FEATURE FOCUS: SEND
The increasing importance of CPD in SEMH provision
Hampton, ‘Director of Inclusion’ at Transform Trust (a mainstream academy in Nottingham and Derby with a focus on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) to see how their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) supports their most vulnerable pupils.
How do you currently meet the complex needs of children with SEND or SEMH within your schools?
Jo Hill - North Star Academy Trust: Alongside SEMH provision, we also have pupils with SEND, such as SLCN (Speech, Language & Communication Needs), MLD (Moderate Learning Difficulty) and ASC (autistic spectrum conditions). Coming into a SEMH special school from a mainstream setting, the main thing you will notice is the much smaller class sizes and higher ratio of staff to pupil/student. You will also see a range of highly skilled educational specialists – some that are internal and some from external specialist organisations.
W
ith national statistics around SEMH needs of young people ever rising, many mainstream schools are continuing to struggle in meeting the complex needs of their most vulnerable pupils. It’s a nation- wide problem, with factors such as the cost- of-living crisis and a global pandemic both adding to the mix.
To understand the vital gaps in specialist provision, in our final feature on SEND this month we spoke to Jo Hill, ‘Head of School Improvement and CPD lead’ at North Star Academy Trust (a SEMH Special Trust with primary and secondary academies and an outreach provision that supports mainstream schools across Bath and Bristol), and Emma
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www.education-today.co.uk
We aim to keep our environments as calm and nurturing as possible. Whilst we believe our students should be socially integrated and enjoy a learning experience together, we also have numerous spaces that can be accessed when required.
If we were to describe any member of the North Star team it would be that they are great communicators and have a good understanding of emotional literacy. They also have high self-
September 2023
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