CPD Jenny


McConnell children’s


communication


charity I CAN discusses speech, language and communication needs in secondary-aged children and offers her advice to mainstream teachers


B


EN, 18, is a student at Dawn House School, near Mansfield, a special school run by children’s communication charity, I CAN. “When I was three, I was


diagnosed with speech and communication difficulties. My


experience at primary and secondary school was bad. They thought, because I could speak, I could understand and when I told them I didn’t understand, they thought I was being out of order. “So I became frustrated and angry and used to


behave badly. I remember once I was in a classroom, the teacher was angry with me and he was stood on a chair and said to me ‘why can’t you be like everyone else?’ That’s always stuck with me. It made me feel stupid and I felt trying my best just wasn’t good enough.” Ben spent two and half years out of secondary


school before coming to Dawn House which provides specialist education for children aged four to 19 with severe and complex communication difficulties. Unfortunately his story is typical of many of its students: late assessment and poor diagnosis, difficult behaviour and frustration, often leading to permanent exclusion.


Talking CPD How do teachers learn best?


Schools already have the knowledge


and expertise required to support sustainable improvement and CPD, says Graham Newell


“WE DO not have a strong enough focus on what is proven to be the most effective practice in teacher education and development. We know that teachers learn best from other professionals and that an ‘open classroom’ culture is vital: observing teaching and being observed, having the opportunity to plan, prepare, reflect and teach with other teachers.” The Importance of Teaching, The Schools White Paper, November 2010.


It was gratifying to see last month’s government White Paper acknowledge what many have long realised; that supporting teacher professional development offers the education system the greatest return on investment at this time of budgetary constraint. However, much of what currently passes


for professional development can be costly and ineffective. Even those processes that can be shown to work, like coaching and mentoring, are difficult to sustain and scale within the education system because of resource demands. Emerging technologies have an important role


to play as they can increase the impact, availability and ease with which teachers can engage in effective learning processes thereby leveraging the skills, knowledge and experience which is already within the education system. There is a sound and growing body of evidence


showing that pupil achievement is more closely linked to teacher quality than to expensive changes to organisation and structure. The McKinsey and Company report, How the World’s Top Performing School Systems Come Out


on Top (2007), provided a timely and clear analysis of the impact of the massive international increases in spending on education and ambitious attempts at reform. The report concluded that, despite such efforts,


the outcomes in many school systems have barely improved in decades. It also concluded that performance is not directly related to investment and used, as an illustration, Singapore, which is one of the world’s best performers but spends less on primary education than the majority of the countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The recent follow up report from McKinsey &


Company (2010), How the World’s Most Improved School Systems Keep Getting Better, identified those factors which move schools from good to excellent: embedding effective professional development, creating learning communities, observing and reflecting on lessons, and collaborative teaching styles. So, is more CPD the answer? It may be


considered a logical conclusion to provide more CPD activities. However, in recent years many schools have attempted to move away from traditional CPD activities, such as courses, lectures and workshops, recognising that only a limited amount of what is covered is ever enacted in the classroom. The adult learner is less open to transmission-


based learning and responds best to a model of discovery learning, whereby the individual is motivated to learn because of their experiences. A broad theoretical consensus has thus emerged


that new approaches such as building communities of practice, coaching, mentoring and effective teacher reflection should replace traditional mechanisms. The adoption of such programmes incorporating community-based strategies addresses the shortcomings of traditional professional development by contextualising learning. Schools know that within their community they


already have the skills, knowledge and expertise required to support sustainable improvements. According to the White Paper, only 25 per cent of teachers report that they are regularly observed in classroom practice. This has to change if we are to bring the existing knowledge, skills and expertise to bear.


• Graham Newell is director and education consultant for IRIS Connect. Visit www.irisconnect.co.uk


in association with


resources, training and support from experienced secondary consultants. Designed to make schools more communication-friendly, it enables each school to focus on the priority area for their pupils’ needs, and to tailor the programme accordingly. A small group of children with severe and complex


speech and language difficulties, however, need specialist and intensive support. Dawn House is one of two I CAN schools to offering a supportive whole- school environment. A cross-disciplinary team deliver a structured programme designed around the needs of each child. Teachers, speech and language therapists,


Supporting SEN


Nationwide, there are many young people like


Ben who need expert help and support to improve their communication. I CAN estimates that around one in 10 young people have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) which are likely to be long-term or persistent and due to a difficulty learning language. Children and young people with SLCN have various


difficulties with speech, language and communication which might include their ability to interact with others, manage their emotions and access the curriculum. Up to 10 per cent of all children will have long-


term, persistent SLCN. They may need direct and specific teaching with the involvement of a speech and language therapist and/or specialist teacher in order to make progress. Support and understanding from those around them is crucial. Difficulties with speech and language can impact on being able to understand what is happening and take part in lessons; learning to read and write; and being able to think things through and manage your feelings. There is a second, larger group of pupils who


may have poor, or limited language skills which are not due to a difficulty learning language but will still significantly impact on a young person’s experience of school. SLCN of this type are often associated with social disadvantage. In one mainstream inner city secondary school, three out of four pupils had communication difficulties that hampered relationships, behaviour and learning. Too often, problems with communication remain


hidden in secondary school. For many children, their needs are not identified or are diagnosed as something else such as behavioural issues. An analysis of school census data shows that in primary schools 26.5 per cent of children with SEN are identified as having SLCN. However, this drops dramatically at secondary to seven per cent. The proportion of children at secondary school with


behavioural, emotional and social difficulties as their SEN almost doubles to 30.3 per cent. These statistics suggest that children who are correctly identified as having SLCN at primary school are then categorised at secondary school as having behavioural difficulties. It can take time to access help – some students arrive at Dawn House after up to 18 months spent struggling in mainstream schools. I CAN is working to ensure teachers recognise and


tackle these issues so that children with communication difficulties do not get left out or left behind. It is creating a programme to support language and communication development in all secondary schools. Fifteen schools in England, including Dawn House,


are participating in the pilot of the Secondary Talk programme. Secondary Talk will offer schools practical


occupational therapists and support staff work collaboratively to ensure that the children can access the national curriculum. Staff-to-pupil ratios are high; with one teacher per class of eight to 12 children supported by a speech and language therapist or a teaching assistant. The changing profile of its students means that Dawn House School now offers post-16 provision to ensure the students are more likely to reach their potential. Poor school experiences like Ben’s can reduce


children’s self-esteem and young people with SLCN have been shown to be at greater risk of developing emotional and social difficulties or mental health issues. So Dawn House pays particular regard to the social and emotional needs of its 81 pupils. It offers learning mentors, and access to external agencies. Improving support for these students will have


significant impact. At the end of key stage 4, the attainment gap between children with SLCN and their peers is marked. Just 15 per cent of children with SLCN achieve five


GCSEs at A* to C or equivalent compared to 57 per cent of all young people. SLCN also has a significant impact on literacy and young people may leave school without the communication skills or qualifications they need to get a job. This can lead to unemployment, relationship difficulties and in some cases, anti-social or potential criminal activity. Schools participating in the Secondary Talk programme pilot are reporting positive outcomes for individual students and the programme is being evaluated. Staff from other local schools can access Dawn


House’s programme of CPD. Learning Through Practice days are tailored to meet a specific school’s needs and offer specialist training for mainstream secondary teachers in the impact of communication difficulties on all areas of learning. Some young people with SLCN may experience


difficulties understanding the purpose and intention of the lesson, grasping subject specific vocabulary, understanding the next steps of an activity or remaining on task. The training Dawn House School offers helps teachers learn how to support pupils with SLCN in their lessons. At Dawn House, Ben has now completed his


GCSEs and attends a mainstream college three days a week. In the future he hopes to work in performing arts and attend RADA. Ben puts his achievements down to the confidence he has gained because he has been supported in his understanding and learning. Dawn House’s experience shows that special


schools can work together with mainstream schools to share expertise and knowledge to ensure that children with speech, language and communication needs are correctly diagnosed. Working in partnership helps them develop and implement strategies to ensure that such pupils can access their education and achieve their potential in both their education and life.


SecEd


• Jenny McConnell is head of therapy and outward facing services with I CAN.


Further information


• Secondary Talk: secondarytalk@ican.org.uk • I CAN: www.ican.org.uk • Talking Point: www.talkingpoint.org.uk • The Communication Trust: www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk


What strategies work to help children with SLCN?


• Check their understanding: ask the young person to repeat back in their own words what you have said, then you will know how much they have understood.


• Help them focus on what is important: give pointers for what they should listen to such as “it’s important you remember X from what I am going to tell you”.


• Give extra thinking time: allow extra time for them to listen and process language. • Simplify your language: use short chunks of language and only include the important points.


• Teach them strategies: encourage them to repeat what they have to remember “in their head” or to visualise what they have to do.


• Provide other cues: use visual timetables to help their understanding of the sequence of events.


• Help them make links: link new information to what the children and young people already know.


• If they have difficulties expressing themselves, respond to what they are trying to say rather than how.


• If someone stammers, give them time to think before responding. • If communication is a problem, use social stories to explain how turn-taking works and why it is important to listen to other people’s views.


• If they do not have enough language, focus on pronouncing new words well. Source: Don’t Get Me Wrong, The Communication Trust, 2010


SecEd • January 6 2011


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