SPOTLIGHT ON SEND Training for a new


mental health role In her regular column for Education Today on SEND, DR ASHA PATEL, CEO of education not-for-profit Innovating Minds, this month looks at the requirements for the role of senior lead for mental health in schools.


Schools are being encouraged to designate a senior lead for mental health and it could mark a change in approach for at-risk students. Following on from The Green Paper


'Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision,' published in December 2017, the Department of Education (DfE) is encouraging schools and colleges to


identify and train a designated Senior Mental Health Lead by 2025. Some of those who responded to the DfE's consultation felt that


the role should be mandatory but the government stopped short of recommending this. They say schools should decide how they want to fit the role into existing staffing structures and in fact more than half of schools believe they already have a lead role in place. Mental Health Leads are likely to be an existing member of staff in


a role senior enough to take charge of the strategy and bring in a whole school approach to mental health. They will need active support from the senior leadership team and headteacher. The post will not require medical training and the person


appointed will not diagnose mental health conditions. Part of the role is to introduce preventative measures and to find


ways of promoting good mental health and resilience for staff and students Hopefully, this will have an impact on well-being across the whole


organisation and improve recruitment and retention. In turn this could create a happier and more stable school environment for children. There are six key roles for Mental Health Leads: • Oversight of the whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing, including its reflection in behaviour and curriculum policies, how staff are supported and how pupils and parents are engaged


• Supporting the identification of 'at risk' children • Having knowledge and links with local mental health services and referring children to them when appropriate


• Oversight of any interventions being delivered in the school • Supporting staff who are in contact with children with mental health needs


• Overseeing the outcomes of interventions on children’s education and wellbeing


Senior mental health leads will have a self-assessment tool to help


them develop an action plan for the whole school approach. Delivery models might include face to face training, e-learning, peer learning and mentoring support. The training is expected to be 'substantial and appropriately long-


term' but as there are over 22,000 training places, there are concerns about the timescale. It will start with one-fifth of schools from September 2019, with all schools offered training by 2025. This will mean that some children and young people will have left school before the planned improvements are evident. Mental Health Leads will be well placed to make a real difference


in schools. They will raise the profile of mental health and make sure all staff are aware of the part they can play. This way there is less likelihood that individual children's needs will be overlooked or seen just as the responsibility of pastoral teams. This is a key strategic role and should help to make young people with mental health issues feel less isolated.


November 2019 Ensuring that the


reward fits the child This month, Education Today’s regular SEND column contributor KATE SARGINSON, Deputy Headteacher and SENCO, wonders whether schools give adequate consideration to what achievements and good conduct are noteworthy for pupils with special educational needs, and how these achievements should be celebrated.


Rewards and sanctions are a feature of every school, with a variety of strategies deployed to teach and reinforce the children what the desired behaviours are. It follows that negative actions result in unfavourable consequences and that rewards have value to children that make them worth earning. When it comes to pupils with special educational needs do schools give adequate consideration to what achievements and good conduct are noteworthy, and how they are celebrated?


Schools offer a range of means to recognise pupils individually and


collectively. One important area for many schools is the matter of attendance and punctuality, to effectively get the message across to pupils and parents alike the importance of being in school. Pupils with SEND may require a higher proportion of appointments as a result of medical needs which will mean that 100% is unobtainable for them, and therefore unfair. When there are collective awards where classes compete; where does that leave a pupil whose essential attendance at such appointments will bring the overall average down? If children make the connection themselves, how does this impact upon relationships and the self-worth of the pupil who senses they aren’t able to contribute positively. There are also well documented correlations between unmet educational needs and mental health concerns such as school avoidance and anxiety. Under the Equality Act 2010 schools are required to make reasonable adjustments – does some re-thinking need to be done about the way that absence is recorded and individual circumstances taken increasingly into account? There will naturally be differences of opinion regarding suitable


class rewards but it is impractical and costly to issue individual prizes for team achievements, so a treat that’s deemed to suit the masses is selected. If there is a tendency towards physical activities being seen as fun for children but not all will enjoy sports or competition. Pupils with developmental coordination disorder may dread a running, throwing, jumping or catching reward. Class rewards are also lively and exciting, but pupils with sensory processing disorder may not enjoy loud noises and bright lights. Pupils with Autism may find the change of routine challenging and a group event chaotic. Consultation with pupils through activities such as school council, bearing in mind that pupils with special educational needs need to be represented, could establish possible alternatives. Some schools have adopted rewards that have an individual


element, such as earning points to then exchange for their choice of prize from a pop up shop, bringing a personal preference in. Pupils can make a selection of a reward that has meaning and value to them. Rewards are used by many schools as a proactive approach to


ensuring positive learning and social behaviour and motivate children. Schools need to be mindful that recognition of achievements is also considered through an inclusive lens so that assumptions aren’t made about what all children enjoy.


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