The responsibility for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) lies with everyone in a school. While a culture of joyous ownership is necessary, it can be undermined by unrealistic demands and a focus on accountability rather than support. Positive collaboration, inclusion, and celebrating successes are essential for fostering this ownership.
Tag Archives: SEN
Schools and families – do we want the same thing for our children with SEND?
Parents and teachers universally seek the best for children, yet dissatisfaction persists in schools, particularly regarding support for students with special educational needs. Surveys indicate rising complaints from parents, revealing divergent priorities between them and school staff. A collaborative approach is essential to ensure children’s diverse needs are met effectively.
Implementing Whole-School Approaches to SEND
SENDCOs face increasing demands due to rising numbers of pupils needing support. Successful schools adopt a whole-school approach to SEND, ensuring all staff engage with inclusion. Effective discussions about SEND should occur without the SENDCO’s presence, fostering collaboration and shared ownership. This collective focus and ongoing training are essential for meaningful progress.
SEND provision and parents: Communicating the ‘Why’ that drives our ‘What’
The author reflects on the importance of informing and involving parents regarding SEND provisions in schools, emphasizing the need to communicate the rationale behind teaching practices. By sharing the “why” of educational methods, schools can foster understanding and collaboration with parents, ultimately enhancing support for students with special educational needs.
The regular habits of a strategic SENDCO
SENDCOs face demanding roles filled with daily tasks such as managing pupils, coordinating with staff, and communicating with parents, which can hinder strategic oversight. Successful SENDCOs turn strategic priorities into manageable habits while aligning them with school goals. Realistic planning and support are essential to maintain focus on long-term objectives.
Inclusion in every mainstream setting – 5 ways to make this vision a reality
The article discusses the urgent need for bold reforms in inclusive mainstream education as a solution to the pressures of special school placements. It highlights the importance of developing expertise among all staff, sharing best practices between mainstream and specialist schools, investing appropriately, and utilizing research to inform effective strategies.
SEND: it’s not just good teaching (but it is good teaching)
When you walk into an inclusive classroom, you can often tell straightaway. It’s in the relationships, the communication, the learning environment. But these things (secure relationships, clear communication, etc.) benefit all pupils – so does that mean teaching pupils with SEND is ‘just good teaching’? Let me elaborate on why, for me, the answer is no.
SEND strategies: live by them, or death by them?
Communication of pupil-level strategies is a fundamental part of the SENDCO role and is an essential part of a whole-school approach. So what is the way forward, in terms of individualised strategies, so that all children can thrive?
SENDCOs and SLT – is it really that simple?
It’s a popular refrain that SENDCOs should be on SLT. So, in order to ensure effective leadership of SEND, should schools be placing their SENDCO on SLT? I wonder if that’s not only over-simplistic as a solution – it may even be that we’re asking the wrong question in the first place.
The flex: reasonable adjustment in the classroom for pupils with SEND
When it comes to getting classroom teaching right for pupils with SEND, it isn’t always about funding. It isn’t always about having years and years of specialist SEND training. It’s about the flex.
SEND Matters 