Views & Opinion Empowering staff and pupils


for effective break times Comment by Nicola Morgan, NSM Training & Consultancy Many schools are looking to help pupils


get more out of their time in the playground. Break-time is for letting off steam after a


morning in the classroom, it is a time for children to get together with their friends but it can also be an important time for pupils to improve on their physical activity and emotional well-being. New research has shown that having


trained staff on hand to guide and support children during school breaks can increase physical activity by as much as 12%. In addition, keeping children involved in


playground games can also improve on bad behaviour while children learn how to help and support fellow pupils as play leaders. Updated advice from NICE on Promoting Physical Activity For Children


and Young People in March this year focussed on increasing and improving physical activity during break times. The evidence they have highlighted suggests that school break-time


interventions, combined with more structure and the introduction of non-traditional playground games can help improve a child's exercise while children enjoy themselves at the same time. But having trained staff who know what they are doing to supervise


break-time is important, too. The guidelines also suggest that equipment should be available to


encourage children to develop movement skills and that daily opportunities should be provided for physically active play. A study carried out in Australian primary schools in 2013 gave one


group of children non-traditional materials, like car tyres and milk crates to play with in the playground while this was backed up by teacher-parent discussion groups that explored the perceived risks of children's free play. Meanwhile, the control schools had standard break-times without the


play materials and no teacher-parent intervention. What is fascinating is that the children's physical activity, when


measured, showed a significant impact made by the intervention on physical activity at break-times. Pupils from intervention schools engaged in 12% more moderate-to-


vigorous physical activity than children at control schools, plus there was a decrease in sedentary, showing the importance trained playground leaders and staff can have when they supervise school break-times. The children themselves can act as mentors to others by taking on the


role of play leader. In addition, the NICE guidelines also set out that children and young


people should be involved in the design, planning and delivery of physical activity opportunities. Getting the children involved to act as role models is a great way of


empowering pupil voice, helping to reduce unwanted behaviour and can even combat bullying. Fully trained play leaders (a role undertaken by children themselves) can


support Midday Supervisors during the lunch break, and provide a vital role in combating unwanted inappropriate behaviour. It is their responsibility to initiate and lead a variety of activities such as


high energy games, thinking/strategic games and creative play. When children are engaged in fun activities, they are less likely to become involved in poor behaviour. So schemes like the play leader training scheme can provide a fun and


exciting solution to all these achievable goals. Play-leading is something that offers so much scope for the whole


school community to develop socially, morally and emotionally, whilst also encouraging physical activity and a restorative justice approach to tackling bullying behaviours before they become damaging issues.


September 2015


‘Reviewing the register’ – what does good quality SEN provision


actually mean? Comment by Jane Friswell, Nasen


The world of special educational needs


(SEN) has seen a tumult of change over the past year. However, as we move into the start of a new academic year, educators should be starting to feel more secure with implementing these changes in the classroom, and providing the best possible teaching practice to support special educational needs effectively. Reviewing the SEN register is an ongoing


process but one which is particularly under the spotlight right now. Schools are working well to make better informed decisions driven by effective practice outcomes and well-grounded research based inventions in how to move forward with their pupils who may be currently recorded requiring SEN Support. High quality teaching, recognised as the universal offer of the school,


ought to be the foundation in every classroom. This way, staff are confidently identifying and meeting the needs of all learners, and evidence of this can be seen from observations of classroom practice, progress and attainment data, the scrutiny of work produced, discussion with teachers, the views of parents/carers as well as the views of the pupil, too. Everyone’s perspective informs cycle at each stage and decisions about


the need to change provision is agreed by all. Ideally, a school should be investing in achieving this strong foundation


of universal, high quality teaching through sound use of the SEN national budget, as well as the Pupil Premium Grant. This will lead to a reduction in the number of pupils who may need to access targeted provision and is fundamentally good practice for all. This whole school provision offer directs cycles of staff CPD, encourages enquiry-based practice and contributes to the sense of being a learning community for all (staff as well as pupils). Auditing an existing register must start with considering individual pupil


needs. Planning for the real involvement of parents/carers and the pupil themselves is also key. • What needs do they have and how do we know? (What evidence is there from initial assessment, previous cycles of the graduated approach, from parents or from the pupil themselves?)


• Have we considered any social, emotional or mental health needs? (What is their behaviour telling us?)


• What is their pattern of attainment and progress? (From this, can we tell what works for them?)


A review of the SEN Register should be carried out at least once a year.


Ideally, a school should be reviewing their SEN Register following learner progress meetings and gathering of whole school assessment data (approximately three times per year). Continual progress and improved attainment, for example where a learner is now working within age related expectations, should trigger re-assessment and discussion regarding the removal, or change of status, of learners placed on the SEN register. High-quality, inclusive teaching supported by effective whole-school


policies and frameworks, clearly targeted at all pupils’ needs and prior learning, is key.


It can mean setting a new trajectory for the learning


programme to take pupils to where they need to be in terms of age- related expectations. This reflective, constantly shifting approach is integral to good practice,


and something which should be nurtured in all teaching staff to become standard practice within the classroom. No two pupils are the same, even if their needs are identified as belonging to the same area of need. Once we know this, the next steps become reassuringly clear.


www.education-today.co.uk 17


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