SEND


Why the importance of belonging inspired our inaugural


‘Festival of Learning’ In her regular slot this month, JAYNE FOSTER,


CEO of Ethos Academy Trust, discusses the Trust’s recent ‘Festival of Learning’.


Our recent trust-wide gathering was no mean feat. Like most trusts, we don’t have lavish budgets for events like this, but at this stage of our growth, we knew that this was a vital addition to our annual calendar. Aptly pitched as a ‘Festival of Learning’ for all, this event was born from a desire to combine two things. Firstly, as a growing trust (both in size and geographically) we know the importance of uniting to create a culture that nurtures and encourages a core sense of belonging. Secondly, as an organisation that serves some of the most vulnerable children and young people within our communities, we must not be complacent. We must inspire each other to strive for continual improvement and challenge our collective thinking around what will make the biggest difference to the positive outcomes of our pupils and their families. Thanks to the tenacity and brilliance of our senior leads and wider team – and the fact that all of our staff embraced every aspect of the day - it was a resounding success.


I have to say I felt a little emotional as the day began. We’ve come such a long way in five years, and it doesn’t seem that long since we were a three-school trust. Now, we’ve more than doubled in size. It was an incredible feeling to stand up in front of 200 plus Ethos Academy Trust staff to welcome them to the first of what I’m sure will be an annual whole-trust event. There was such a lovely warm feeling in the room – a buzz of anticipation for the learning opportunities ahead and a real sense of collaboration.


After a welcome address by myself and our wonderful Chair of Trustees, Victoria Del Guidice, we all dispersed into the various corners and classrooms of the school for the seminars and workshops we had chosen to attend. Amazingly there were twenty-five different bespoke one- hour sessions - all devised and run by our very own specialists and lead practitioners. These covered a range of topics including ‘Understanding Trauma’, ‘Mental Health First Aid’, ‘Wellness in Nature’ and ‘Nurture Approach in the Classroom’.


Whilst many of the sessions were aimed at improving provision for our children and young people within the school environment, we also made sure there were sessions such as ‘Building Resilience in the Workplace’ that were geared towards supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our staff.


I wasn’t surprised by the energy and enthusiasm clearly evident throughout the day because every member of our staff team is absolutely devoted, and they work tirelessly and selflessly to improve life chances for every child. To be able to do this they are eager to research new theories and practices and improve their own skillsets especially when they see the immediate impact it can have in the classroom. Our job is to ensure we enable and empower them to deliver this extraordinary level of care and education. Therefore, it is equally as important that we look after their mental health and wellbeing, and explore ways to support both their professional and personal development. Judging by the feeling on the day and the extremely positive feedback since – and especially seeing the impact it’s already having in all of our schools - I am sure it’s going to be an annual event and a highlight on our calendar


We feel truly connected by our calling – but I will never take this feeling of collaboration for granted. It’s the only way we will succeed to achieve. Here’s just a taster of the day: https://vimeo.com/914393859/ bacb42514e


March 2024


The true cost of EHCPs In her latest column, EMMA


SANDERSON, Managing Director of Options Autism, a specialist provider of education for autistic pupils and those with complex needs, questions the true cost of the current delays to providing education, health and care plans (EHCPs) to children with additional needs.


A year ago this month, the DfE published its long awaited and much heralded SEND Improvement Plan, but are we any further along in meeting the


needs of young people with special educational needs (SEN) and complex needs?


One indicator of progress is the number of EHCPs issued by the local authority (LA). Tribunal data released by the Ministry of Justice (Dec 2023) shows appeals against LA decisions on EHCPs have hit an all-time high of 13,700. Since 2014, this number has increased year on year, in 2022-23 it was up by 2,600 (24%) from 2021-22.


Appeals represent families struggling and children delayed in accessing the vital support they need. The proportion of cases found at least in part in favour of the appellant, has also reached a record high of 98%, up from 96% in 2021-22 and 2020-21. Over a quarter (28%) of appeals were against refusals by LAs to conduct the initial assessment, the first step towards getting an EHCP.


Despite only 32% of pupils with EHCPs diagnosed with autism, almost half (45%) of appeals relate to autistic children and young people – suggesting that autistic children may find accessing support particularly challenging.


So what does it all mean? It’s a huge problem for many children and families. But the fact that the vast majority of appeals successfully challenge the LA’s decision, also begs the question - are these decisions purely financial? And if so – does it actually add up? Surely delays in supporting young people with SEN has a greater financial impact further down the line.


Chasing an EHCP to get the support they need to thrive in school, children experience a system asking, ‘what’s wrong with you?’ rather than ‘how can we help?’. A lack of funding and resources means that health and education professionals are no longer well positioned to provide for the children in their area, meaning families must turn to the legislative guarantee of support that an EHCP brings.


What now? Further reform of the SEND system is required – it must be as ambitious for the children it supports, as the children are for themselves. The Children’s Commissioner’s The Big Ask, the largest ever survey of children in England, showed that children and young people with SEN, want to be in school, just like all the others. We need to focus on identifying and supporting children’s additional needs early, rather than spending resources on adversarial complaints processes, disrupting children’s education and care – and placing huge stress on families.


Children with SEND are no less ambitious than their peers, they want the same things as every child – family, a caring environment to live in, and an education that secures their future.


www.education-today.co.uk 19


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