Kebabs, EDI and SEN

EkhlasRahman,HeadteacherCCS

Waking up without an alarm, eating kebabs at 2am and getting a discounted travel card; my life as a uni student was drawing to a close and like millions of other graduates I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with my life.

A few months prior, I had completed a teaching taster course which paid undergraduates £600 to experience life in a school for 15 days to entice you to the teaching profession. Of course I was intrigued (and poor) and contacted my old school for a placement. My form tutor obliged and by the end of the ‘experience’, I was ready to use my student discount at Topman!

Not soon after, I received a call from my form tutor asking me if I would like to work in the SEN department as a TA. I wasn’t quite sure what it was all about, but the opportunity of earning an income while I pondered over my future career seemed like a sensible decision.

That stop-gap was longer than I planned and here I am still roaming around in this extended ‘gap year’. My experience as an educator was shaped in my very first year as a SEN TA and my passion for teaching stems from working with the most amazing human beings in both staff and students alike. It takes a special person to pursue a career educating others; it takes an extraordinary person to educate SEND students to the highest possible level everyday. It is incredibly hard and requires formidable patience!

Research into teachig students with SEND has historically been premised on the assumption SEND students are different therefore the presupposed position is that we have to teach these students differently. However research that looks into outcomes, not theories, has unsurprisingly highlighted, good teaching is good teaching regardless of the background of the students; whether their ability, social background or any other barriers to learning. The best teachers assess each student as an individual and draw upon effective teaching principles that apply to every student.

Below is an excerpt from the the EEF (Education Endowment Fund) research into SEND teaching in 2021:

“Explicit instruction refers to a range of teacher-led approaches focused on teacher demonstration followed by guided practice and independent practice. Several reviews of the research on effective support for pupils in mathematics and reading have provided support for explicit instruction. One popular approach to explicit instruction is Rosenshine’s ‘Principles of Instruction’.

Explicit instruction is not just ‘lecturing’, ‘teaching by telling’, or ‘transmission teaching’; it usually begins with detailed teacher explanations, followed by extensive practice of routine exercises, and later moves on to independent work. Common aspects of explicit instruction include:

• teaching skills and concepts in small steps

• using examples and non-examples

• using clear and unambiguous language

• anticipating and planning for common misconceptions

Our EDI framework is designed to enable all students including those with SEN to learn in a structured manner that is consistently applied in all lessons. Phases 2&3 facilitates a scaffolded method to break down concepts, enabling the teacher to check for understanding at every stage to avoid misconceptions.

Below is from a C&C session delivered by Amy Brown (Deputy Headteacher, CCS) clearly breaking down how we can practically apply the CST EDI framework for students with ADHD:

SEN students need routine, structure and consistency more than anyone else. Our consistent application of our routines and structures provides our students with access to a rich learning experience and the perfect platform to flourish in the crazy world we live in!

Sometimes I reminisce about the good old uni days of waking up without an alarm, and spending the afternoon managing the consequences of eating a kebab at 2am. However, the prospect of living life without routine, structure and consistency... not having a career, a home, a family and 6 weeks paid summer holiday soon unravels…