Views & Opinion Time for SENDing change into schools Comment by Jane Friswell, chief executive of nasen


Over recent years, we have seen dramatic changes both in terms of policy and attitudes towards children and young people with special educational needs. That is why nasen established the Outstanding Schools Project; to highlight what best practice looks like and help other schools gain a clearer understanding of what it is they could be doing for their own students. A number of schools were interviewed and filmed to help show people exactly how outstanding SEN support can be achieved. No two schools are the same, but one thing was true of every school we saw: the needs of the children are the top priority.


Policy changes


The recent legislation, which came into effect in September, is the final piece of the biggest reform of SEND in a generation. These reforms put the individual needs of each child at the centre of a system that aims to help them to achieve their best. Good educational provision is a right of every child and we know from our work with schools that those that provide outstanding SEN support are all offering a personalised approach to meeting individual needs.


Of course, this kind of support takes an investment in time, energy and other resources,


but this isn’t an insurmountable challenge for schools. For our Outstanding Schools, it underpins every working day, and for our outstanding practitioners, investing time and effort into meeting each child’s needs is simply what they do. Camberwell Park, a school which featured in the Outstanding Schools Project, caters for 85 children with SEN who are aged between two and 11. Their ‘outstanding’ status serves as a reflection of the school’s mission statement; “All children are given the right to an outstanding education”. One of the most notable attitudes shared by the staff at Camberwell Park is their belief that they are all partners in their pupils’ education. Teachers and teaching assistants work collaboratively and flexibly with parents, carers and multi-agency workers to ensure all aspects of pupils’ needs are considered and met.


Individual challenges


Another school from the Project, Swanwick Hall, has a support centre and ‘loft’ facilities which are spaces designed specifically for students who need additional support. At Swanwick Hall, the belief was that, with the proper support and interventions put in place, every student, irrespective of their individual challenges, has the capacity to achieve.


This column is short, so we can’t go into too much detail, but ultimately it’s better to hear from the schools, pupils and parents themselves, which is why the films were made. The schools highlighted in the Outstanding Schools project have each used different methods and approaches to meet the varying needs of their pupils. There is no single reform or methodology that transforms practice, but from interviewing our schools we’ve found that it is often the small things that can make a big difference. And the desire to make a big difference is what got most of us into teaching.


To hear more from each school involved in the project, visit nasen’s YouTube channel.


Helping young people achieve their academic


potential and gain employability skills Comment by Fleur Sexton, Joint Managing Director, PET-Xi


Good qualifications in English and Maths are the most important academic credentials a young person can have and are vital for maintaining the UK’s position as a world-class employment pool.


However, because the government’s move to ensure all learners leave education with a GCSE Grade C in English and Maths (or its equivalent such as a Functional Skills qualification) coincides with the raising of the education participation age to 18, I see a danger that this compulsion could kill off motivation and enthusiasm in our young people, especially if they don’t succeed first time to gain those essential Grade Cs.


Future potential


Failure to achieve a C in Maths and English at Year 11 immediately limits a young person’s choices and future potential. It will also impact on the new school performance tables being introduced, based around Progress 8 and Attainment 8 measures, when only the grade from the first exam will be taken into consideration– regardless of any better marks


March 2015


achieved in subsequent attempts. As Professor Alison Wolf said in her government report on vocational qualifications ‘Good English and Maths grades are fundamental to young people’s employment and education prospects. Individuals with very low literacy and numeracy are severely disadvantaged in the labour market.’


Engagement is key


The key to success will be to ensure teaching makes these subjects relevant, interesting and fresh, with their qualifications achievable and within reach. So for post-16 students this must mean doing things differently, to avoid boredom setting in. Young people who haven’t reached Grade C by the age of 16 are evidently ‘not getting it’ at school. GCSE Maths will need to be tailored to suit different groups – for example to make the work relevant elements appropriate to their chosen trade need to be included. Engagement is key, but speed will also be vital – these students will want to get it done and dusted.


It’s important to operate a very high


staff/child ratio, focusing sharply on confidence building, exam technique and on the prioritisation and exposition of essential exam material. Support should be highly structured and fast paced – with expectations high!


Building on excellence


At PET-Xi, for every class of 20 students, our four–strong teams split the role of the class teacher into three elements - a lead motivator, a subject expert and two other team members who nurture the students, acting as their ‘champions’ by monitoring the mood of the group, helping to keep every single student on track and fully engaged and checking students are truly understanding the session. This approach brings together and builds on the excellent work carried out by teachers in years 7-11, and its success has been proven time after time with thousands of students across the UK. Crucial ingredients are mastering the basics; making sure students can apply them in multiple contexts and self-belief – getting each and every child to believe that a Grade C is within their grasp.


www.education-today.co.uk 11


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