SEN
The solution for our SEN children?
We wait with anticipation for the next stage of the SEN review. While we are waiting, the fl agship Achievement for All programme is already being rolled out across the country. What is it and what benefi ts could it bring to our SEN pupils? Suzanne O’Connell takes a look
T
he way in which we support and work with SEN pupils in our schools is being radically overhauled. Concern about the provision of SEN has been steadily growing and Ofsted’s
report in 2010 – The special educational needs and disability review: A statement is not enough – alleged that as many as half of pupils identifi ed as School Action need not be if there was an improved focus on teaching and learning in our classrooms. The themes from the report were picked up in the SEN Green Paper with concerns about expectations of pupils with SEN and the proposal
“There is a clear framework within which schools can develop an ongoing dialogue with parents about their child’s learning.”
that School Action and School Action Plus be replaced with a new school-based category. One of the Green Paper’s strategies for change is the Achievement for
All programme: “Achievement for All has shown that the engagement of effective school leadership, high expectations, greater and more constructive involvement of parents, clear target setting and careful tracking of pupil’s progress leads to an improvement in the outcomes pupils achieve – including improvements for those children and young people who have experienced barriers to learning.” (p.64) Initiated by the previous government, the Achievement for All
pilot involved 10 local authorities and 450 schools. It was allocated £31 million of funding over a two-year period and touched all phases of
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education. Results from the pilot were positive and now Department for Education (DfE) support for the programme is clear. Almost one year on from the release of the Green Paper and the newly
established charity Achievement for All 3As is heading the roll-out across schools. The government has pledged £14 million to the next stage of its implementation which is to be delivered through a partnership between private and public sector. Achievement for All 3As Ltd is being supported by
PricewaterhouseCoopers and will work with the New Schools Network to encourage academies and free schools to adopt the programme too.
What is Achievement for All? The programme targets the lowest attaining 20 per cent of learners in each school. It begins with registration and the allocation of an “achievement coach”. A needs analysis is followed by staff development and the delivery of the programme according to identifi ed need. Eventually the practice that is adopted as part of the programme is expected to be spread further than its original target audience. Although each school does develop its provision differently following
its needs analysis, there is a common core of elements that can be identifi ed in each participating school. These include: ■ Element 1: Leadership of the Achievement for All framework. ■ Element 2: High quality teaching and learning. ■ Element 3: Structured conversations with parents/carers. ■ Element 4: Wider outcomes. 1. Leadership of the Achievement for All Framework – An emphasis
is placed upon ensuring that school leadership is fi rmly in favour of the programme and a “champion” from within the school leadership team is expected to liaise closely with the achievement coach. 2. High quality teaching and learning –The importance of commitment
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