SEND


How building relationships with families is crucial


for EAT success This month, Director of Education for Ethos Academy Trust ANN-MARIE OLIVER discusses why building a nurturing community around each child is essential for ensuring effective access to EAT provision


As an educator, I have learned that one of the most crucial aspects of my role is not only working with children, but also forming strong and trusting relationships with their parents and carers. This is important in any school for several reasons, but this connection is especially important when it comes to ensuring children have access to and can benefit from EAT provision.


We are all aware that EAT provision plays a critical role in identifying and addressing developmental concerns in young children. We also know that by offering early assessments, tailored interventions, and ongoing support, EAT services help ensure that children are equipped to thrive both academically and socially. However, for these provisions to be truly effective, early and sustained engagement with families is crucial.


Within Ethos Academy Trust, we believe in the ‘nurture model’, the importance of providing a supportive, caring and inclusive environment to foster positive growth in children and help them to develop a love of learning. This comes from building a community around each child, creating an environment where they feel safe and valued, and have the security and support to develop educationally, emotionally and socially.


When parents and carers trust educational professionals, they are more likely to engage openly about their child’s needs, share valuable information and seek support when necessary. Parents who feel connected to and supported by their child’s educators are also more likely to participate in assessments, attend meetings, and follow through with recommended interventions. This involvement is so important; as we all know, the success of EAT provision often hinges on consistent reinforcement and support both at home and in school.


In our schools, when we first meet new families, we make it a priority to engage with them and listen to them. They may feel anxious or uncertain about the challenges their child may face – and they may have significant SEMH or learning challenges themselves.


We need to reassure parents and carers that we’re on the same team, and that we all want their child to have a positive experience during their educational journey. Here are some things to remember when encouraging families to be active participants in this journey.


· Remember: families know their child best. They need to feel empowered, heard and validated, so involvement in all plans, reviews and discussions is paramount.


· We believe in sending positive messages from day 1 to help build relationships with families. We communicate throughout the day in different formats – this could be a text, a picture on Dojo, a phone call to share the celebrations of an achievement.


· Home visits go a long way. Meeting with families in their home environment helps build trust and forge a stronger connection. Plus, it shows we care deeply about their child’s education, wellbeing and future.


· We often think about a child having a key adult, but some families themselves need a key adult, someone to build trust with over time. If they can have direct contact even better – we assign school mobiles to key adults to make sure they are reachable.


· Completing a birth story and looking back at pregnancy and early childhood development can sometimes help give context to current needs, like attachment and presenting behaviours that could be linked to brain development and trauma.


· There are sometimes practical issues that get in the way for families, such as transport issues or a lack of childcare options. Could we travel to them, or give them a lift? Where they have other children and no childcare, could we put on some activities at a parents’ evening?


· It’s essential to set realistic and personalised targets for each child, rather than adopting a blanket approach. We need to start where the child is and build from there. For example, say we want to improve a child’s attendance; we could begin by establishing a consistent morning routine, then set achievable goals, and celebrate each small success along the way.


For more information about Ethos Academy Trust visit www.eat.uk.com September 2024 www.education-today.co.uk 21


Trick or treatment – the pursuit of a


‘cure’ for autism EMMA SANDERSON, Managing Director of Options Autism, a specialist provider of education for neurodivergent pupils and those with complex needs, shares her thoughts on the pursuit of a ‘cure’ for autism and recent claims that it can be ‘reversed’.


Over the many years that I have been working in schools providing specialist education for neurodivergent children and young people, I have witnessed an immense change in the way that society as a whole, regards neurodiversity, and the positive steps taken towards inclusivity.


Across the state and commercial sectors, companies, health and public services, and other establishments, are adopting strategies and publishing policies and guidelines about accommodating neurodiverse individuals. Our schools are becoming more inclusive, recognising and celebrating differences and accepting others’ knowledge, understanding and skills. Community facilities are making adaptations to their environments, and even airports are providing quiet spaces for neurodivergent travellers.


Therefore, I was surprised to read recent media coverage about claims from scientists at Maryland University in the US, that autism ‘symptoms’ could be ‘reversed’. Since it was published, the case study, led by Dr Christopher D’Adamo, which involved a single pair of non-identical twin girls, has come under extensive expert scrutiny, with questions about the methodology and validity of the results – which were based solely on anecdotal observations from the parents, with no evidence-based interventions. Sensationalist reporting by some newspapers, with an unquestioned focus on the research alone, served only to dehumanise autistic individuals, and ignore their voices.


The most important question for me, is why there still remains a need to try and find a ‘cure’? What message do headlines like these send to our autistic children and young people?


The desperate search for autism treatments is nothing new. In a bid to restore what some people believe to be ‘normal functioning’ in autistic individuals, researchers have spent years looking for ways to ‘fix’ it.


For many neurodiverse people, autism is a part of their identity and who they are – they don’t want to be ‘cured’. Rather than spending time and money on researching ways to ‘reverse’ autism, we should channel that effort into continuing to create and improve an inclusive community. One which ensures that barriers do not exclude autistic people from a fulfilling life. We must continue building greater acceptance of autistic people, celebrated for who they are, supported to thrive as they are, instead of suggesting it would be better to eradicate a part of themselves.


When I reflect about the autistic children and young people I have taught over the past 23 years, and what they went onto achieve - careers in medicine, computer programming or simply living independently and completing voluntary work in the community, they all taught me the importance of seeing from a different perspective. After all, some of the most influential people in both the past and present were or are neurodiverse. We need to urgently address this situation by reviewing SEND policy and expectations before the ticking time bomb goes off!


For further information, visit: www.outcomesfirstgroup.co.uk


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