Views & Opinion Wordsmiths arise!
In a new regular column for Education Today, the BBC Teach team will be unveiling details of new resources available at the start of the autumn term and beyond. This month, executive producer ALEX HARRIS challenges children to use their creativity to write a story and dips into the BBC’s vast video library for resources that can add a splash of colour to school assemblies.
Hello and welcome to the start of the autumn term. For the past few months, the BBC Teach team has been busy planning our new Live Lessons series and updating our resources for anyone in search of a fresh approach to assemblies.
Our first Live Lesson for the autumn term will take place on Wednesday 27 September at 11am. We will be marking the launch of our hugely popular 500 Words competition.
Since the competition was first launched in 2011, it has inspired over one million children across the UK to write their own short stories, generating more than 440 million words.
To enter, children must come up with an original idea for a story that they would love to read by Friday 10 November. During the Live Lesson, the judges will be creating a story plan and incorporate ideas from pupils in classrooms across the country. They’ll be sharing their top tips for writing a winning story with a particular focus on characters, plots and endings. The judges will reveal the techniques writers employ to develop a plot bubbling with conflict and dilemma. They will explain how to overcome obstacles, create tension and build suspense. They will discuss how to make a plot original and what language we can use to make a story more interesting. Finally, to encourage children to revisit and rewrite their story once it is written down, the authors will also highlight how editing is an important part of the writing process.
Refresh your school assemblies
Have you checked out our primary school assembly calendar? We have updated many of our assembly resources covering special days throughout the school year. This month, we will be celebrating Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival. Sukkot means huts and every autumn people prepare and decorate their own special hut called a sukkah. Pupils can learn all about Sukkot and the customs associated with the festival. We know how much young people care about protecting their environment. We have resources for anyone marking Recycle Week which begins on 16 October. The annual event was started over 20 years ago by environmental campaign group, WRAP. It aims to get everyone recycling more and avoid unnecessary waste.
Further ahead, pupils can also learn all about the Chinese or Lunar New Year which takes place on 10 February 2024 – the year of the Dragon, no less. Children can find out how each year is named and the significance of the colour red, as well as the food eaten.
International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world each year on 8 March. According to a 2020 UNICEF report, only 66 per cent of countries worldwide provide equal education opportunities to both girls and boys. Our resources aim to illustrate that the day is an opportunity to show just how impactful women can be and celebrate their brilliant achievements.
To find out more about the 500 Words competition, our Live Lessons and assembly resources, please visit:
www.bbc.co.uk/teach
Parents of children with disabilities are having to fight for their statutory rights
Comment by SAL McKEOWN, journalist and editor
Although local authorities often get things right, we frequently find councils repeating the same mistakes, ploughing ahead and not taking a step back to see the bigger picture,’ said Paul Najsarek, Interim Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Paul is author of The Review of Local Government Complaints 2022-23 published in July 2023. It might not sound like a riveting read but it holds a mirror up to the state of England today, highlighting injustices in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision for children and young people, Adult Care Services, and Housing.
In 2022- 23, the LGSCO conducted 1,263 detailed investigations into complaints about Education and Children’s Services and found in favour of families in 84% of cases. The LGSCO publishes its decisions, ‘to share learning and be transparent’ but the question is whether councils bother to read and act upon them.
Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) have been a key area of contention. North Yorkshire County Council struggled to recruit educational psychologists and was nearly four months late in issuing an EHCP. This delayed the family’s right to appeal to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disabilities Tribunal. The child also missed out on the specialist provision they should have received at mainstream primary school. The LGSCO asked the council to pay the parent £250 for distress caused by the delay and £450 to reflect a loss of special educational provision. It also asked the council to review similar cases. They reviewed 26 other complaints and agreed to make payments to 20 of the families.
NHS waiting lists meant that one child in Croydon did not have an 20
www.education-today.co.uk
Occupational Therapy assessment within the 20 weeks allowed for an EHCP. The council finalised the plan without OT advice but offered to adjust the plan, if necessary, at the next annual review. The parent found a private OT but they were not on the council’s approved list. She paid for the assessment herself.
The LGSCO said: ‘The regulations are clear that councils should seek and receive professional advice within 6 weeks. As the lead agency in the EHC assessment process we would expect councils to have appropriate commissioning and partnership arrangements in place to enable it to obtain the necessary advice within the 6-week timeframe.’ They asked the council to refund the cost of the assessment plus a payment of £1000 to recognise the child’s loss of OT provision between December 2021 and May 2022.
Parents are frustrated by poor communication from councils and long delays. Paul Najsarek said: ‘While we are aware of the challenges authorities face, at the heart of many of these complaints are children and young people going without the support they are entitled to, and we will continue to hold authorities to account for what they are required to provide.’
Notes:
The Review of Local Government Complaints 2022-23
https://www.lgo.org.uk/ assets/attach/6437/LG-Review-2022-23-F.pdf
Examples from ombudsman
https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint/fact- sheets/education/special-educational-needs Read about cases at
www.lgo.org.uk/decisions These can be searched by theme, key word.
September 2023
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