them for the future.

Of leavers in 2013, 81 per cent are now either in higher or further education or are in employment, and over half of our students are either living independently or are combining their continued education with independent living placements to continue their preparations towards independence.

To further develop and enhance the delivery of our independence program, Treloar’s are investing over £2million to redevelop a residential hall at the heart of the campus to create 14 en-suite student bedrooms and nine independence flats. These flats will enable more of our students to receive the support, training and experience they need to allow them to work towards achieving their independence goals. They will enable them to learn a spectrum of skills – cooking, shopping, managing a budget, cleaning and making a bed – often for the first time.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Former student Vicky spent her final year at Treloar’s living in one of our independence flats. The things that Vicky liked most about it were ‘’being independent, not having to ask for help, structuring your day and learning skills. In the real world you’re not going to have someone 24/7 to help. You just need to be organised’’.

The new flats are scheduled for completion in April 2015. If you would like to visit either the School or College, please see: www.treloar.org.uk Treloar’s, Holybourne, Alton, Hampshire GU34 4GL

SENISSUE72

83

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Advertisement feature

Hesley Group celebrates first anniversary of its independent specialist college provision In September this year, Wilsic Hall and Fullerton House independent specialist colleges, of the Hesley Group, celebrate their first anniversary. Both are based near Doncaster and together offer comprehensive care, support and enablement, delivered through a wide range of activities and opportunities for young people aged 19-25 with complex needs, generally in association with autism and a learning disability, with the aim of facilitating their sustainable progress through the challenging period of transition to adulthood.

Richard Webster, Head of Education at the colleges (or “college” as the overall provision is described), identifies the biggest success of the past year as the increased independence young people have gained over this time. Richard and Annamarie Sables, the Registered Care Manager for the college, note the importance of taking measured risks to enable young people to achieve a “cautious reduction of dependence”. They agree it can be easier to be overprotective, than to encourage young people to learn through trying new activities and managing new situations for themselves. It is often tempting – but less helpful in the longer term – to “step in”, than to take a judicious “step back”, they say.

Staff enthusiasm, consistency, expertise and experience have all been vital, as has a small team approach, with care, education and clinical staff working together closely and cohesively. The flexibility of staffing has also been key, with provision designed around the needs of individual young people, with a strong emphasis on recognising the whole person, rather than focusing particularly on diagnostic “labels”. Shifts have been extended to 11pm, for example, to facilitate age-appropriate activity.

Getting it right for students Some elements of college provision are very much based on established Hesley approaches. All new staff undergo the full Hesley three week induction, which includes initial training in the Hesley Enhancing Lives Programme (HELP), an ethical, enabling approach to care and support, based on the principles of applied behaviour analysis and of therapeutic crisis intervention (TCI), which originates from Cornell University in New York and is an internationally recognised approach to positive behaviour support.

Ongoing training, including in HELP, has a strong focus in Hesley.

Specific extra training is provided for college staff, geared to this service and those who use it, with bespoke social skills WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

and other task-orientated packages as part of this, aimed at supporting staff to enable young people in optimal ways.

In getting provision right for young people, Richard Webster sees education as “a tool for breaking fundamental life stuff down into small steps”. Skills training for life at home and outside, the development of “work pathways” (which help equip young people progressively for employment) and travel training (to facilitate safe travel which is as independent as possible) are all examples of this approach.

Personal safety training is also an important foundation.

Some young people have already shown remarkable and sometimes unexpected progress. One has started to talk at the age of 20, specifically in response, it seems, to immersion in a work environment, where others around him are talking and “bantering” all the time. Another has managed her anxiety much better than ever before, which has allowed her to enjoy and fully participate in a work experience, in a way that would have previously been considered too risky. Both Annamarie and Richard emphasise the importance of not making assumptions about what a person can and cannot achieve.

It seems clear that, aside from individual elements of provision, the college service has a very strong human foundation of experience and expertise – and also care, commitment, hard work, passion and intuition. It’s a very strong basis, hopefully, for a long and positive future!

For more information, visit: www.hesleygroup.co.uk

SENISSUE72

85

86

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Advertisement feature

Innovative success at The Grange Therapeutic School

When staff at The Grange Therapeutic School realised that pupil profiles were changing significantly and there were more specific needs to be addressed, the School developed a programme in an environment that would ensure successful outcomes and results.

“We realised that pupils’ early life experiences, and a wide range of attachment difficulties, were being experienced,” says Katherine McKenna, who oversees they Lower School Nurture Group, “and it was preventing them from accessing and enjoying an educational experience.”

With the help of Dr Tina Rae from the School of Psychology at The University of East London, the new Nurture Programme was devised, based on the five SEAL (social and emotional aspects of learning) domains of: • empathy • social awareness • social skills.

• managing feelings • motivation “As each young person is referred to The Grange, we spend time getting to know each pupil before completing a preintervention checklist,” says Katherine. “It gives us a good baseline assessment, incorporating the Boxall profile, that allows us

to look at what each young person needs not just educationally, but specifically to meet all their specific, individual needs.

“We aim to make school a more positive, enjoyable and worthwhile experience. The guiding principles are that children’s learning is understood developmentally and that the nurture group class offers a secure base.

“The programme is based on the convictions that building self-esteem is crucial for the development and growth of each pupil, that language is a vital means of communication, that all behaviour is a form of communication, and that preparation for transition is important in children’s lives,” says Mrs McKenna.

Katherine McKenna.

The Grange Therapeutic School, near Oakham, is an independent residential and day special school catering for boys with social, emotional and behaviour difficulties. It attracts pupils from all over the East Midlands as well as East Anglia, Essex and the Home Counties.

The school offers a range of therapeutic interventions across all key stages with a broad curriculum and an abundance of extra-curricular activities which have subsequently proved very successful at engaging reluctant learners.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

87

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Advertisement feature

Nash College Livability’s Nash College is an independent specialist day and residential college in Kent for students aged 18 to 25 who have moderate to profound learning disabilities, additional disabilities, sensory impairment or complex medical needs. The College has accredited status with the National Autistic Society and offers highly specialist services to meet the needs of students with autism spectrum disorders.

The College provides a highly individualised curriculum to ensure learning which is both relevant and purposeful and which will have maximum impact on the students’ quality of life in the future. The curriculum is delivered by a highly specialist team which includes specialist education, care, nursing and therapy professionals.

We believe that students need to learn in the context of their local community and one of our strengths is the broad learning experience we offer on site, from a variety of community based venues and in partnership with other organisations.

Nash College was rated Good by Ofsted, March 2013. www.nashcollege.org.uk 020 8315 4800 transitions@nash.livability.org.uk

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Victoria Education Centre and Sports College Livability’s Victoria Education Centre and Sports College is a residential and day special school in Dorset. We provide specialised education, therapy and care for young people aged from three to 19. Next Steps 2 is a new 19 to 25 service where young people can feel happy, secure and in full control of their own futures. Students at Victoria have physical disabilities or complex medical conditions and many have additional needs.

The Centre boasts fantastic facilities and a dedicated, skilled staff team. Services have been carefully created by listening to our school and external community to meet the needs of our young people, their families and our wider community.

We welcome diversity in culture, religion and ability and we value the contribution that every student makes.

Some children travel to us daily and some stay overnight for varying periods, depending on need. Our Children’s Home is open 52 weeks a year, providing flexible, tailored short break packages.

Victoria College was rated Good by Ofsted, January 2014. www.victoria.poole.sch.uk 01202 763697 vec@victoria.poole.sch.uk

SENISSUE72

89

SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Advertisement feature

Seashell provides outstanding education and care services for children and young people with complex communication and learning needs, including autism and multi-sensory impairment. Our specialist on-site assessment and leisure facilities enhance and extend the curriculum; individual programmes are designed by a multi-disciplinary team and delivered by qualified and experienced staff.

Our Objectives:

• • • • •

Accept and value each student, recognise strengths and develop and broaden experiences Provide an individual education and care plan that targets key priorities for the student Emphasise the teaching of communication and social skills and the development of independence Understand and meet the changing needs of the individual student by providing an innovative, flexible, interdisciplinary approach throughout their education and care Work in partnership with parents/carers in a positive and supportive way

Royal School Manchester Royal School Manchester is a 60 place, non-maintained day and residential special school for children and young people with low incidence disability.

The school specialises in supporting students with severe and complex learning needs including autism, hearing impairment, visual impairment, multi-sensory impairment and sensory processing difficulties.

Royal College Manchester Royal College Manchester is an independent specialist day and residential college with capacity for 60 students aged 19 to 25, with complex lowincidence special education needs, involving a combination of cognitive, physical, sensory and behavioural disabilities.

Short Breaks Seashell offers a range of short breaks packages for children and young people aged between three and 25 years of age. Designed for those with severe and complex learning difficulties, they are tailored to meet the needs of the individual and their family. Short breaks can range from a few hours during the day or evening, to overnight, weekend or week-long stays, and they are delivered with the same skills, expertise and care given to those in our full-time care.

Family Support Our Family Link Worker organises a range of events to support family members including: family weekends, training sessions and coffee mornings.

Stanley Road Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, SK8 6RQ t: 0161 610 0100 e: info@seashelltrust.org.uk

www.seashelltrust.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1092655

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

91

92

SCHOOL VISITS

Cultural engagements Robin Johnson explains how cultural experiences away from the classroom can help schools meet the needs of pupils with SEN

A

s all teachers know, preparation is always key when you’re planning an activity or visit. It is even more of a priority, though, when you’re trying to organise cultural opportunities for children who are affected by SEN, such as those with social emotional and behavioural difficulties. It’s not just a case of the teacher or assistants knowing the timings and booking transport; there’s a need to be more holistically prepared.

The children themselves often need advance preparation in order for the occasion to be a success and for them to gain as much from the experience as possible. Taking part in an activity off-site, with people they may not know and in a place they are not familiar with, can be daunting for children who have anxiety issues, for example. And yet, offering children with SEBD these opportunities is so vital and can really engage them in learning.

My role as Cultural Curator at Arc School involves developing a range of partnerships with organisations

Pupils in SEBD settings lack cultural reference points, having been excluded from cultural opportunities in the past

Working together to explore the possibilities of collaboratively working together to offer children cultural opportunities to the benefit of not just the children, but also the organisations themselves.

Developing pupil’s creativity is a central part of the role and I work mainly in three areas: • inspiring and encouraging creativity for curriculum delivery in the classroom and beyond • arranging and promoting partnership work with local, regional and national cultural and heritage partners • researching curriculum enrichment activities for pupils to access.

A pupil undertakes the baseline assessment for his pre-conceptions of castles.

SENISSUE72

Often, pupils in SEBD settings lack cultural reference points, having been excluded from cultural opportunities in the past. However, culture in its widest sense is an essential tool in the inspiration and successful reengagement of learners.

The power of collaborative working to enhance teaching and learning should not be underestimated. The forging of strong links with a range of organisations is vital and, as with all good partnerships, all parties must benefit. It’s also important to share knowledge and expertise, shaping practice as you go. Some of the partnership organisations I’ve worked with include The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, The Calvert Trust, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Santander, National Trust, National Space Centre, National Memorial Arboretum, Field Studies Council, Prologis, Jaguar Land Rover, Dreadlock Alien, Garden Organic, Film Education, Film Club and The Cultural Learning Alliance, as well as a wide range of local organisations.

One of our greatest successes in integrating cultural experiences into the curriculum in a creative way has come through collaborative working with English Heritage. Both organisations have found the partnership hugely rewarding.

Our joint project, Making Your Mark – Exploring local heritage for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, aimed to inspire learning and emotional wellbeing through heritage experiences at Kenilworth Castle and in the more immediate locality of the WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SCHOOL VISITS

School. The project was filmed with the purpose of being a training tool for professionals working in the field.

Traditionally, many heritage education staff can feel nervous or concerned about their lack of experience in providing out of the classroom heritage learning experiences for children with SEN. However, special schools can provide vital expertise to help attractions understand and support these children’s needs. This can inform the work of heritage and teaching staff, enabling them to make confident and effective use of the historic environment and build the emotional wellbeing of the children they work with.

Inspiring and motivating Our project sought to get across to people that engaging children with SEBD in heritage can be inspirational and valuable for both children and teachers alike, and that taking these children out to discover their heritage is nothing to be afraid of. We also aimed to educate professionals that engaging with heritage can cover many aspects of a creative curriculum and that careful planning can make a big difference to how much everybody gets out of the experience.

After extensive planning between staff from the two organisations, David Sheldon, English Heritage Education

Special schools can provide vital expertise to help attractions understand and support these children’s needs

Robin Johnson gets into character.

Manager for the Midlands, visited the school on a number of occasions and held a series of pre-visit workshops with the children in small groups. This enabled us to ensure that the actual visit activities were far more child-centred and appropriate for the particular needs of the students. All of this was filmed

by Different Drum Productions.

The visits themselves – to Kenilworth Castle, a local farm, a churchyard and a war memorial – were planned carefully with staff. As a result, children were able to enjoy highly engaging and inspiring experiences. The time and effort put into planning these memorable experiences clearly paid off. Students felt very “at home” in the historic environments and this was especially important for some of the children on

the autistic spectrum, who can often struggle in unfamiliar environments and away from their usual routines.

Indeed, the importance of creating a comfortable learning environment became perhaps the most valuable outcome of the project.

Sharing the experience For English Heritage the project became, re c o g n i s a b l y and demonstrably, a tool with which children’s emotional wellbeing can be enhanced and improved through appropriate engagement. For their staff, it has given them a new-found confidence in engaging with children with SEBD. The films have been used so far for small scale training, but will be used at conferences and seminars for teachers and heritage professionals.

For the School, this project and the others we have worked on have been invaluable at improving pupil engagement and fostering a love of learning. Pupils who have failed to achieve in other educational settings benefit from being taught in a different way. Once pupils opt in to their learning, they can start to rebuild their fragile belief in themselves as learners and really start to achieve.

Further information

Robin Johnson is Cultural Curator for Kedleston Schools. The Making Your Mark project was shortlisted for the Museums and Heritage Awards for Excellence. www.kedlestonschools.com Pupils help with filming on a visit to Kenilworth Castle.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

93

94

SCHOOL VISITS

Railway staff on the right track with disability awareness training Staff from Chiltern Railways are attending a series of disability equality awareness training courses to enhance services to their disabled customers.

The training, which is delivered to all new staff joining Chiltern, outlines different areas of disability such as physical disabilities, mental health, learning disabilities, ranges of deafness/ communication methods and blindness/partial sight.

The course, which is delivered by award winning workplace training and consultancy company HearFirst, is facilitated by tutors who themselves have a disability. This adds relevance and depth to the training.

Mickey Fellows, HearFirst tutor (right), pictured with Chiltern Railway staff.

SENISSUE72

Chiltern Railways is a franchise company owned by Arriva UK and the training is organised as part of its ongoing commitment to deliver an excellent service to customers. In a recent customer satisfaction questionnaire, the company’s service was voted best overall compared to other companies.

Julie Ryder, Director and Founder of HearFirst, said: “Railway franchises such as Chiltern Railways have obligations to provide assistance to passengers with disabilities. It is reassuring to see Chiltern Railways investing in this training to help staff understand how to assist a range of passengers from those who are physically disabled to those who cannot see or hear.

“The staff are very keen to learn and are committed to providing a greater customer experience for their disabled passengers. The disability equality and awareness training enhances their existing skills and gives them increased knowledge and confidence to meet the needs of passengers with disabilities.”

Staff from Chiltern Railways said: “HearFirst are really client focused and have enabled us to further enhance the experience of travelling with Chiltern Railways for disabled customers. The course is highly professional and the trainer’s (Mickey’s) personal experience is invaluable in giving us insight into living with a disability and makes the learning experience very enjoyable and informative.” www.hearfirst.org.uk WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

ABOUT SEN

Contribute

Please email press releases, comments and article ideas to Peter: editor@senmagazine.co.uk

Subscribe

Never miss an issue of the UK's leading special educational needs magazine! See inside back cover or contact Anita or Amanda: 01200 409 800 subscribe@senmagazine.co.uk

Advertise

For the best advertising packages, contact Denise: 01200 409 808 denise@senmagazine.co.uk

Free SEN Newsletter

Sign up for your monthly email update on all aspects of SEN at: www.senmagazine.co.uk/newsletter or email: newsletter@senmagazine.co.uk

SEN Magazine: keeping you informed and up to date SEN Magazine Ltd. Chapel House,

In the next issue of SEN Magazine: • PMLD • safeguarding • creative arts • professional support for teachers • spina bifida • alternative therapies • epilepsy • attachment issues • parents’ rights • autism • dyslexia Plus news, reviews, CPD and events listings and much more Follow us on

Join us on

5 Shawbridge Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1LY T: 01200 409800 F: 01200 409809 W: www.senmagazine.co.uk E: info@senmagazine.co.uk

www.twitter.com/senmagazine

www.facebook.com/ senmagazine

95

96

ADOPTION

Adapting to adoption Parent Lorna Miles talks about the challenges and rewards of adopting a child with dyslexia

F

or my husband Tim and I, discussing the range of disabilities or SEN that an adopted child may present, and identifying what we felt we could or couldn’t cope with, was one of the more challenging tasks of the adoption assessment process. We knew that if we had a birth child with a disability of any kind, we would just get on with it and do the best we could. Accepting or rejecting a child based on their history or because of a disability felt really uncomfortable, but we knew it was important to think about this as adopted children can present a number of challenges relating to their early history, without adding a disability into the mix. We needed to feel confident that we would be able to deal with any presenting problems.

It was many years later that we became convinced that one of our SENISSUE72

Difficulties at school

In addition to struggling with literacy and numeracy, Malcolm’s short-term memory was appalling

I had some experience of dyslexia as my youngest sister had been diagnosed as an adult. The impact on her life of not having it diagnosed sooner was considerable. It was she who suggested that the difficulties Malcolm was experiencing both at home and at school might be due to dyslexia.

People often mistakenly believe that dyslexia only affects someone’s ability to read and write but it can affect people differently. Some children show few signs of difficulty with early reading and writing, but later on they may have trouble with complex

language skills, such as grammar, reading comprehension and more in-depth writing.

Dyslexia can also make it difficult for people to express themselves clearly. It can be hard for them to use vocabulary and to structure their thoughts during conversation.

Others struggle to understand when people speak to them. This isn't due to hearing problems; it's because of trouble processing verbal information.

It becomes even harder with abstract

adopted twins, Malcolm, was dyslexic and we struggled to get the school to recognise his condition. Only then did we realise that dyslexia was one disability we hadn’t considered whether or not we could cope with.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

ADOPTION

National Adoption Week

3 to 9 November 2014 There are over 6,000 children in the UK who need adopting.

Children with special educational needs are amongst those who wait longer to be found an adoptive family. If you think you could give a child or children a secure, loving and permanent home through adoption, visit: www.nationaladoptionweek.org.uk

thoughts and non-literal language, such as jokes and proverbs.

Malcolm once got a school detention for responding inappropriately to a teacher who told him to “… pull his socks up and get on with his work”.

“But my socks haven’t fallen down, Miss”, was his reply. He wasn’t being cheeky or rude; he genuinely thought she was speaking about his socks.

In addition to struggling with literacy and numeracy, Malcolm’s short-term memory was appalling.

He continuously lost things, forgot homework and generally seemed to struggle to function in day-to-day life.

On one occasion, we spent at least ten minutes walking back and forth in front the local McDonalds. I was trying to help him understand that it was us changing direction which dictated whether McDonalds was on our left or right, not that McDonalds moved from one side of the street to the other.

But Malcolm just didn’t get it. He spent the next few days recounting the tale of the “magic” McDonalds to anyone who would listen.

Living with difference All of these effects can have a big impact on a person's self-image.

Without help, children often get frustrated with learning and lose the motivation to continue and overcome the hurdles they face.

Trying to get Malcolm’s dyslexia recognised and the appropriate specialist teaching in place was WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

difficult because, in common with many dyslexics, he presented as a bright lad.

This can be one of the challenges of dyslexia. For those children who have experienced the care system, there can be further confusion as many of the symptoms can also be indicative of attachment difficulties and trauma. This means that conditions such as dyslexia can often be overlooked or dismissed.

But we persisted and eventually got the diagnosis we needed to ensure that Malcolm received the help and support he needed.

It was tough living with the challenges that dyslexia brought not only to Malcolm’s life but to ours and to that of his twin, David. Hours were spent transporting forgotten things to the school gates, or collecting suddenly remembered homework, which then took him twice as long to complete as it took David. As the boys reached their teenage years, Malcolm’s ability to understand money remained at a level more appropriate to a seven- or eightyear-old. David found it frustrating at times to have to help Malcolm look after his finances when they were out and about, as well as managing his own.

Finding your muse David passed his driving theory test at the first attempt; Malcolm didn’t pass until his seventh go. It would have been easy for him to give up but he had a great motivator: his love of music. He played in a band and wanted to get to and from gigs without having to rely on us to transport him.

Like many dyslexics, Malcolm has a really creative side and had been making music since the age of one. He used to bang out rhythms on anything he could find. At the age of four, he announced that he wanted to learn to play the violin. He took to playing the instrument with ease and was soon racing through the exams. At the age of 11, the violin stopped being “cool” and he changed to bass guitar, an instrument he still plays today.

As Malcolm started to struggle with both literacy and numeracy in

His class teacher noticed his love and talent for music and urged us to encourage this the early years of primary school, his class teacher noticed his love and talent for music and urged us to encourage this. What fantastic advice she gave; watching him develop as a musician and seeing the joy this has given him has been amazing. I openly confess to shedding tears of pride as I have watched him perform in school concerts, charity gigs and even as a supporting musician to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The frustration, stresses and strains of trying to get his dyslexia recognised and the right support in place have been far outweighed by watching Malcolm flourish and develop into the caring, talented young man he is today.

Do we wish that we had considered whether or not we could care for a child with dyslexia as part of the adoption assessment process? No we don’t.

We might have missed out on caring for two children who have brought all the joys and heartache that only parenthood can bring and we wouldn’t have missed that for the world.

Further information

Lorna Miles is an adopter and foster carer who runs workshops and training for foster carers and has written/contributed to several publications of the British Association of Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), including Holding on and hanging in, Parenting a child with dyslexia, Parenting a child with emotional and behavioural difficulties and Sam’s trouble with words. www.baaf.org.uk The people pictured are not those mentioned in the article.

SENISSUE72

97

98

ADOPTION

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

ADOPTION

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

99

102

TES SEN SHOW

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

TES SEN SHOW

103

Advertisement feature

Specialist resources to help lower ability pupils Street Learning Support Centre is a thriving support centre based in a mainstream primary school in Somerset. We produce high quality resources, developed by specialist SEN staff to enhance the learning of lower ability pupils. Our multi-sensory resources will motivate pupils to have fun with their learning and enable them to achieve enhanced personal outcomes.

Adults working with pupils who need extra support visit us to borrow published resources, seek advice, and attend courses.

We respond to feedback and develop appropriate resources that are colourful and visually attractive.

In order to enhance links with the local educational community, we provide opportunities for professional development for all staff. We ensure that we support new educational initiatives by constantly developing resources that are multi-sensory, outcome focused and quality driven.

To support pupils working on P scales, we have developed an easy to implement maths programme which is both engaging and motivational. This differentiated programme provides activities that enable the teacher to provide visual, auditory and kinaesthetic strategies for teaching and learning. With blocked units of progression linked to the P scales (P4 - P8), this is a teaching tool rather than an assessment tool, and includes clear instructions for use.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

Our “Help Box” is a toolkit of resources to support learning, and has been developed in order to collect together all the support aids needed every day in the classroom, thus allowing all pupils to access the curriculum. Many teachers will have their own prompt sheets which may be added to the “Help Box”.

We have developed a range of small, discreet Pocket Books to support independent learning at all levels. Covering numeracy, literacy, and foreign languages, we are constantly extending our range, and prices start from just 50 pence.

All of our printed resources are produced to the highest quality, on cream paper and finished in matt laminate. Many of our resources are also available to download from our website or to buy on disc.

To find out about our full range of resources, together with details of prices, visit our website at: www.streetlearningsupportcentre.com We will be exhibiting our “Tip Top Resources” on stand 242 at the TES Special Needs Education Show in London on 10th and 11th October and look forward to welcoming you.

SENISSUE72

104

TES SEN SHOW

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

RECRUITMENT

Future proofing Effective succession planning is good for school staff, management and pupils, says Jenny Rollinson

I

f succession planning isn’t a term you are familiar with in the context of education, you are not alone. A recent poll conducted by Randstad Education found that 35 per cent of schools across the UK don’t undertake succession planning, meaning more than a third of institutions are yet to recognise its importance. This is perhaps even more worrying when you consider further findings from the research which revealed that senior teachers currently think succession planning is now more important than at any time since 2009.

Succession planning is the practice of identifying potential future leaders to fill key positions. Failing to do this effectively means that the transition to new managers is less likely to be seamless and the resulting disorder can be disruptive not only to the school and teachers concerned, but more importantly to the pupils themselves. Potentially interrupting the academic progress of students because the right staffing procedures haven’t been implemented is a scenario to be avoided at all costs.

Continuity is significant in any educational setting, but becomes arguably more important in the context of SEN, where unnecessary change and lack of routine can cause distress to students.

In addition to protecting the most important stakeholders in any education environment – the students – succession planning can act as a powerful motivator for the teachers involved too. It provides them with a clearly defined career path within the school and, as a result, is more likely to make them feel fulfilled in their roles. For employers, it can act as a useful retention tool and is a way of proving to employees how valued they are. With escalating teaching shortages at senior and middle level, it’s more important than ever that WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

schools take all opportunities to retain the best and brightest teachers. This is also more pertinent in the educational sphere, as opposed to the private sector, given that schools are more likely to promote from within rather than headhunt external candidates in the way that big businesses might. This is an area, though, that schools should start to consider as either an opportunity or a threat, particularly when conducting annual reviews with their own staff.

The right stuff While the prevalence of succession planning in education is lower than in the private sector, this is understandable given that schools don’t have the luxury of dedicated HR departments. However, one way that education professionals can draw on some of the skills they honed in the classroom is the way in which they identify potential. In the same way that promise is recognised in students, teachers can use this same intuition to spot colleagues who may

Succession planning can act as a powerful motivator for the teachers involved make management material. While those in the corporate world might focus on qualification and skills, schools are more likely to look at a wider picture that incorporates the staff, pupil and parent relationship-building skills that make a candidate the right fit for a particular role.

Succession planning isn’t a topic that is going to reduce in importance either; according to the research, 59 per cent of senior teachers think it is set to become a higher priority in future and none think it is likely to become less significant.

Embracing succession planning shows that schools are committed to continuity, adaptation, creativity and innovation – all traits that are important in any educational institution. It also means that knowledge of the school and its ethos are less likely to be lost forever when a senior teacher walks through the school gates for the last time.

Further information

Jenny Rollinson is Managing Director of Randstad Education and a governor at a school in Kent: www.randstad.co.uk/education

Schools need to retain and reward their best teachers.

SENISSUE72

105

106

RECRUITMENT

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

RECRUITMENT

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

107

108

CPD, events and training Keep up to date with the latest developments in special educational needs, with SEN Magazine's essential guide to the best courses, workshops, conferences and exhibitions

We take every care when compiling the information on the following pages. However, details may change, and we recommend that you contact the event organisers before you make arrangements to attend.

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

110

CPD AND EVENTS Rebound Therapy Staff Training Courses

Sounds of Intent training days

The National Rebound Therapy Consultancy - with founder Eddy Anderson. The official UK body of reference and provider of nationally accredited, certificated staff training courses in Rebound Therapy.

In-house training packages for schools

01342 870543 www.reboundtherapy.org

Speech and Language Sciences MSc University College London

A clinical training programme as well as a challenging academic degree, the core subject is speech and language pathology and therapy. Students consider approaches to the investigation and management of clients with communication and swallowing problems. www.ucl.ac.uk

Severe, Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties MEd/ Postgraduate Diploma/ Postgraduate Certificate University of Birmingham

This part-time, campus-based, blended learning programme has been developed for a range of professionals/ practitioners who work with children and adults with learning difficulties in educational settings across the severe and profound range (SLD/ PMLD) such as teachers and lecturers, nurses, therapists, psychologists and support staff. www.birmingham.ac.uk

Training days will allow schools to begin using the Sounds of Intent framework of musical development, which was designed particularly (though not exclusively) for children and young people with learning difficulties, including autism and sensory and motor impairments. The training package/day(s) can be tailored to suit the needs of individual schools, primarily to fit in with how music is delivered. www.soundabout.org.uk

Partners in Learning course for teachers and support staff Partners in Learning is a modular BTEC course developed between RNIB and the Open University, using a blended learning approach of face-to-face training with online study and discussion activities. The course is designed to increase your understanding of visual impairment and its impact on learning. It encourages you to identify key factors in effective inclusion and to reflect on how to promote these in the educational context in which you work. www.rnib.org.uk

Understanding visual impairment in children and young people

autism@abdn.ac.uk

This is an online course, designed to support the training needs of professionals and parents in order to improve the quality of learning opportunities available to children and young people with visual impairment. The course looks at how visual impairment affects children and young people, issues of growing up and learning with a visual impairment and what provision is available to support them. This course is available on a regular basis and leads to an RNIB certificate.

www.abdn.ac.uk

www.rnib.org.uk

Autism and Learning - PG Certificate/Diploma/MEd University of Aberdeen

The programme aims to give practitioners an in depth understanding of the condition and the working of the autistic mind. It will equip participants with a range of practical approaches and interventions that will enable children and young people on the spectrum to access learning, participate actively, experience success, gain independence, and fulfil their potential.

SENISSUE72

RNIB Certificate in Contracted (grade 2) English Braille

Leadership for Teachers and Trainers

This is a distance learning course aimed at any sighted learner who supports individuals using Braille, such as parents, teachers, teaching assistants and support workers. It provides tuition in how to read and write contracted English Braille.

This course will help develop your strategic leadership skills and is aimed at teachers and leadership teams in schools including senior and middle managers within a school or training organisation.

www.rnib.org.uk

MA in Education (Early Years) Centre for Research in Early Childhood

Accredited by Birmingham City University and recognised for their practice based approach, the modules are intended for practitioner researchers looking for a framework and academic recognition of their current research and work.

Popular modules include: Learning Outdoors in Early Childhood, Early Years Music, Leadership and Management and others www.crec.co.uk

NAS Training and Consultancy The NAS can offer in-house and open access training to suit your timetable and learning outcomes. www.autism.org.uk/training

Certificate in Understanding Autism in Schools A three-day programme leading to a Certificate in Understanding Autism (accredited at 40 credits level 4 or 5 by Canterbury Christ Church University). The course is usually taken one day per school term. Courses are purchased by local authorities who then make places available to staff working in education. www.autism.org.uk/training

Online

www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk

Rebound Therapy for SEN 2014/15 HEADS is facilitating a number of Rebound Therapy training courses nationally in 2014/15.

Visit the HEADS website for course dates and further information. www.headstraining.co.uk

iPAD Training Hadrian Education and Development Services are working in collaboration with Ian Bean to deliver three specialist iPAD training courses over the Autumn, Spring and Summer Term 2014/15. The courses cover everything from apps and creative solutions to inclusive computing. Visit the HEADS website for course dates. www.headstraining.co.uk

First Aid Training HEADS Training is expanding its portfolio of courses to offer first aid qualifications.

All courses are accredited via Qualsafe Awards and are regulated by OFQUAL. Courses include Full First Aid at Work, Pediatric First Aid and Emergency First Aid. Visit the HEADS website for course dates. www.headstraining.co.uk

The Impact of Loss, Grief and Bereavement on the Professional

Strategies for Successful Special Needs Support is an introductory online course accredited by The College of Teachers at Certificate of Educational Studies level. The course is for teachers and others working with children with special needs and includes full tutor support.

Hadrian Education and Development Services are working in collaboration with Child Bereavement UK to offer this excellent one-day training opportunity. The course is aimed at teachers, support staff, educational psychologists, school nurses, link workers, mentors and any other professionals working with young people. Visit the HEADS website for course dates.

www.collegeofteachers.ac.uk

www.headstraining.co.uk

Strategies for Successful Special Needs Support Online

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

112

CPD AND EVENTS Level 4 CPD Certificate in Dyslexia in the Classroom Online

Dyslexia Action's continuing professional development online course has been developed specifically for classroom teachers and teaching assistants working in the primary and secondary education fields. Many units are also suitable for those working in further education.

This CPD course is primarily intended for UK based applicants. However, UK teachers working overseas in an English speaking international school may also apply. dyslexiaaction.org.uk

Autism Seminars for Families: sensory needs insert now available A resource pack to enable you to deliver autism seminars in your local area. A cost effective way to help you support families. www.autism.org.uk/familyseminarpack

Network Autism: free online discussion group on SEN reforms Take part in the new policy group dedicated to SEN reforms, read the latest research and collaborate with others. www.networkautism.org.uk

Free one hour webinars on education and autism The National Autistic Society and Axcis Education Recruitment have produced webinars to help teachers and educators learn the tools and strategies they need to support children with autism. www.autism.org.uk/webinars

Reviewing Your School: An Introduction to Inspection Skills Various venues or in your school/ local authority/cluster

This four-day training course programme explores school evaluation, enabling senior leaders in special and mainstream schools to fully understand the observation process and resulting judgements.

Call Tribal on:

0117 3115484 learning@tribalgroup.com

SENISSUE72

Reviewing Provision for Pupils with Special Educational Needs

Henshaws College Family Open Days

Various dates

Intensive Interaction – with Phoebe Caldwell

This one-day course is for mainstream schools and units, and is designed to analyse the new Code of Practice and support and improve SEN provision.

Call Tribal on:

Regular open days for families and students to explore the campus, meet staff and students and learn how Henshaws could support you to achieve your goals. Open days 8 Oct, 26 Nov, 4 Feb, 11 Mar, 15 Apr and 17 June.

Booking essential.

0117 3115484

01423 886451

01524-832828

learning@tribalgroup.com

admissions@henshaws.ac.uk

www.concept-training.co.uk

Various venues or in your school/ local authority/cluster

Developing a Meaningful Education for Pupils with PMLD This one-day course is aimed at special school teachers and senior leaders who wish to enhance their provision. This course is run by Dr Penny Lacey, a leading expert in PMLD. Call Tribal on:

Various venues

0117 3115484

01524 832828

Various venues or in your school/ local authority/cluster

Tribal have collaborated with renowned behaviour expert Fintan O’Regan to create a suite of courses which focus on ADHD, dealing with challenging behaviour and social, mental and emotional health.

Call Tribal on:

0117 3115484 learning@tribalgroup.com

Accredited at level 2 by the Open College Network. This course is for anyone working with or caring for either adults or children with Autism.

Concept Training Ltd www.concept-training.co.uk

Various dates

Understanding Behaviour As Communication And How To Respond Positively Various venues

This course is suitable for those working with children or adults who have challenging behaviour, learning difficulties including autistic spectrum condition and no or limited language.

01524 832828 www.concept-training.co.uk

Henshaws College Professional Development Days Harrogate

Regular free professional development events for professionals working with young people with disabilities.

Next event: Eye Gaze Clinic 24 Sept. Demonstrations of the latest technology from Smartbox Assistive Technology and hands-on sessions.

Booking essential.

Concept Training Ltd

Various dates Various dates

Autism Spectrum, An Introduction, Level 2

Various Behaviour Management Courses

This course is for anyone who works with adults or children with severe disability, multiple disabilities, challenging behaviour, autism and people with whom it is difficult to make contact.

www.henshaws.ac.uk

Various venues or in your school/ local authority/cluster

learning@tribalgroup.com

Various venues

Various dates

Supporting people on the Autism Spectrum in Producing Written Work

Positive Ways of Changing Behaviour Various venues

Don’t just manage challenging or difficult behaviour, use pro-active approaches to support children and service users to make positive behavioural changes. Gain an understanding of behaviour and its function and learn to recognise early warning signs of negative behaviour and make positive early interventions Concept Training Ltd

01524-832828 www.concept-training.co.uk

Various dates (as required)

People First Education SEN INSET training Effective, personalised, in-house training delivered by experienced, qualified and approachable trainers. Contact for information and availability.

Online booking available.

01427 667556 www.peoplefirsteducation.co.uk

Various dates (as required)

People First Education SEN Consultations and Observations

Concept Training Ltd

In-house observations of learners, supported by teacher consultations followed by whole staff lunchtime/twilight feedback session and detailed, personalised written reports including recommendations and interventions. Contact for information and availability.

Online booking available.

admissions@henshaws.ac.uk

01524-832828

01427 667556

www.henshaws.ac.uk

www.concept-training.co.uk

www.peoplefirsteducation.co.uk

01423 886451

Various venues

This course is suitable for anyone who works with children, young people or adults, who are on the autism spectrum, in an educational setting.

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

CPD AND EVENTS

In the next issue of SEN Magazine: PMLD safeguarding creative arts professional support for teachers spina bifida alternative therapies epilepsy attachment issues parents’ rights autism dyslexia CPD recruitment and much more...

To advertise, call Denise on: 01200 409808 or email: denise@senmagazine.co.uk

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

113

114

CPD AND EVENTS Various September

People First Education: Dyslexia Day 9 September: Premier Inn, Carlisle 17 September: Premier Inn Leeds/ Bradford Airport 25 September: Lansdowne Hotel Norwich 30 September: Premier Meetings Port Solent, Portsmouth

Effective inclusion of learners with dyslexia: A day course to enhance the literacy skills of learners with dyslexia. £145 + VAT. Contact for information and availability. Online booking available.

01427 667556 www.peoplefirsteducation.co.uk

Various September and October

People First Education: Visual Interventions and Social Stories Day 11 September: Premier Inn Cardiff City Centre 16 September: Premier Inn, The Haymarket Bristol 18 September: Premier Inn Brighouse West Yorkshire 2 October: Premier Inn (Team Valley), Gateshead 7 October: London Docklands, ExCel London 8 October: Latton Bush Centre, Harlow, Essex

Visual and auditory social and behavioural strategies for learners with ASDs, ADHD and related conditions. £145 + VAT. Contact for information and availability. Online booking available.

13 September

I’m Deeply Unhappy…But Don’t Help Me! Reaching Out To Highly Defended Children (Age 5-18) London

Conference 10.00 - 5.15pm Cost: £174 The Centre for Child Mental Health

020 7354 2913

info@childmentalhealthcentre.org www.childmentalhealthcentre.org

17 September

Specialist Assessment: Access Arrangements Update JCQ Regulations 2014/2015 Thistle Hotel Birmingham

Half-day AM or PM An opportunity for assessors and teachers/ tutors working with SpLD learners to update their knowledge of the JCQ Access Arrangements for 2014/ 2015.

Booking ref: BHM17/09/14 www.patoss-dyslexia.org/ ProfessionalServices/EventsCPD

September 2014 11 September

Kidz Scotland Edinburgh

The largest free UK exhibitions dedicated to children with disabilities and special needs, their parents and carers and the professionals who work with them. Source and test the latest products and services on the market. www.disabledliving.co.uk

SENISSUE72

9 October

Turning Theory into Practice London

For parents and those representing parents/children/ young people, award-winning Douglas Silas explains the new SEN law and outlines how to resolve disputes. www.SpecialEducationalNeeds.co.uk

8 October

Specialist Assessment: Principles and Practice in Assessment for Access Arrangements in FE London Hilton Euston

An opportunity for specialist assessors/tutors to gain or refresh their knowledge of the principles and practice of specialist teacher assessment, management of and requirements for access arrangements in further education.

Booking ref: LON08/10/14 www.patoss-dyslexia.org/ ProfessionalServices/EventsCPD

24 September

People First Education: Promoting Positive Behaviour Day Best Western Oaklands Hall, Laceby, Grimsby

For learners with ADHD/ASD and related conditions. £175 + VAT. Contact for information and availability. Online booking available.

01427 667556

www.peoplefirsteducation.co.uk

October 2014

01427 667556 www.peoplefirsteducation.co.uk

7 October

1 October

Specialist Assessment: Principles and Practice in Assessment for and Management of Access Arrangements Novotel Southampton

An opportunity for teachers and tutors to gain or refresh their knowledge of the principles and practice of specialist teacher assessment and requirements for Access Arrangements for GCSE and GCE for learners with SpLD. Booking ref: SHM01/10/14

9 October

Exercising Your Statistics Workshop London Hilton Euston

New for autumn 2014 An opportunity for assessors/ specialist teachers to strengthen their understanding of psychometric principles and secure their skills in managing statistical information to ensure data is calculated and reported with utmost accuracy.

Led by Jen McDermott and Jenny Stacey.

Booking ref: LON109/10/14 www.patoss-dyslexia.org/ ProfessionalServices/EventsCPD

Children and youth with disorders of consciousness: Linking practice with research Tadworth, Surrey

This conference is a unique opportunity for both researchers and practitioners to share their work relating to disorders of consciousness (minimally conscious/ vegetative state) resulting from acquired brain injury in children and young people. This is The Children’s Trust’s second conference on children with disorders of consciousness – the first in 2012 attracted more than 90 professionals from heath, education and social care, from all over the UK and Europe. www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk

9 October

Girls on the autism spectrum conference London

This conference aims to further the discussion around diagnosis and support for women and girls. Dr Wenn Lawson will give the keynote address. www.autism.org.uk/conferences/ women2014

10 and 11 October

TES Special Educational Needs Show Business Design Centre, London

This is the event of the year for school leaders, teachers, support staff, parents and carers with an interest in SEN. There will be eight seminars covering the new SEN Code of Practice, plus inspiring CPD and 16 free workshop sessions. Register for your free fast-track entry pass at: www.tessenshow.co.uk

follow us on www.twitter.com/senmagazine join us on www.facebook.com/senmagazine

www.patoss-dyslexia.org/ ProfessionalServices/EventsCPD

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

CPD AND EVENTS 13 and 14 October

ADHD Foundation National Conference: Early Interventions and Transitions Liverpool

This conference, for education and social care professionals, will examine early interventions and transitions in ADHD and related mental health needs.

Current trends, future provision and national policy will be debated. Special discounted rate for those attending both days. www.adhdfoundation.org.uk

14 October

15 October

NAS Training – Learning to wee and poo in the right place – continence problems in children with autism Leeds

Look at autism and the reasons why children may have toileting difficulties, toileting training and specific continence issues alongside autism-related continence issues. www.autism.org.uk/training

18 October

Understanding and supporting challenging behaviour in people with autism conference

How Troubled Childhoods Affect Brains, Body, Health and the Next Generation: What we can do about it

Birmingham

London

The conference will discuss the causes of anxiety for people with autism and the types of behaviour which can be used to express this anxiety.

Conference

www.autism.org.uk/conferences/behaviourB2014

10.00 - 5.00pm Cost: £174 The Centre for Child Mental Health

020 7354 2913 info@childmentalhealthcentre.org www.childmentalhealthcentre.org

Autism

T.E.A.C.C.H. Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children

3 DAY TRAINING COURSE 26-28 January 2015 £391 17-19 June 2015 £391

———————

Course Led by Prof. Gary Mesibov former Dir. Div. TEACCH This training is most appropriate for: Educators, therapists, administrators, paraprofessionals and families Includes am/pm refreshments, light lunch.

Autism Independent UK (SFTAH) 199-203 Blandford Ave. Kettering, Northants. NN16 9AT. Tel./Fax: 01536 523274 autism@autismuk.com Book on-line: www.autismuk.com

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

115

116

CPD AND EVENTS 20 - 24 October

TEACCH five-day course Inspirational and intensive course combining active learning sessions with direct, supervised experience working with students with autism in a structured setting. Led by TEACCH trainers from Division TEACCH and trainers from Prior’s Court with extensive training and experience with the TEACCH approach following more than seven years working with Division TEACCH. £1195 professionals/parents Prior’s Court Training and Development Centre, Newbury, Berkshire

01635 247202 training@priorscourt.org.uk www.priorscourt.org.uk

4 November

The Children’s Trust Open Day for Professionals

Kidz Up North

Cardiff

Tadworth, Surrey

One of the largest, free UK exhibitions dedicated to children with special needs, their families and those who work with them. Over 170 exhibitors are expected offering advice and information on funding, mobility, seating, beds, communication, access, education, toys, transport and more.

This is an opportunity to discuss strategies and techniques that will help you support children and young people with PDA, approaches to managing behaviour and issues with communication. www.autism.org.uk/conferences/ PDA2014

6 November

Turning Theory into Practice London

For local authorities (both “education” and “care”), award-winning Douglas Silas explains the new SEN law and outlines how to resolve disputes.

22 October London

For schools/colleges, awardwinning Douglas Silas explains the new SEN law and outlines how to resolve disputes. www.SpecialEducationalNeeds.co.uk

28 October, 11 and 25 November

NAS Training and University of Cumbria – Introduction to working with individuals on the autism spectrum Lancaster

A 20-credit module that explores ways of working with people with autism and Asperger syndrome in a range of settings, validated at both undergraduate and graduate levels. www.autism.org.uk/training

7 November

Confident Parenting for Professionals This one-day course is for professionals, including teachers, social workers, educational and clinical psychologists, who work with parents of children with special educational needs. This course will train practitioners in the successful delivery of parental workshops, to empower parents of youngsters with learning difficulties to confidently manage their child. www.headstraining.co.uk

12 November

Value for Money: Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluation Progress London Hilton Euston

November 2014 1 November

A Day with Professor Leslie Greenberg Healing Through Attachment and Emotion Conference 10.00 - 5.00pm Cost: £174 The Centre for Child Mental Health

020 7354 2913 info@childmentalhealthcentre.org www.childmentalhealthcentre.org

SENISSUE72

20 November

Pathological Demand Avoidance conference

www.SpecialEducationalNeeds.co.uk

Turning Theory into Practice

13 November

Another opportunity for independent and school based teachers to explore an effective system of measuring and evaluating their SpLD learner’s response to intervention and demonstrate effectiveness to their stakeholders. This course is suitable for teachers in primary, secondary and sixth form arenas.

Booking ref: Lon12/11/14 www.patoss-dyslexia.org/ ProfessionalServices/EventsCPD

If you work with children and their families, find out how The Children’s Trust’s expertise and services have developed, see its facilities and speak to its multidisciplinary team. The free events will offer an overview of the Trust’s residential brain injury rehabilitation, community-based support, transitional services for technology-dependent children, and education for learners with profound and multiple learning difficulties. www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk/opendays

15 November

From Loving in Pain to Loving in Peace.

Interventions for Attachment Disorders Conference 10.00 - 5.00pm Cost: £174 The Centre for Child Mental Health

020 7354 2913 info@childmentalhealthcentre.org www.childmentalhealthcentre.org

18 November

Turning Theory into Practice For healthcare organisations/ professionals, award-winning Douglas Silas explains the new SEN law and outlines how to resolve disputes. www.SpecialEducationalNeeds.co.uk

20 November

ISC SEN Conference BMA House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9JP

The ninth in this prestigious series of conferences aimed at SENCOs, directors of learning, learning support teachers and heads and SMT members who wish to understand or improve the SEN provision in their schools. Topics to be covered include SEND reform, access arrangements, dyspraxia, co-morbidity, phonics and emotional health issues. www.iaps.org.uk/courses/detail/687

EventCity, Manchester

www.disabledliving.co.uk

25 November

Autism a hands on approach: 11th Annual National Conference Stockport

This conference, organised and attended by parents and professionals, is now one of the largest conferences of this type in the North West. This year, the conference has again attracted some of the biggest names in the world of autism: Prof Rita Jordan, Prof David Skuse, Dr Jacqui AshtonSmith, Phoebe Caldwell and Charlotte Moore (author/ parent). For further details, contact Tanya Farley: 07966 399 709 autism.ahandsonapproach@gmail.com

27 November

Autism 2014 – Good Practice and Practical Strategies Glasgow

A one-day conference Contact Medica CPD for further information:

0141 638 4098 Carolyn@medicacpd.com www.medicacpd.com

28 November

Sensory Processing and Autism Glasgow

A half-day training course Contact Medica CPD for further information:

0141 638 4098 Carolyn@medicacpd.com www.medicacpd.com

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

CPD AND EVENTS

SCERTS

Day1-2 Introduction & Day 3 Formal Assessment/Advanced to the SCERTS

Using the SCERTS curriculum & practice principles to design programming for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

———————

2 DAY TRAINING COURSE 29-30th January 2015 £260 ———————

Course Led by

Emily Rubin MS, CCC-SLP Director This training is most appropriate for: Educators, therapists, administrators, paraprofessionals, & families Includes am/pm refreshments, light lunch.

Autism Independent UK (SFTAH) 199-203 Blandford Ave. Kettering, Northants. NN16 9AT. Tel./Fax: 01536 523274 autism@autismuk.com Book on-line: www.autismuk.com

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

117

118

CPD AND EVENTS December 2014 2 December

Raising pupil attainment - optimising the Pupil Premium and further steps for policy and practice Central London

With Dr John Dunford, National Pupil Premium Champion, Department for Education and Christopher Wood HMI, Review Lead and Author, Unseen Children: access and achievement - 20 years on, Ofsted. www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk

24 to 26 February 2015

GESS Dubai – Bursting with Education Ideas Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE

GESS Dubai is the region’s only event dedicated to the entire spectrum of educational supplies and solutions. With a wide range of products, live demonstrations and a comprehensive three-day conference programme, there is no better place to see the latest education technologies and solutions in action. www.gessdubai.com

March 2015

3 December

Turning Theory into Practice For educational psychologists/ therapists, award-winning Douglas Silas explains the new SEN law and outlines how to resolve disputes. www.SpecialEducationalNeeds.co.uk

February 2015 16 - 20 February 2015

TEACCH five-day course Inspirational and intensive course combining active learning sessions with direct, supervised experience working with students with autism in a structured setting. Led by TEACCH trainers from Division TEACCH and trainers from Prior’s Court with extensive training and experience with the TEACCH approach following more than seven years working with Division TEACCH. Prior’s Court Training and Development Centre, Newbury, Berkshire

01635 247202 training@priorscourt.org.uk www.priorscourt.org.uk

SEN MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Sign up at: www.senmagazine.co.uk

18 - 20 March 2015

The 12th International London Eating Disorders Conference 2015

October 2015

4 - 8 April 2016

TEACCH five-day course 19 - 23 October 2015

TEACCH five-day course Inspirational and intensive course combining active learning sessions with direct, supervised experience working with students with autism in a structured setting. Led by TEACCH trainers from Division TEACCH and trainers from Prior’s Court with extensive training and experience with the TEACCH approach following more than seven years working with Division TEACCH. Prior’s Court Training and Development Centre, Newbury, Berkshire

01635 247202

Inspirational and intensive course combining active learning sessions with direct, supervised experience working with students with autism in a structured setting. Led by TEACCH trainers from Division TEACCH and trainers from Prior’s Court with extensive training and experience with the TEACCH approach following more than seven years working with Division TEACCH. Prior’s Court Training and Development Centre, Newbury, Berkshire

01635 247202

training@priorscourt.org.uk

training@priorscourt.org.uk

www.priorscourt.org.uk

www.priorscourt.org.uk

Institute of Education, London

The programme for the London Eating Disorders Conference is being compiled

by Professor Bryan Lask and Dr Rachel Bryant-Waugh, both leading authorities in the field of eating disorders.

The keynote speaker will be Professor Michael Strober from University of California, USA, who is internationally renowned for his work on the assessment and treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

We take every care when compiling the information on these pages. However, details may change, and we recommend that you contact the event organisers for up-to-date information before you make arrangements to attend.

www.mahealthcareevents.co.uk

April 2015 30 April 2015

Confident Parenting for Professionals This one-day course is for professionals, including teachers, social workers, educational and clinical psychologists, who work with parents of children with special educational needs. This course will train practitioners in the successful delivery of parental workshops, to empower parents of youngsters with learning difficulties to confidently manage their child. www.headstraining.co.uk

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

CPD AND EVENTS

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

119

120

SEN RESOURCES DIRECTORY

SEN resources directory Information, advice and support for all things SEN...

ADHD ADDers.org

Information and support forum for those affected by ADD/ADHD:

www.adders.org

Bullying Bullying UK

Epilepsy Action

Support and advice on bullying:

Advice and information on epilepsy:

www.bullying.co.uk

www.epilepsy.org.uk

Childline National Attention Deficit Disorder Advice and support for those suffering from bullying: Information and Support Service www.childline.org.uk (ADDISS) Resources and information for ADHD:

Scope UK Help, advice and support for children and adults affected by cerebral palsy:

www.scope.org.uk

Down syndrome Asperger Foundation UK (ASF)

Down’s Syndrome Association (DSA)

Support for people with Asperger’s syndrome:

Information, support and training for those affected by Down syndrome:

www.aspergerfoundation.org.uk

www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

Autism Awareness

The Down’s Syndrome Research Foundation UK (DSRF)

Forum for sharing experience/advice for those affected by ASD:

www.autism-awareness.org.uk

Charity focussing on medical research into Down syndrome:

www.dsrf-uk.org

Autistica

Charity raising funds for medical research into autism:

Young Epilepsy

Support for children and young people with epilepsy plus training for professionals.

www.youngepilepsy.org.uk

Cerebral palsy

www.addiss.co.uk

Autism/ASD

Epilepsy

Dyslexia

www.autistica.org.uk

FASD The FASD Trust www.fasdtrust.co.uk

The National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome UK

Support for those affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

www.nofas-uk.org

General SEN British Institute for Learning Disabilities Charity for learning disabilities:

www.bild.org.uk

Cerebra UK

Charity for children with brain related conditions:

www.cerebra.org.uk

Child Brain Injury Trust

National Autistic Society (NAS)

Help and information for those affected

by ASD:

Supporting children, young people, families and professionals when a child has acquired a brain injury.

www.autism.org.uk

www.childbraininjurytrust.org.uk

Research Autism

Charity focused on researching interventions in autism:

www.researchautism.net

Bullying Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA)

Charity dedicated to reforming attitudes and policy towards bullying:

www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

Beat Bullying

British Dyslexia Association (BDA) Information and support for people affected by dyslexia:

www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

Dyslexia Action Charity providing services to those affected by dyslexia:

www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk

Dyspraxia Dyspraxia Foundation UK

Department for Education (DfE) The UK Government’s education department:

www.education.gov.uk

Mencap

Learning disabilities charity:

www.mencap.org.uk

National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN)

UK bullying prevention charity:

Dyspraxia advice and support

Organisation for the education, training, advancement of those with SEN:

www.beatbullying.org

www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

www.nasen.org.uk

SENISSUE72

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SEN RESOURCES DIRECTORY

General SEN National Parent Partnership Network

Network of local partnerships providing information, advice and support for parents and carers of those with SEN:

www.parentpartnership.org.uk

Home schooling The Home Education Network UK (THENUK) National organisation for home educators:

www.thenuk.com/

PMLD

Hearing impairment

www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk

Tourette’s syndrome Tourette's Action Information and advice on Tourette’s:

www.tourettes-action.org.uk

Rebound therapy The National Rebound Therapy Consultancy

www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk

UK governing body for rebound therapy.

www.reboundtherapy.org

Deafness Research UK

Charity promoting medical research into hearing impairment:

The Communication Trust Raising awareness of SLCN:

Information and support for PMLD:

Action on Hearing Loss

Hearing impairment charity:

SLCN

PMLD Network www.pmldnetwork.org

SEN law

Visual impairment National Blind Children’s Society Support and services for parents and carers of blind children:

www.nbcs.org.uk

Douglas Silas Solicitors

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)

Specialising exclusively in SEN cases

Support and advice to those affected by

National Deaf Children’s Society

www.SpecialEducationalNeeds.co.uk

visual impairment:

www.ndcs.org.uk

Independent Parental Special Education Advice

www.deafnessresearch.org.uk

Charity to help deaf children and young people:

Law

Legal advice and support for parents:

www.ipsea.org.uk

Spina bifida Shine Learning outside the classroom

Information and support relating to spina bifida and hydrocephalus:

www.shinecharity.org.uk

Council for Learning Outside the classroom (CLOtC)

Awarding body for the LOtC quality badge:

www.lotc.org.uk

Literacy

SLCN

121

www.rnib.org.uk

For the latest news, articles, resources, cpd and events listings, visit: www.senmagazine.co.uk

ACE Centre Advice on communication aids:

www.ace-centre.org.uk

Afasic Help and advice on SLCN:

www.afasicengland.org.uk

National Literacy Trust (NLT)

Communication Matters

Literacy charity for adults and children:

Support for people with little or no clear speech:

www.literacytrust.org.uk

www.communicationmatters.org.uk

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK

SENISSUE72

122

eazine for special SthuebUK'sslecadrinib g mag

to year (6 issues) educational needs ÂŁ48.50 a+44 1200 409800) tions please call: (UK only. For international subscrip

Get every issue of SEN Magazine delivered direct to your home or work place.

Simply fill in this form and send it to the address below.

Contact details for delivery: Home q Work q Title ___________ First name _____________________________ Surname ____________________________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Town _____________________________________________ County __________________________________________ Postcode _________________________________ Tel. (inc. STD)______________________________________________ Email _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Which of the following categories best describe your involvement with special educational needs?

SENCO Headteacher Teacher TA/classroom assistant Student

q q q q q

Parent q Carer q Therapist q Educational psychologist q Other (please specify) _______________________

How to pay By cheque: make your cheque for ÂŁ48.50 payable to SEN Magazine and post with this form to the address below.

Bank or card payment: If you would like to pay by BACS or debit/credit card, please contact the office on: 01200 409800 or email: subscribe@senmagazine.co.uk

Invoice required q Invoicing details (If different from above) Contact name ______________________________________________________________________________________ Organisation ________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Town _________________________________________ County ______________________________________________ Postcode ______________________________ Tel. (inc. STD) _______________________________________________ Order number _________________________________ Signature ____________________________________________

Subscriptions, SEN Magazine, Chapel House, 5 Shawbridge Street, Clitheroe BB7 1LY Tel: 01200 409800 Email: subscribe@senmagazine.co.uk SENISSUE72

SEN72

Accounts/contact email _______________________________________________________________________________ If you do not want to receive our monthly newsletter, tick here q

WWW.SENMAGAZINE.CO.UK