SPOTLIGHT ON SEND


Engaging reluctant readers


In the first column of Education Today’s regular spotlight on SEND, SAL MCKEOWN, freelance journalist covering disability, education and technology, examines the various ways teachers can engage reluctant readers.


Children learn to read, and more importantly to enjoy books, at different ages. I think that the years 9-12, from preparation for SATs through the transition to secondary are vital, but at present there is far too much emphasis on early years and the acquisition of phonics. A child who takes to reading at this age will reap the benefits right through to adulthood. These days there are so many distractions and alternatives to


reading but there are still many things schools and families can do to make reading an enjoyable experience. I once interviewed some children in a primary school for an article on dyslexia and Grace in year 6 told me: 'I always wear a big jumper when I go into the library to hide the book that I am taking out. It is embarrassing.' Poor readers quite rightly feel awkward about reading what they see as 'baby books' and may be the butt of spiteful comments from classmates. E-books are excellent for children with dyslexia. They can read


them on a tablet phone or Kindle, change the text size, fonts and usually the spacing between lines. This means that they can have a large print book, perhaps with white print on a black background. Those with poor visual tracking skills can read a book one page at a time without being distracted by the words on a facing page. E-books are anonymous; you could be reading a low reading age / high interest text or the latest cult book. Let the child choose what they want to read and do not criticise


their choice. Look for books which link to television series. Some of these are weak but others are excellent. For example, the Dr Who books kept the brand alive and kept the audience very loyal during the years when it was not on television. Some children prefer non-fiction and go for football, science. If a child finds reading very hard then look at simplified readers


such as the Barrington Stoke (https://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/) books. If the children can read but doesn’t enjoy it, look for books with a strong storyline such as Quick Reads which are found in most libraries now. They are written for adults, so you need to check the content, but many excellent writers have contributed to his series which is aimed at less confident readers and if you read the first couple of chapters together, they will have a flying start. Young readers like to read about children who are their age or


older and to identify with the characters. Check out Tamarind Books (https://www.penguin.co.uk/puffin/tamarind/). Vashti Harrison, author of Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, says children need to see role models who look like them in the stories they read: 'This kind of representation, in the books they’ve been assigned to read in school or the ones that they curl up with at night, offers children a reminder that they matter, and that there’s a place for them in this world.'


uSal is currently writing The Family Guide to Dyslexia, a series of e-books published on Amazon.


Providing specialised exam support for SEND pupils


This month, in her regular column on SEND, Assistant Headteacher and former SENCO KATE SARGINSON looks at exam season and what it means for SENCOs.


This month marks the start of exam season. For Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), this time in the school year is one of the busiest as they oversee the provision of support in exams, formerly termed exam concessions, but now known as ‘Access Arrangements’. A number of measures can be taken to ensure candidates with special educational needs and disabilities have a level playing field in assessments, such as readers, scribes, rest breaks, enlarged papers, prompters and extra time. SENCOs are required to know and understand the annually updated Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) regulations to ensure that their school is compliant. It is not widely known that this is a process which, for SENCOs, actually needs to begin years before a public exam is sat. Last year the media reported a 35% rise in pupils receiving


extra time in exams. Despite it being far from the case, there is still a prevailing misperception that special allowances in exams can be easily secured by pushy parents, and cynicism that they are strategically issued by schools to boost their exam results, when in fact there are very strict procedures that must be followed. Schools need to provide evidence of pupils' special educational needs and give an account of the history of provision to meet them. Support in exams has to be the pupil’s ‘normal way of working’ in class, tests and mock exams throughout the academic year, for a number of years. The JCQ expect evidence of this provision to be collated from as early as year 9 onwards, so that by the time a GCSE exam is sat the pupil has had years of experience working with their access arrangements; it is normal to have the questions read to them, or to dictate their answers aloud for someone else to write down, or to have 25% longer. A diagnosis is not enough; pupils also need to be assessed for access arrangements by specialists, with the results having to be of a level to meet set criteria. A formal application to the exam boards then has to be made using an online system that generates a certificate of approval. Most teachers and parents are not aware that the provision of access arrangements is also checked by an inspector from the JCQ on a day when exams are taking place. The records are scrutinised; SENCOs grilled. There is nothing about this process which suggests that it is a system which is easy to abuse. The traditional image of a large hall packed with rows of single


desks in a deathly silent room is not the full picture of exam season. In schools up and down the country SENCOs and their teams are holed up in whatever locations they can find, starting earlier and finishing later supporting pupils with access arrangements on a 1:1 or small group basis. It is an operation that, typically for the role of SENCO, is absolutely essential, yet unseen and unsung. The satisfaction is found in the knowledge that for pupils with special educational needs, their access arrangements are vital to ensure a fair and equitable assessment.


May 2018 www.education-today.co.uk 19


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