Support for careleavers in FE andHE Statistics and options available for young people andthose who supportthem
Peer mentoring Alook at one school’sapproach to mentoring
Supporting learners with SEND to build skillsfor independent living
This hasbeen atough term forour sector.Against the backdrop of achallenging period, ourworkforcedeliverededucation in schools, colleges, settings and, of course, remotely.Teachers,teachingassistants andleaders have been giving their all. The discretionary extra effort goes on, addressing wider socialissues, such as food andfuel poverty andmarshalling resources forat-homelearning.
With nasen membershipstanding at over 80,000, ourphones arebusier than ever We receivecallsfromSENCOs and practitioners who wanttomobilisethe right resources to support children andyoung people with SEND or talkoverthe pressure points in leading on SEND provision for their setting. Ourmembership has broadened too, with increasing numbers joining from local authorities and earlyyearssettings.
Iwant to thank you all foryour dedication andyour continued quest forpractical andstrategic solutions.Above all, Iwant to sayhow muchyou arevalued, appreciatedand hownecessaryyou all are.
Thenewly publishedSEND and AP Improvement Plan heralds astep-change for
Tel: 01827 311500
Fax: 01827 313005
Email: education@nasen.org.uk
improvement at atime when it is vitally needed. It outlines the principle of right support, right place and right time, for placing the voice of experience at the heartofthe improvements and committing to coproduction for the work to come. It calls for the detail on National Standards, on funding and on important processes such as digitisation of EHC plans. Most of all, the strategic commitment to inclusion stands out. Look out for our shortdigests on what the SENDAP improvement plan says, and why it matters.
Whatdoyou think?Tellusat welcome@nasen.org.uk
The Marchedition of Connect magazine includes highlights on thenasen NorthernIrelandAdvisoryGroup, employabilityand SEMH.
Lookout forthe launch of the annual nasen Awards, opentonominations fromacross thesector.
Do sharenasen Connect magazineacross yournetworksbyusing the followinglink, https://nasen.org.uk/nasen-connect, and encourage themtosignupfor free nasen membership, whichis funded through our sponsorsand charitable efforts.
Advertising enquiries: nasen House Tel: 01827 311500
Email: sales@nasen.org.uk
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Iwant to thank you all for your dedication and your continued quest for practical and strategic solutions.
Beccie Hawes from Cadmus Inclusive, outlines how a‘shoestring approach’ to supporting pupils with SEMH needs made an impact.
Nicola Turner from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, examines the help that is out there for young people.
Matthew Jones outlines how aspecialist college supports learners with SEND to build their employabilityskills.
Jade Ward looks at some statistics and outlines options available for young people and those who supportthem.
SENDCO Paul Willis, outlines his school’s approach to mentoring, and discusses the impact of anew initiative thatthe school students have taken as their own.
Westart this month by thanking youfor completing the latest membership survey. We plan to publish the results very soon. This month’sbig announcement is that the nasen Awards 2023 haveofficially launched!Eachyear we receive inspirationalsubmissions from people nominating organisations and individualswho champion those within the SEND sector. Nominations arenow officially open,somakesureyou submit your nomineestousatthe following link: www.nasen.org.uk/awards
We wouldalso like to remind allmembers aboutour onlinebankofresources. Enjoya rangeofwebcasts,webinars, guides andtoolkitstohelpyou support andchampion children and young people with SENDand learning differences. Youcan access themonlinehere: https://www.nasen.org.uk/resources
Thank youtothose of youwho joined the Twilight Talk with Phonak on supporting young people with hearing lossinthe classroom.Keepyour eyes on our social
media channels fordetails ofthe next free session or on the website here: www.nasen.org.uk/news/twilight-talks
If youenjoyed the Twilight Talk, the recordingisavailable on thewebsite to share with colleagues,and nasenLive is notfar away.Ifyou have booked your ticketwewillbedelighted to see you. If youhaven’tmanaged to purchase your ticket just yet, there’sstill time to grab one forjust£99.Enjoya varietyofCPD seminars from sector-leadingspeakers, as well as afullSENDexhibition.
www.nasen.org.uk/nasenlive-2023
If youhaveany further membership queries, pleasedonot hesitate to contact the membership teamdirectly at membership@nasen.org.uk
Kind Regards, The Membership Team
Thearticle on identifyingSENDinthe early yearswas muchappreciated by myselfand my husband. Despite bothbeing teachers in secondarysettings, we hadnot thoroughly understood the importanceofearly identification until we had our son. What we appreciated as being an individual trajectory quicklybecame something that nursery flagged,and theypersuaded us to haveearly assessments.
Their intervention and understanding of SEN in the early yearswas definitely key in providing himwith the foundations necessarytomake progress.
Your article reminded us of the need fortrained personnel and howbeneficialthis canbe.
Parent, Huddersfield
Editor: It sounds like the provision your son received was an example of how crucial stafftraining in early years is, and how much of an impact this can have on futuredevelopment and support. We have recently developed aprogramme to supportkey workers in these settings, it is currently apilot and, following this stage, we hope to roll it outtoenable moreearly years professionals to have the training to support morefamilies like yours.
Thankyou for thearticle on neurodiversity in higher education. So muchofthe news and focus is placed on supportatthe earliest opportunity that it can feel that those of us achieving highly areconsequently notgiven supportfor thetransition to university.I was oneofthe luckyones, andmyuniversitywas proactive in engaging with measanautistic student. Theyprovidedmewith many bespoke opportunitiestovisitand acquaint myself with the universitybuildingsand people, adaily self-check-insystemvia an app that ensured someonewould contact me if therewas an issue, and aplace to call for achatorsupport if Ineededit. It is great to see this featured and Ihope more HE institutions move forwardwith the supportI was given. Teaching assistant, London
Editor: How fantastic that you were able to succeed in universitywith that supportand we agree that it would be great if this was the normal way of working, not just for students with neurodiversity but for all students. We know that the transition to universitycan sometimes have anegative effect on students and it would be great for
the supportoffered to be universal. We also wanted to show the positive side of focusing on people’s strengths to enable them to live their best lives. Some neurodivergent learners thrive at universityasthey get to focus solely on the interests that they arepassionate about and if they can be supported to overcome the barriers, they can go on to achieve well in their field.
It is also the place to share your reactions
what you have read in previous
With less than four months to go untilour annual SEND Conference, nasen Live, we are excited to confirm more details andinformation about what delegatescan expect at the one daySEND conference this summer.
As always, there will be an opportunity to access leading, award-winning exhibitors, as well as attendseveral seminars and keynotes delivered by key figures in the sector.Some of those speakers alreadyconfirmed* include:
KatherineSolomon (BellFoundation)
Topic: SEND and English as an additionallanguage
AidaH Dee (Drag QueenStoryHour)
Topic: Representation, reading, andlivedexperience of ADHD
Rebecca Gonyora (Grey CourtSchool)
Topic: Inclusive secondaryschools
Question Time Panel Members
AlisonBetts (Whole School SEND)
AngelaHoldsworth (Whole School SEND)
Andre Imich (Department for Education)
Topic: SENDand Beyond Whatdoes thefuture ho
*Please note that speakers subject to change and all expressed are speaker vie
Buy your ticket today for just £99. Ticket prices also include lunch and light refreshments throughout the day.For more information about the event, visit www.nasen.org.uk/nasenlive-2023
Ace Centre –https://acecentre.org.uk/ Action Mats –https://actionmats.co.uk/ ADHD Foundation NeurodiversityCharity –www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/ Axcis –www axcis.co.uk/
Beyond Words –https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/ Careers and Enterprise Company –www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/ Century –www century.tech/ Christie and Co –www christie.com/ ConceroEducation Technology –https://concero.education/ Cosmo by Filisia –www explorecosmo.com/ Dekko Comics –https://dekkocomics.com/ Dolphin Computer Access –https://yourdolphin.com/ Earwig Academic –https://earwigacademic.com/ Edge Hill University –www edgehill.ac.uk/ Education &Training Foundation –www et-foundation.co.uk/ Edwin Supply –https://theedwingroup.com/ Elklan Training –www.elklan.co.uk/
Five Minute Box –www fiveminutebox.co.uk/ Guide Dogs –www guidedogs.org.uk/
Hamish and Milo –https://hamishandmilo.org/ Hays Education –www hays.co.uk/job/education-jobs
ICS Funding –www.ics-funding.co.uk/
IDL Software –https://idlsgroup.com/ iTRACK iASEND –www itrackpupils com/itrack-iasend KAZ Type –https://kaz-type.com/ Literacy Gold –http://literacygold.co.uk/ Maths for Life –www mathsforlife.com/ MightyWriter Ltd –www.mightywriter.co.uk/ NAHT –www naht.org.uk/ National Education Union –https://neu.org.uk/ Nessy Learning –www.nessy.com/en-gb
Nurture International –www nurtureinternational.co.uk/ Onyx Student SupportLtd –www onyxstudents.com/ OrCam –www.orcam.com/en/home/ PAGS SRL –www.pagsprofile.com/ Phonic Books –www.phonicbooks.co.uk/ Rhino SensoryUKLtd –www rhinouk.com/ RNIB –www.rnib.org.uk/ Rockerbox News –https://myrockerbox.com/ Scanning Pens –www.scanningpens.co.uk/ SEN Books –www.senbooks.co uk/ SEND Recruitment –www.senrecruitment.co.uk/ Special Olympics GB –www.specialolympicsgb.org.uk/ Speech and Language Link UK (ICAN) –https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/
old? s are views ws only
Multimedia Ltd –https://speechandlanguage.info/ ttps://tacpac.co.uk/ (Kiddiwash) –www.tealwash.com/preschool/ eud Centre -www.annafreud.org Society –www.thesleepcharity.org.uk
Speakable Method –https://thespeakablemethod.com/ TPC Therapy Ltd –www.tpctherapy.co.uk/ ww tts-group.co.uk/ –https://verboapp.co.uk
–https://widgitonline.com/en/home Enterprise –www.young-enterprise.org.uk/ ung Epilepsy –www youngepilepsy.org.uk/
COULD YOU SPONSOR THE NASEN AWARDS 2023?
We havelotsofpowerful sponsorship opportunities available for ournasen Awards this autumn, includingcategory and table sponsorship.
So if you’relooking to further support the SENDsector,contact amember of the team today at sales@nasen.org.uk
6October 2023, The Grand Hotel, Birmingham
The nasen Awards recognise and honour outstanding individuals andorganisationsthat have made significantcontributions to promoting andadvancinginclusion
They provide an opportunity to highlightthe often-unrecognisedwork ofthose who have shownacommitmenttostriving for, enabling andcreating environments that are welcoming andsupportive to all, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds or circumstances.
Joinusaswecelebrate theachievements of all of those across the country,and internationally, whoare working to breakdown barriersand create more inclusiveschools andcommunities,and to inspire others to join the movement forinclusion by design
The awards serve as apowerfulreminder that, together,wecan create an education system, and world,whereeveryone is valued,supported and giventhe opportunity to reach their full potential.
Anyone can nominate an individual or organisation for an awardand there are 16 awards up for grabs this year
Nominations open todayuntil 23 June 2023; visit www.nasen.org.uk/awards formoredetails.
For
1. Early YearsProvision of the Year sponsored by NurseryWorld
2. PrimaryProvision of the Year sponsored by Axcis Education
3. SecondaryProvision of the Year
4. Further Education (FE) Provision of the Year
5. Specialist Provision of the Year sponsored by The Edwin Group
6. Alternative Provision of the Year
7. Co-Production Initiative of the Year sponsored by The Seashell Trust
8. Young Advocate of the Year (Aged 16 and Under) sponsored by Filisia
9. Young Advocate of the Year (aged 17 and over) sponsored by Christie and Co
10. Leader or Leadership Team of the Year sponsored by NEU
11. SupportPractitioner of the Year
12. Teacher of the Year sponsored by Scanning Pens
13. Innovation in the Field of Inclusion
14. The David Ryan Award for Positive Media Impact
15. International Provision of the Year sponsored by IDL
16. Changemaker of the Year sponsored by Rockerbox News
Those shortlisted for an award will be invited to the ceremony,whichisdue to takeplace on 6October at The GrandHotel, Birmingham.
vidence gives us information abouthow different approaches impactchildren’slearning and development. It canhelpyou to create greatlearningopportunities for all children, particularly those from socioeconomicallydisadvantaged backgrounds.
The role of early yearspractitionersis integral to buildingand nurturingstrong
learningfoundations, givingeachchild the best start in lifeso that they canachieve their potential.The EEFhas published twonew resourcesdedicated tosupportinghigh quality early years practice: theupdated EarlyYears Toolkitand the EarlyYears Evidence Store. TheToolkitgives youinformationonaverage impacts andcosts of differentstrategies, alongside guidance on what to consider when
putting aparticular approach into practicein your setting. Go to: https://bit.ly/3IkQaVS
Designed to supportthe Department for Education’s (DfE) Stronger Practice Hubs,the Evidence Storeisasummary of evidence,illustrated with practices that typicallymake up theseteachingapproaches and videoexamplesofwhat these could look like. Go to: https://bit.ly/3HTvjrj
Some of the UK’s most popular children’sauthors havesaidthey aredelighted theirbooks are featured in leading sight-loss charity the Royal National Institute of BlindPeople’s (RNIB) Bookshare service, which has just addedits millionth title. RNIB’sBookshare website provides books,worksheets and resources free of charge to teachers, pupils andstudents, whichcan be downloadedinaccessible formatsincluding electronicbraille,PDF andaudio. Allthe titles have been generously donated by 1,046publishers and are currently usedby45,087 students from 12,647nurseries, schools anduniversities. The millionth title was receivedinDecember
Jacqueline Wilson,whose books including Double Act, Funny Girls andThe Lottie Project areavailable on RNIBBookshare, said: “I’m delighted my titlesare on RNIB Bookshare,which now has one million leisure andeducationaltitlesavailable for children andyoung people with print impairmentsinaccessible formats.”
RNIB BookshareUKeducation collectionprovidestextbooksand materials to supportthe national curriculum. It offers arange of accessible formats that can be read electronicallyoradapted to suit thepersonalreading needs of learners.
Teachers,parents andpupils can join RNIB Booksharehere: https://bit.ly/3xka3Gi
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) havejointly published anew framework and handbook for inspecting arrangements in the local area for children and young people with SEND
As part of the newareaSENDinspection arrangements, Ofsted andthe CQCwill carryout aseriesofthematic visits each academic year.They willconductvisitsto asmallnumber of areastoinvestigate a particular aspect of theSEND system in depth.
The first theme tobeinvestigatedwill be alternativeprovision.The purpose of the 2023 thematicvisitsisto:
Find out the extent to whichalternative provision is meetingthe health, care and/or education needs of children andyoung people Betterunderstand thepurposesfor which alternative provisionisused Identify theenablersand barriers to local areapartners working together to commission and oversee alternative provisionplacements Highlight good practice in commissioning andoversight arrangements for alternative provision.
Thesevisits will also provide insights for Ofsted, CQC, government,strategic leaders andpractitioners into the relationship between SENDand alternative provision andhow effectively arrangements forSEND andalternativeprovision areworking together.Learningwillbeshared to promote improvement in the sectorand findings will be used to update their approachto inspection, as appropriate. Ofstedwill not be making judgements about individual areasduring thesevisits, although they will share theirfindings in anationalreport, to be published in autumn2023. Thenational reportwill list the local areas visited,but they will not attributefindingstoindividualareas unlessthoseareas agree to be identified.
To read the fullguidancegoto: https://bit.ly/3jWXUEb
The UK Trauma Council (UKTC) has developed aseriesoffree, accessible resourcesfor educationalcommunities, to offersupportin preparing forand managing critical incidents The setofeasy-to-usepolicy templates, staff training and lessonplans areguided by five evidence-based principles to ensure children and young people feel safe, calm, connected,incontrol and hopeful, andare designed to help preparefor andmanage the response to potentially traumaticevents
Download the resourcesfor free: https://bit.ly/3YISUle
Afree online seminar from theApplied Research and Evaluation Division at the Anna Freud CentreonMonday 27 March, 17:30-19:00,will look at support forchildren and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in schools, drawing on learning fromseveral different projects and approaches. Along withdiscussing research findings, the Centre will look at specific approaches, explore their sustainability andconsiderthe implicationsfor young people, parents, carersand practitionersina panel discussion.
To book: https://bit.ly/3Xsp1ER
‘So what does it take to effectively support children and young people’smental health and wellbeing in schools?’
Thefirst impact reportfromDiversityRoleModelsaround their DfEproject, ‘EmbracingDifference,Ending Bullying’, highlights that bullyingremains prevalent within education settings.Diversity Role Models is acharityorganisation that seeks toembedinclusion and empathy in the next generation. Its project hasbeenrunning fora year,delivering training to teachersin55primary and secondaryschools across theUK, and has producedvideosand resources to support settings: It alsogathered data from all of the stakeholders acrossthe settings; pupils,staff,parentcarersand governors. Bullying wasfoundtobemore common aroundthe issues that are discussed lessregularly,suchasLGBT+ and disability. The statistics show that differenceisthe biggest reasonfor bullying in primaryschools, andbullying targeting those who are gayorthought to be gaywas the mostprevalent in secondaryschools. Feedback indicated thatthere is alackofvisibilityofcertainidentities, notably disability, across schools. One of therecommendations is focused on developing greater inclusion,having open and honest discussions about differenceand celebratingthe unity thatcan be found in diversity.When embeddedinthe culture and ethosofa setting, this will go along waytoreducing the perceived ‘difference’ andhighlighting whatunites pupils.
To read thereport: https://bit.ly/40SIRw0
To access videos and resources: https://bit.ly/40KVeKt
Professor Adam Boddison, former chiefexecutive of nasen, has been named an Officer of the Orderofthe British Empire (OBE) inthe New Year Honours List. Adam is currently chief executive of the Associationfor Project Management (APM).
The honour hasbeen awarded in recognition of Professor Boddison’swork withchildrenand young people with SEND.Inhis previous role as chief executive of nasen, ProfessorBoddison playedaleadingroleinproviding support andchampioningthose workingwith,and for,children and young people withSEND and learning differences, something he remainspassionate about in hisroleatAPM
In addition to his leadership of nasen, Prof Boddison was director of the Centrefor Professional Education at the University of Warwick andAcademic Principal for IGGY,a globaleducational social network for gifted teenagers.Heisalsoa trustee at amulti-academy trust spanning morethan50 primary, secondaryand special schools and chair of theCorporation at CoventryCollege for Further Education. The recommendation for the honour was madetoHis Majesty the King by the Prime Minister,onthe advice of the independent MainHonours Committee,following an independent assessment
Commenting on the announcement, Professor Boddison said:
“I am truly honoured and humbled to be recommended for this honour. As someonewho hasspent manyyears working in the education sector –aswell as beinga parent –helping young people thrive and succeed is somethingthatisveryclose to my heart.Iamtherefore delighted to be recognised for my work in this field; work Iaspire to continuewithAPM as we make the project profession accessible as acareeroffirst choice”.
Chief executive of nasen AnnamarieHassall MBEsaid:
“Together with theboard andstaff team at nasen, Iwould like to congratulate my predecessoratnasen,Professor Adam Boddison,onhis OBE for servicestochildren and young people with SEND. This honour is in recognition of an incredibly hard working, talentedand dedicated individual. Ihave hadthe honour and pleasure of working with and knowingAdam for anumber of years, andIam delighted that his contribution to the sector has been recognised.
Adam dedicatedhimself to nasen as CEO between2016 and2020, helpingtoensure that education is inclusive for allchildren andyoung people, before joining theAssociation forProject Management He continuestobea close friend andadvocate of the charity.”
Whatsupportisthere for teachers, SENCOs, schools and families in NorthernIreland? We provide an overview of nasen’sNorthernIreland AdvisoryGroup, including ways in which the group can supporthighquality teaching and learning in NorthernIrelandfor pupils with SEND.
Historically,the NorthernIrelandbranch of nasenconsisted of acommittee of professionals with awide range of experience,knowledge and expertise who worked togethertosupport practitioners andadvocate for the children of Northern Ireland.The committee’svision wasrealised primarily through conferences andstudy days offering localisedsupport to schoolstaff.The committee provided relevant high qualityand affordable continuing professional development (CPD)through multi-agency networking.
The visionhas been further developed by thenew nasen NorthernIrelandAdvisoryGroup(NIAG),which was formedinOctober2018. This voluntarygroupconsistsof seveneducationprofessionals withawealth of knowledge, skills, experience and expertise to support the work of nasen.The group alsohas expertise in theNorthern Ireland Department of Education’s(DE) overarching SEN categories.
THE GROUP’S KEY OBJECTIVES ARE TO:
•support practitioners in Northern Ireland
•improve learning for all children and young people with SEND
•promote nasen as an inclusive organisation with outstanding SEND CPD opportunities and the sharing of good practice.
From 2018 to 2022, the work of the nasen NorthernIreland Advisory Group encompassed developing partnership working within Northern Ireland with the following bodies:
Department of Education (DE)
Education Authority(EA)
Granada Learning (GL)Assessment Classroom2000(C2K)
Education technology(Edtech)
NorthernIreland Teachers Collaborate (NITC)
Learning SPACE(Specialised Product c s Aiding Child Education).
The group also adaptednasen resources to supportpractitioners in Northern Ireland, takingaccount of NorthernIreland legislation andthe workofthe DE and the EA.These included:SupportingSEND by Observing Learners,Tools to Enable and SupportReasonable Adjustments, and Providing Advicefor Understanding ADHD and Supporting Childreninthe Classroom.
In collaboration with the EA,1,200 nasen resource packs were produced, 600 of whichwere
distributedatEAtraining sessions(pre-Covid) for all SENCOsinNorthernIreland.Followingthis, 242 SENCOsaccessed nasen’swebsite forsupport and 375SENCOs accessed the adapted resources
As with many organisations, there wasongoing workthroughout thechallengesoflockdown, including online meetings, the continued link with EA andthe productionofadapted introductorydocumentsfor nasen’s CPD webinars. The groupalso submitted consultation responses on behalf of nasen for the DE’s draft SEN CodeofPractice (January2021) andthe EA’s specialist support formainstream schools (April2021).
Post-pandemic, face to face meetings resumed to consider howtomove forward.Withnasenmembership now free to access,join nowtokeepuptodate: https://nasen.org.uk/register.Opportunities for CPDare available, alongwithhigh-quality,researchbased resources andhelpful ideasonhow to improve learningfor childrenand youngpeoplewithSEND.
The opinions of thesector are crucial: Pleaselet us know of anythingyou wouldlike the nasenNIAGtoconsider in order to provide support foryou or other practitioners in NI. Learningfrom each other canprovide many benefits,soifyou have good practice to share, or informationonanythingthat works well foryou in yourschool, thispracticecan be shared with other schools.Pleasecontact welcome@nasen.org.uk
Dr Brenda Montgomery,EdD, MEd, DASE, Dip HE, PGCTE. Brendaisthe chairofthe nasen Northern Ireland AdvisoryGroup.Brenda was an adviserfor SEN andbehaviour support with the educationauthority (SEELB) in NorthernIreland for18years,during which time she wassecondedtothe SEN team at theDepartment of Education (DE) for three years. Prior to that, Brenda taughtina post-primaryschoolinBelfast, where shewas SENCOfor nine years. She has also been an assessorfor inclusion and has tutored andpresentedonthe policyand practicefor SEND at schools, universities and collegesthroughoutIreland.
Lorraine McAleer,BA(QTS).
Lorraine is the managing director and founder of Learning SPACE (Specialised ProductsAiding Child Education), an award-winning educational advisoryand resource company.She is a passionate, innovative developer of products to supportchildren’sneeds.Her idea for LearningSPACE came from supporting her sister, whohas SotosSyndrome. Lorraine is an experiencedteacherand aproven manager with over 20 yearsofexperience in education and sensorypractice. She is currentlycompleting a Graduate CertificateinAutismStudies (GCAS).
especiallydevelopmentallanguage disorder, and realises theimportance of children receiving timely support. Laura is amemberofthe NationalAssociation of Professionals concerned with Language ImpairmentinChildren (NAPLIC), the Associationfor all SpeechImpaired Children (AFASIC), TheBritishPsychology Societyand the Sensory IntegrationNetwork
Maria Diffin, MEd, BEd (Hons), AMBDA, PQH, APC
Maria worksasa specialist teacher for pupils withspecificdifficultiesinliteracy. Initially, Maria workedinEngland forten yearsand, on returning to Belfast, worked in alarge primary school, where she became the SENCO, assessment co-ordinator,member of thesenior leadership team(SLT) and aReadingRecovery teacher.She was secondedtoStranmillis UniversityCollege for ayear to deliver training programmes to schools in Northern Ireland on raisingawareness of dyslexia and how to supportpupils in class. Maria’sMEd was in teaching and assessingpupilswith dyslexia. Her passion is supporting all pupils with SENDand promoting an education systemthatmeets theneeds of all children
Lois Totton,MBA, BEd, Adv Cert Ed.
Loisisa Senior LectureratStranmillis University College. She has responsibilityfor teaching BEd primary and post-primaryeducationwith aspecific focusonSEND.Loisisalsothe course leaderfor the SENFirstCPD programme. Prior to taking up herposition at Stranmillis, Lois completed a25-year teaching career working across post-primaryand further education. Loisdemonstrates herpassion forSEN through her researchofthe historyand journey of special education in NorthernIreland andparental experienceofaccessingSEN support.She is alsoaschool governor in aspecialschool
Laura McClure, BEd (Hons), PG Dip, PG Cert, CCET.
Laura is aspecialist language teacher whofor the past 19 years hassupportedchildrenand young people with identified speech,language and communicationneeds (SLCN) andother co-occurringneeds. Herexperienceincludes teachinginaspeech and language classand aspecial school, asecondmenttothe language and learning service as well as to theSEN earlyyears inclusion service. She is passionate about effectively supporting childrenwithSLCN,
Gillian Beck, MEd (Distinction), BEd (Hons), AMBDA, ATS, FHEA. Gillian is aSeniorLectureratStranmillis UniversityCollege, whereshe lecturesin special and additional needs and literacy at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels. Prior to taking up thisposition, shewas aprimary teacherfor 16 years, afull time SENteacher (nurserytoP7) and SENCO for eightyears, inclusionco-ordinator andgiftedand talented co-ordinator.Gillian has worked with children witha diagnosisofAutistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and continues to pursue herpassion in thatarea; sheisa PhD researcher focusingon sensory provision in the mainstream environment
Alastair Rowan, MEd, BA, PGCE, PQH, DMS
Alastair is the vice chairofthe groupand currently works part-time as adevelopment officer for an educationsupportbody. Priortothis, he worked in educationfor 35 years, including as foundingprincipal of an integrated college,headofmathematics of alargecomprehensive school and sports coach. Throughout the varied aspects of Alastair’s career,hedevelopedaninterest and passion for SENand actedasa volunteerambassador for nasen in NorthernIreland for two years.
Opportunities for CPD are available, along with high-quality,researchbased resources and helpful ideas on how to improve learning for children and young people with SEND.
Creating theright environment for all pupils to engage, learnand thrive is the aimofevery school. But, with reduced resources andincreasing numbers of children with additional needs, it’snot without itschallenges Sauncey Wood is asmall school with 192 children on roll.There are 13 differentlanguagesspoken and an above national average intake of disadvantaged pupils andpupils with additional educational needs, so targeted supportisessential.
As the inclusionlead,all areas of vulnerabilityand need fall under my umbrella.Creatinga sense of belonging andinclusion underpins all we do and makingsureeverychild canactively participate in lessons is apriority
However,activeparticipation of alllearners can be trickytoachieve duetothe diverse range of needs andabilities in theclassroom. We’ve foundthatthe techniquesweuse for ourpupils with English as an additional language (EAL) to improve vocabulary and help navigate theschool day can support allpupils, including those with and without additional learning needs.
Imaginehow bewildering it mustbeto startschool withoutknowing the local language,not havingthe wordstoask for help,orbeingabletoread what to do by yourself. For17per cent ofpupils at Sauncey Wood this is theirreality Afurther 20.5 per cent of ourpupils areon theSENDregisterand busy environments canbehardfor them to navigatedue to difficulties rememberinginstructions, sequencing steps or processinginformation.
To overcome these barriers, we’ve found that using visual timetables incorporating
20.5% 17%
symbols, such as adinner plate at lunch time and abook at story-time, supports children to better navigate their school day.We typically use symbols from Widgit and, for our pupils with SEND, it gives the extra processing time they need to make sense of the timetable and reinforces the comfortofroutine.
Emerging readers and pupils with EAL can see by the imagerywhat’scoming next, and it helps everyone feel more ready to learn.
Using visual prompts in classrooms and corridorscan support transitiontimesand remindpupilsabout key information to reduce the need foradult intervention. It’sa strategythat has alsoworkedwell in St Andrews PrimarySchoolinSomerset, as Year 6teacherMaria Sadlerexplains:
“I’m abig labeller. Everything is labelled in my classroom, andIuse symbols to support the meaning of text. Iuse this approach to support my pupils with EALand SEND and teach the wholeclass French, our modern foreignlanguage. For me it’s all aboutimmersion, so pupilssee words, hear them,and say them.All my cupboards and doorshavevisual cues using symbolsto supportpupils to understand what to do Forexample,I usesymbols to represent the phrase ‘pull the door closed’I’vefound using symbol signage hasempoweredchildren to feel more confident aboutwhatthey’re being askedtodo. As symbols areuniversally understoodthey encourage independence andresponsibility.”
Pre-teaching pupils wordsand phrases to introduceunfamiliar vocabulary is not a new strategy but we’ve foundincorporating avisual approach haspositively impacted on their acquisitionoflanguage andmemory.
We useittointroduce new topics to children with verbal or language processingdifficultiesand with limited English to give them theconfidenceto participate in lessons. For example, in language-heavysubjects suchashistory or science,I canuse houses as asymbol to explain thewordsettlement, or symbols of bones whenlearningabout theskeleton. Whatevera pupil’s language ability, they canstillcontribute during lessons by sharing relevantsymbols,increasing their confidenceand engagement. As the numbers of pupils withadditional needs grows,moreschools arefinding this ausefultechnique to help build vocabulary and comprehension. Agnieszka Kwiatowska, EAL teaching partner from St Gregory the GreatschoolinGloucestershire, used symbols to makeiteasier to explain to a child from Hungary withlimited English and slow information processingskills, the story of theBad-Tempered Ladybird: “I used different symbolstoshowthem what is meant by ‘too small’and ‘bad tempered’, which really helped them to ‘get’ thestory and enjoy it, making themmore engaged in learning.”
The extra visual supportisalsoa valuable aidtouse within mainstream teaching. We’ve foundincorporating symbols across our schoolhas benefitted allpupils, notjustthose with special needs or EAL
It’sa useful toolfor emerging readers as they canuse the imagesto decodethe meaning of the words.Ithelpsthem to decipher instructions and reduces relianceonadult supportsothatthey canbecomemore independent.Wealsouse symbol-basedresources to create word maps, vocabulary sheetsand displaystointroduce the subject-specificvocabulary that pupilsneedtolearn as they move through their schooling
Visualrepresentationscan help allpupils to learn,recalland remember themeaning of new informationmoreeasily,and reducethe demand on theirworking memoryduring lessons. Creating aricher curriculum for everyone is easierifall pupils areimmersed and involved in the learning process. The simple icons andimagesusedinsymbols to represent vocabulary has helped driveliteracyacross the whole school by levelling up the playingfieldand keeping everyoneengaged
Emerging readers and pupils with EAL can see by the imagerywhat’s coming next,and it helps everyone feel more ready to learn.
of pupils at Sauncey Wood areonthe SEND register
have difficulty finding the words to ask for help, or being able to read what to do by themselves
For many years, inclusionhas been thebuzzwordinthe educationsector,including in initialtraining, butitisa trickyconcepttodefineand hardtomonitor.Ifthought aboutinterms of SMARTtargets(specific, measurable, achievable, realisticand timed), inclusionasanoutcomeistoo broad and intangible,and yet it is anecessity for good practice. If we flipthe focus from aiming to achieve inclusiontoinstead avoidingany pupil’sexclusionfromactivities and learning,wehavethe potentialfor apositive outcomeina format that is easier to envisage and attain. Ensuring the avoidance of exclusionratherthanseeking the evidence of inclusionbecomes amore embraceable andmeasurable target
Thedilemmawithinclusion is thatitis a multifaceted concept. It is notonlydependent on adaptations made to the environment and the activities that takeplace within it butis alsoinfluenced by the relationshipsthat occur withinthe environment, the receptiveness of the individual and how all these factors are experienced at that specific pointintime.
Thismeans that,however hardthe manager of theenvironment or the teacherinthe classroomworks to create an inclusive setting,theirsuccesscannot be fairly and accuratelymeasured Ultimately, thismeans that the vital concept of inclusion has the potential to becomea goal thatisfrustrating to aim for,particularly for early-career teachers grapplingwith many other fundamental aspects of teaching and learning.
Miriam Walker explores the concept of inclusion, its challenges and how we can flip the focus to make it more attainable.
Pupilexclusioncan be minimised through proactive, generic andpupil-specific strategies during lesson preparation, andthroughreactive strategiesduring lesson delivery. Forexample, generic proactiveconsiderations in lesson preparationcould include encouraging pupil autonomy overresourceselection to assist with amathsproblem;the availability of a writing frame or word bank forstory writing; or ensuringthatthe whiteboard screen is apastel shade rather than white,and that considerationhas been made in advance regardingpairings or groupings foractivities. Examples of proactiveenvironmental considerationsinclude ensuringthe classroomis calmand uncluttered, that there areclear visuals for labelsinaddition to wordsand that there are quietspacesfor children andyoung people who needthem. Anyadditionaland necessary pupil-specific strategies canberecognised through adeeperunderstanding of thepupil’s individual experience.Throughcreating a setofgeneric andpupil-specific checksand considerationsregarding both the environment of the classroom andthe preparations for lessons, the potential for exclusionfrom activities and learning canbeminimised.
Reactive checks to avoid exclusion from activities andlearningduring lessons need tofocus on pupil participation.Participation is awordthatisoften pairedwithinclusion but should not be assumedasaninevitable outcome. It is possible to be included in an activity butfor the individual to choose notto participate. It is also possible forall proactive steps in avoiding exclusion to have been taken andyet, forvarious reasons, the pupilisunable to engage.Investigating these unknown or unrecognised barrierstoparticipation further is then essential to be abletomanagethem
If participation is voluntaryand the pupil opts into the activitybecauseitisinteresting andaccessible and they are in areadystatetolearn,theninclusion has been achieved. This outcome is more likelytooccurifthe generic and pupil-specific proactive stepstoavoid exclusionhave already takenplace. Aiming forinclusion will notinevitably result in participation but recognising that all stepshave been taken puts theonus on individual participation Despite allsteps being takentoavoid exclusion, participationcannotbeimmediately guaranteed. Changes in mindset take time to bear fruit. Constancy regarding access to activitiesand learning, andrespect in gaining abetter understanding of the pupil’s perspective must be combined with patience. Thisiswonderfully explained by psychotherapist Virginia Axline in herbook, ‘Dibs:InSearch of Self’. Sheoutlines the steps of ajourney by ayoung boy in choosing to engagewiththe world around him. Axlineproposes that the foundationsfor facilitatinggrowth andconnection must stem from an awareness ‘that no one ever reallyknowsasmuch about any humanbeing’sinner world as does the individual himself; and that responsible freedom grows anddevelopsfrominside theperson’.
The dilemma with inclusion is that it is a multifaceted concept.
Beccie Hawes, from Cadmus Inclusive, outlines how a‘shoestring approach’ to supporting pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs made an impact.
Weare all noticing and feeling the impact of aworryingly huge increase in the SEMH needs of our pupils. This, in turn, is impacting upon their abilitytoself-monitor,self-regulate and access all aspects of school life.
In everyeducationalsetting that we work with, our team are beingasked foradvice andstrategies to supportpupils in this essential and challengingarea. This is compounded by overstretched specialist resources, longwaiting-lists, the impossible task of triaging needsto decidewho does anddoesnot getsupportand school staffwho are desperatetodotheir verybest with avery limited budgettohelp their pupils feel safe andsecure To add to this, we are in acost-of-living crisis, which leads to further stress and strainfor our pupilsand theirfamilies.
Aspecial educational needs andpupil wellbeing service can offer practical supporttoschools. This can be advice about suitable interventions, therapeutic approaches, use of asupportdog, signposting, graphicfacilitationand sand-tray or play-basedtherapies, to namebut afew Although useful forpupils,manyofthese approaches can be expensive to train staff in, andtorun long-term. Theycan also takeupa lot of existingresources.
Consequently, we must be creative about taking the underlying principles of such approaches and usingtheminacost effective but impactfulway to supportasmany of ourpupilsaspossible.Sohow do we achieve this?Hopefully, we canoffer astoryofhope through exploring one ‘shoestring’ approach that paid hugedividends Recently we worked with a school whoneeded a‘budget’ approach toSEMH. Firstly, we exploredhow we could further develop awholeschool ethos that
had nurture andthe wellbeing and mental health of pupilsand staffatits heart. To getthere, allstakeholdersplayedtheirpart in reflecting upon their current position. Keyquestions included: Do we have arobustmental health and wellbeing policy in place andisthis ‘lived’ in practiceinour school? Whereisthe evidence of this? What do we already know about our pupils’ mental health and how can we find out more? Can we find consistent and demonstrable evidence that mental health andwellbeing is ahigh priorityand well integrated into our day-today culture andcurriculum? Do ourpupils feel safe enough in school to tell and/ or show us how they are really feeling? How do we knowthat this is thecase? Do we providesupportive mechanismsfor pupils to demonstratetheirmental health andwellbeing to us? If so, what are these approaches andare they well used? Do stafffeel confidentin identifyingpupilswho may have SEMH needs andoffering and/or signpostingsupport?
Once this was complete, asimple actionplanwas drawnupwith all stakeholders, taking into account what wasalready in place and how we could move forwards to build upon this. Asimple issue, initiative and intendedimpact framework was used. This was one of the issueshighlighted:
Due to the current level of communication skills, manypupils find it hard to verbally explain how they arefeeling.
Explorehow our pupils can use arange of resources (already available in school) to showus, as opposed to telling us, about their SEMH needs.
Forpupils to havea range of toolsavailable to startconversations abouttheirown social, emotional and mental health.
We must be creative about taking the underlying principles of such approaches and using them in acost effective but impactful way to support as many of our pupils as possible.
Working with ourteam, staff identified existing schoolresources for pupils to ‘demonstrate’ their needs, wants, feelings and ideas.While hunting througha cupboard, we found lotsofsmall building bricks, miniaturesmall-world play resources, abag of sandand some oldplastic trays. The staffrecognised that theywere not qualifiedtherapistsbut felt that they could work with thepupilstouse theseresources to allow them to exploresituations that botheredthemand to expressthemselves. After someprofessional reading and several trials, ahybrid version of sand-trayand play-based therapyapproacheswas born
In this approach pupils were given atray of sand, along with aselection of miniatures
and small building bricks, that could be used to represent avarietyoffeelingsand situations to build aworld that showed their current situation. Here’sanexample.
In this sand tray (below)a pupil created aworld that showedustheir fear of the family dying (represented by thegravestone, plastic figures of peoplelying down anda car accident) andfriendships breakingdown (representedbythe dinosaursfacing a plastic figurethat symbolised themself). The pupil also included gemstones placed inside atreasurechest to signify them hidingthese feelingsaway from family and friends because they were notsureabout howtoshare them.
BECCIE HAWES
Beccie is the head of service at Cadmus Inclusive, a community interest company offering abespoke SEND advisoryand pupil wellbeing service to schools across the country. For more information, visit www.cadmusinclusive. co.uk or contact bhawes@cadmussupportservices.co.uk
Overtime,each part of the sand-tray was talkedabout and potential real-life solutions were co-created in the sand with atrusted member of staff.Gradually, each one of thesolutions was put into practice inreal life.
At the end of this process, the pupil was given the opportunitytobuild their world again. The final sand-tray showed us a massive change. There were alot fewer dinosaurs, their family were all alive and well in afenced-offarea that represented home and the treasure chest had been opened so that we could see the gems. We also noticed amuchcalmer,happier and settled pupil who was much more willing to engage in lessons.
It isimportant to recognise that we maynot be qualified therapistswho can‘fix’ allour pupils’ needs.However, we can alldosomething–nomatter howsmall–tomakethose that need it feel alittle bitbetterand alittle bitsafer than they do rightnow.While more costly resources canbevaluablein aschool-setting,sometimes we just have to accept that, due to cost and available resources, we can’talwaysoffer whatwe wouldlike to.Therefore SEMHona shoestringbecomes acase of needs-must.Atthe very least we canall:
Trytounderstand
Be there
Be professionally curious about what is ‘hurting’
Value‘behaviour’asaformofcommunication Be willingtolearn and change ourpractices
Listen with our eyesand hearts without judgement.
It is important to recognise that we may not be qualified therapists who can ‘fix’ all our pupils’ needs. However,wecan all do something –nomatter how small –tomake those that need it feel alittlebit better and alittle bit safer than they do right now
NICOLA TURNER
Nicola has been working to support widening access and participation since joining the UCAS Policy Team in 2016 and is now working on the UCAS Fair Access Programme. Recently, she has written insight reports on student mental health, students with disabilities and students from acare background. Nicola is aformer secondary English teacher,and head of PSHE and careers education. For more information, get started with the UCAS Hub, call UCAS for help on 0371 468 0468 or message us on social media.
Nicola Turner from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) examines how we can help young people with SEND view higher education as aviable option for them.
In2021, 604,000 people in the UK applied to universitythrough UCAS, and83,000(14 per cent)ofthoseshared adisabilityormental healthcondition. Over the last ten years, the number ofapplicants sharing this informationhas morethandoubled, yet young people with disabilities remain under-represented in highereducation and
they arealmosthalfaslikely to hold an undergraduatedegreethan theirpeers
We were keen to understand if there were hidden barriers for students with disabilities.
So, in collaboration with Pearson, UCAS released the report, Next Steps: What is the experience of students with disabilities in education? (https://bit.ly/3iKryvQ)
in July 2022. Here, we researched the preferences and application behaviours of students with disabilities and asked them
about their experiences at school or college, how they felt when applying through UCAS, and their expectations for university.
We found theywerelooking forward to theirnextsteps, particularlythe social opportunities, but hadexperienced several challenges along their application journey. UCAS believes thejourney for students with disabilities canbeeasier, and ourreport sets outsomeofthe ways in which we think that can happen.
We found applicants with disabilities are up to 28 per cent more likely to defer the start of their studies, predominantly because the support they needed at university was delayed or unavailable. Through no fault of their own, some students are unable to take their next steps at the same time as their non-disabled peers, and we don’t think this is fair.
When we broke down the findings by disability type, it became very apparent that those with non-visible impairments were experiencing more challenges; they often had aless positive experience at school or college, felt less confident in sharing their support needs with the university and had lower expectation for higher education. We’d like to find away to help these students feel more included and supported in their journey to university.
Although more than half had researched the support available for students with disabilities before applying, some reported that it was difficult to find the information they needed to make an informed choice. We think details about support need to be more prominent, and young people need more guidance around talking to the disability adviser at university.
1 2 3
Differences in the terminology usedcreate an additional point of confusion for applicants (and those supporting them) when trying to research support. In secondaryeducation, we tend to usethe term‘SEND’ butinhigher educationweswitch to the term ‘disability’tocover physical difficulties, mentalhealthconditions, learning differencesand neurodivergencesas well as long-termhealthconditions. Consequently,those who have never considered themselves to be ‘disabled’ may miss vital informationabout support, such as Students with Disabilities Allowances (DSAs),and feel less certain aboutsharing theirindividual needs in the UCAS application. Another risk is that notall young people are fully aware of the mechanisms in place to support them at school, so they may not realise they needtoask forsupporttohelpthem succeed in theiruniversitystudies In other instances,somemay have expectations thatexceedthe level or type of support they canaccess in HE Finally, it’s worthbearinginmind that the UCAS or careersadvisermay notbe aware of an applicant’sneedsorcondition,and the applicant maynot feel comfortableraisingthis with someone they don’tknow well, especially fornon-visible disabilities. Again, we runthe risk that the right informationdoesn’t reach the people whoneeditmost.
We found they were looking forward to their next steps, particularly the social opportunities, but had experienced several challenges along their application journey.
Applyingtouniversitywithadisability or mental healthcondition
Information aboutStudents with disabilities’ Allowances
Preparing foropendays andvisits
Adviceonspeakingtothe disability or mental healthadviser at university
Read our individual needs toolkit for more step-by-step ideas to supportstudents.
When an applicant shares this information, it kickstarts the support process. The information is only shared with those who are responsible for arranging support; it is never used to make ajudgement on the application.
My experience hastaught me that SENCOsare lynchpins inschools, and their relationships withpupils mean they areatrusted sourceof guidance. However,weappreciatethattimeisata premium,sohereare some practical, non-resource-intensive ways you can supportyoung people as they start to consider their future options.
Our research shows that early engagement is critical. Some young people will already have decided that university is not for them before they even get as far as post-16 education. Universities have changed dramatically in the last 30 years, becoming diverse and inclusive spaces, offering support for awide range of needs. For students with disabilities, the journey may be more complex, so helping them to sign up to the UCAS Hub to start their research earlier can be useful.
NEEDS OR CONDITION
When an applicant shares this information, it kickstarts the support process. The information is only shared with those who are responsible for arranging support; it is never used to make ajudgement on the application, although many students worrythatthisisthe case. UCAS does not ask for evidence nor require adiagnosis to share support needs.
DSAs are non-repayable funds that students can apply for, alongside student finance, to help with some of the extra study-related costs incurred due to adisability or mental health condition. Evidence is required, and students may find it useful to have some help to complete the DSA application.
Most student services teams will have adisability adviser; they are the best source of information about the support the university can offer –both throughout the application journey,and during their studies. They can also advise about events such as orientation days for students with autism. However,young people may find the idea of talking to astranger challenging, especially if this is the first time they have spoken to someone about their support needs. Use your knowledge of their individual needs to prepare them for that call (or email), so they know what questions to ask.
Matthew Jones outlines how aspecialist college supports learners with SEND to build employability skills to help supportindependent living.
Nationally,statistics show that five per centof learnerswith the highest need,including those with an EHCP,are in paid employment, and23 per centofworkingadults with alearning disabilityhavea paid job (Mencap’s 2019 Big Learning Disability Survey). Grow 19 wasset up forlearners aged18-25, with aviewtoimproving
thosestatistics and aiming toget learners with an EHCP intoemploymentby providingthemwiththe opportunity of targetedvocationallearning. This was basedonhelping young people to understand workplace expectations by creating realistic work environmenttoprovide relevant andrealistic experiences forlearners Mixing functional skills with vocational learning, employabilityand community
projects enables learnerstodevelop their confidence, skills, and belief that they can enter the workforce, make informed choices, and actively participateintheircommunities.
The core valuesofresponsibility, empowerment, community, independence,personalised learning andexperienceare embedded within the curriculum, daily routines andpractices withinthe college.
Learners are taught in three different pathways, with practical learning incorporated. Progress is recorded in portfolios to supportthem in future; arange of therapies is offered to supportindividual need in line with their EHCP provision, with interventions varying depending on each specific learner,and detail is provided in their timetable and provision plans. Learners attend Grow 19 for up to four days and are encouraged to use local sport and communityfacilities, along with work experience, to further improve their independence and wellbeing on the day they are not in college.
Eachpathway is tailored to each learner andtheir interests and skills. Thefirst pathwayisaimedatlearners working at executive level two (EL2) and above,focusing on developingtheir readiness to
work.Vocational qualifications andspecific training workshops enable learners to gain thework-related qualifications to support their study and entryinto theworkplace. Learnerscan experience theindustry (horticulture, catering and hospitalityor construction and maintenance) thatthey would like to work in, butstill be able to tryotherareas if theyare undecided
The second pathway is for learners working at entrylevel one and above who require more structure and supportwith tasks, focusing on developing independent living and learning skills. Vocational qualifications and specific training enable learners to gain the living, communication and travel awareness skills to supporttheminto supportedliving and employment. Learners will be able to participate and learnskills for working life within horticulture, hospitality and general construction. The third pathway is for learners working at pre/entry level who are learning key skills and preparing for transition to supported living and community engagement. This pathway focuses on developing social communication skills, life skills and maintaining and developing personal health and wellbeing. Learners actively learnand participate
Mixing functional skills with vocational learning, employability and community projects enables learners to develop their confidence, skills, and belief that they can enter the workforce, make informed choices, and actively participate in their communities.
in communityprojects,developing the confidence and skills tomaketheirown decisions andplan their next steps. Learnersparticipate andlearn skills for workinglife across arange of subjects. Learning within Grow 19 is purposeful and linked to the local job market. Learners who have chosen hospitalitywill study this at level one as their main vocation, running acafé located at the site each Wednesday The café is open to the public and all food served is homemade by the learners. They follow visual instruction recipes to create atermly special along with jacket potatoes, toasties and cakes while working in an established kitchen. All the learners are level two food hygiene accredited and the kitchen has recently been given afive star hygiene rating. Learners have taken abarista course, enabling them to serve avariety of barista-standard coffees to customers. Learners follow the entire hospitalityprocess, from setting up the café and creating the food to taking card and cash payments
using afunctioning till. Learners work with mentors to develop money skills, learning how to serve customers and be customer facing within their role.
Learnerswithin the horticulture vocational pathway,again at levelone, areresponsible for theirown allotment plot. Learners developskillsinrecognising plant varieties, pruning andwhat is needed to ensuremaximum growthofplants and vegetables.Foodthat is growninthe allotmentistheneither sold, linking to employability, or usedinthe cafétohelp develop asense of local community
Learners within the construction pathway acquire avariety of skillsand practices that arefound within the construction industry, while also improvingtheir fine andgross motor skills. Learnersproduce an arrayofcarpentryjointsand learn basicplumbing, painting, brick laying andbuildingskills. Duringcertain times of theyear, learners sellthe products that they have made to the public
With our visionofgettinglearners into work, work experienceplays apivotal role within thecollege. Learners gain theskills and trainingthey need to give them afinal boost into employment or volunteering.All learners have aweekly work experience placement,relevanttotheirprogramme of study and accreditation. The work experience day is designed around the real work patterns and shifts that learners go on to work in when they leaveus. Learners within thelocal council partnership begin at 6amtoreflect this. Placements arelong-term, usually between three and six months in onesetting. Where possible,weencourage learners to travel to their placementindependently and, once settled, interact autonomously with theiremployerorcolleagues. Thishelps to ensure that they areascomfortable as possible in aworking environment
Last yearatGrow19wehad three learnersleave us for full time employment witha host of local employers. Hereiswhat they hadtosay.
‘I started doing a hospitality course at level one They helped me overcome my anxiety and helped me become more confident They taught me to bake and cook many different things If it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t be where I am today working full-time in a kitchen at Toby Carvery being a waitress It taught me how to work in a reallife workplace and they treated me like an adult In my new job I have made so many memories and new friends I couldn’t be happier than I am now, and I now earn a living ” Chantelle
‘This helpedme to get a jobfrom my workexperience placement at Maidstone BoroughCouncil. They taught me to have a goodwork ethic andgave me more confidence I learnt to use lots ofequipment during my construction andhorticulture sessions Tutors supportedme with applications andpaperworkto apply for the job I’m pleasedand proudofmyselfandreceive lots of compliments from the public and community while I’m doing my barrow round I’m now able to help support my family andbuy the items I like ” Luke
‘The course helped me with interview skills andpreparing my CV I learnt lots of new skills in horticulture and construction All that I learnt helped me get a job at Lenham storage for three days and one day volunteering at food share in Ashford ” Ryan
With our vision of getting learners into work, work experience plays apivotal role withinthe college
When accessing further or higher education, what supportis available for care leavers, and those still in care? Jade Ward looksatsome of the statistics, and outlines some of the options available for young people and those who supportthem.
Atany onetime, there are around70,000 children in care in England. These childrenlivein several accommodation settings, includingfoster care, residential children’s homes or kinshipcarewithfamily or friends who arenot theirparents. Youngpeople enterthe care system duetoa rangeof
issues,suchasparents who arenot able to care for theirchildthrough disability, unaccompanied asylum-seekingyoung people andiftherewas asignificant risk of harmidentifiedwithin thehome.
Many youngpeople whoenter thecare system will go through multiple placement moves during their timeincare and, for approximately30per cent,thiswill mean amove to adifferent localauthority
Thesemoves can often be adifficult and traumatictimefor young people. Along with achange in placement,they may also see achange of social worker, an impactonrelationships with family members, friendships and networks of support,and neweducation provisions. Thiscan affectthe support in placefor young people, leading to delays in identifyingtheir needs, including recognising neurodiversity and special educational needs
We know that children in care and careleavers share thesame aspirations for their futuresastheir peers, including having goodeducationand employment opportunities. However,a recent study completed by researchers at theUniversity CollegeLondon GreatOrmondStreet Institute of Child Health(GOSICH)found thatfourout of five children whoenterthe caresysteminEngland equire supportfor SEN between the agesoffiveand 16, but only aquarter of these young people had an Education,Healthand Care Plan (EHCP) in place(http://bit.ly/3YdeiPz*)
For many,having alabelofspecial educationalneeds mayseem like abarrier to pursuing education,but there are some support optionsinplacetoensureyoung people can achieve.
Thereisa rangeofsupportavailable forchildren andyoung people in care to helpensuretheyreceivethe best education possible; this supportisongoinguntil theage of 25 andcoverscompulsory education and further andhigher education.
Children whocomeintocare under the ageof16should have a personal educationplandeveloped with them as soon as they become looked after.Thisplanshould be updated when ayoung person moves schools andshould be shared with theyoung person, teachers, andthe social worker
Each school shouldhavea designated member of stafffor children in care. Thedesignatedteacheris there to supportyoung people and feed into the young person’s PEP,ensuringrecommendations are acted upon in the school.
Therole of the virtual school head is to promotethe educational achievementofall children in careunder thelocal authority, includingthose placed outside of thelocal area.The VSH ensures allprofessionals involved understandtheir rolewith maintaining thePEP,and that the needs of the youngperson arebeing met.
Each child in thecare system willhave asum of moneyallocatedtobeused to support their education. Thesupport for theyoung person will be decided withinthe PEP meetingsand theyoung person should have asay in this.
*Ref: Jay MA, Gilbert R Special educational needs, social care and health Archives ofDisease in Childhood2021;106:83-85.
We know that children in care and care leavers share the same aspirations for their futures as their peers.
THERE ARE AROUND
70,000 CHILDREN IN CARE IN ENGLAND
Youngpeoplewho wish to go to universitywillbe supportedvia thelocal leaving care teamand will have access to thehigher education bursary
Youcan getintouch with Propel viaour helpline (0800023 2033) or by emailing propel@becomecharity.org.uk
Once ayoung person is starting to prepare for independence, usually around 16 years old, their care plan will become apathway plan and their supportwill move to the leaving care team. During this transition, the supportfor ayoung person’seducation may change. Young people will continue to have PEPs until the age of 18 and the virtual school will provide advice and supportaround the 16-19 bursaryfundfor further education.
Once ayoung person reaches 18, they will have access to anamed professional in the leaving care team who will supportoneducation, employment and training. In some local authorities, this will be the young person’spersonal adviser or leaving care worker
Young people who wish to go to universitywill be supported via the local leaving care team and will have access to the higher
education bursary. They will also be supportedthroughout the university, with most HE settings having a financial package of supportfor care-experienced young people.
Amulti-agency approach is necessaryfor ensuring young people in care are fully supported. Each professional has aresponsibilityinensuring young people succeed; as highlighted above, when one of the professionals involved in a young person’seducation changes, it can impact on supportbeing implemented at the right time and can lead to young people not achieving to their best abilities.
If ayoung person is not getting the right support, professionals can look for an advocate to provide advice and guidance around any challenge with services, helping to ensure that the necessarysupportisinplace.
FOUR OUT OF FIVE CHILDREN WHO ENTER THE CARE SYSTEM IN ENGLAND REQUIRE SUPPORTFOR SEN BETWEEN THE AGES OF FIVE AND 16
25% OF THESE YOUNGPEOPLE HAD AN EDUCATION HEALTH AND CARE PLAN (EHCP) IN PLACE
Become Charity has acare advice line (0800 023 2033) for professionals and young people seeking support. OpenMondayto Friday between 10am and5pm, it is afree servicefor youngpeople and professionals. StaffatBecome canprovideadvice andsupport on several issues,including:
Moneyworries
Health andwellbeing
Rights andentitlements in/and leaving care
Housing issues
Contact with siblings and family members
Finding national and localservicestoassist.
Becomealsooffersdedicated supporttoyoung people whowishto access further and highereducation.The adviceand supportofficer for further andhighereducation providesone-to-onesupportfor young people andcan help withall applications, including DSA, Student Finance andUCAS, as well as ensuring theinstitution is made awareof anyneeds theyoung person mayhaveprior to joining The Propelwebsite (https://propel.org.uk/UK/)provides information on the supportavailable from FE and HE institutions,aswellasthe contact information forthe designated care leaver contact
Jade is the senior advice and support officer for Further and Higher Education at Become Charity,acharity for children in care and young care leavers. Jade grew up in the care system and was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia at age 23 whilst completing her undergraduate degree, and later went on to complete her Master’s at age30.
Collaborative programmes that pair students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) with their peers can be an effective tool to improve learning outcomes and increase asense of belonging.
Paul Willis, SENDCO at All Saints Catholic School in Dagenham, outlines his school’sapproach to mentoring, and discusses the impact of anew initiative that the school’sstudents have taken on as their own.
All Saints School is alarger than average secondaryschool within the dioceseofBrentwood.
We have over 1,400 students and our students with SEND encompass needssuchasmoderate learning difficulties(MLD), autism, social emotional mental health(SEMH) needs and speech,language and communication needs(SLCN).
Itookonmycurrent role just over 12 months ago andwe’venow amalgamated provision formore able students and those with medical needs and special educationalneeds under one remit.
We rebranded thedepartment and it is nowthe Emmaus Centre for Exceptional Needs&Development. Oneparticular programmethatwehave introduced in theCentre hasproven to be arealeye-opener forour school and ourstudents,withbenefits going beyondwhatweoriginally anticipated.
In January of this year,weintroduced apeer mentoring programme withinthe Centre.This initiative cameabout becausewewanted to supporta culture of learning, of sharing information and helping others.Our aim was to widenour existingprogramme, in which our scholar programme students workedwith their peers withSEND. It came about initiallybecausesomeofthe more able students were taking the initiative and using their skills outsideofthe scope of our original programme; they startedhelpingother students beyond the programme andwesaw the positives rightawayfor boththe mentors andthe mentees
My advice for anyone who wants to trythisintheirown setting would be to make sure that you've identifiedthe students whoare bestplaced to work with students with SEND. Another important factor hasbeenownership.Wewanted to position theprogramme in such away that it was almost perceived as the students’ idea to get involved and this hasbeencrucial in helpingengagement.
In our school, foreachofour scholars, programmes and groups,I havea GoogleClassroom. Thisgives studentsa waytoengage outside of education, based on their interestsand what they want to take part in.Wesenta GoogleFormto studentstoinvite them to participate, asking themwhattheywereinterestedinsharing withtheir younger peerswithSEND, whether it was advice, support with learningorjusta friendly conversation.I was blown away by their reaction;wereceivedmore than twice the numberofresponses that we anticipated.Now we havearound30students per year groupinvolved in theprogramme. The mentors were selected based on their lastassessment grades, their predicted grades and an average gradescore and, to leave no stone unturned,wealsoincluded thosewho are excellinginaparticular subject area.
Thefirst session was an icebreaker to helpall students get to knoweach other Iwas impressed by the engagement, the communication and interaction. From there, we identified areas that each student withSEND needed help in, and we pairedthe studentsappropriately
For example, one is astudentwith an Education, Health andCarePlan(EHCP) for SEMH needswho wasstruggling with maths. He was paired with an older student who has been accepted by aRussell Group universityfor maths and the twowork verywelltogether
The benefitsgobeyond helpwith a particular subject; when theysee each
other in thedepartmentnow it's “doyou need help in maths?”and “couldyou help me with this?”. We’veseenthis shift take place across differentsubjects, andevenextra-curricularactivities like basketball.Wesee peers whoaren’t partofthe programme helping with homework or with collaborativework. We find the students whowouldusually be disengaged coming in earlyinthe morning to get help from an elder peer whoisanexpertinthatarea.
Withone of thestudents, we hadtried different interventions, rangingfrom online interventionsthrough to atutoring service, but theywerealwayslateand reluctant to learnorengage. The mentoring programme provedtobekey;thatstudent nowcomes in
early to learnfrom theirpeers,and we can seetheyfeelmore of asense of belonging
The socialimpactofthe programme was immediate; ithas helped remove some of the stigma for students with SEND and we seemoreconversations in thehallways between students who wouldn’tusually engagewith each other.Interms ofsoft skills, an increaseinconfidence has been noticeable. This runs through seemingly smaller things like being able to go to the canteen through to increased engagement insocial circles as well as learning. Communication skills havealsoincreased leaps andbounds and we’ve found that the programme gives allthe students a sense of responsibilityaswellaspride in theirsubjectareaand their learning.
The social impact of the programme was immediate; it has helped remove some of the stigma for students with SEND.
Our teachers runliteracy interventions withthe students whohave been identifiedthrough literacy assessment. That runs through years seven, eight and nine,and we also have awholeschool reading exercise,where everystudent reads the samebookeach week. We found that this shared experiencecreated acatalyst for conversationand works as abondingactivity as well as alearning one. Ithinkweforgetasadults thatthere oftenneeds to be acatalyst in aconversation; if you don't have thatcatalyst, if you don’thave that same areaofinterest, youcan be isolated. By sharingwith awhole year group,wecan addressthat, andprovideacommon ground for discussion. The students can talk aboutthatbook with anyoneintheir form, which has increasedliteracy,reading comprehension and widerdiscussion across the year groups Forour mentoringprogramme, we’rekeen to see how the students want it to develop. They’reour measure of howeffective it is. Academicresults matter butthe cultural impactisjustas important to us. Getting more students engaged, increasing collaboration andcommunication, increasing ownership of education;all these areas play avital role once astudent moves beyond school,collegeoruniversity,and havinga programme that supports thehard andsoft skillsdevelopment for ourstudentsisanincredibly positivething for our school.
There isalwaysasteady streamofquestionsarriving at nasen House and,of course, the Education Team answers them as soon as possible. But, while many of them are specifictoa particular context,the answers to anumberof themcould be helpful to the wider nasenmembership.‘Askthe team’ providesthe space to share these questions andanswers.
01827 311500
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education@nasen.org.uk @nasen.org
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you can always give nasen House acalltoo.
Iattended atraining course about high quality teaching and learning for all students and was surprised to hear that differentiation is now no longer to be used. This was the key partofmytraining as ateacher and now,eight years in, Ifeel that my style of teaching is not applicable. The talk was all about adaptive teaching and how all pupils should be learning the same thing with different scaffolding and supporttohelp them access the curriculum. Does this fit with the SEND Code of Practice statement of ‘different from and additional to’?
Youare right to bring up the statement within the Code of Practice around the requirement that SEN provision be “different from or additional to that normally available to pupils or students of the same age”. However,times have moved on since 2014 when this was written, and the development of inclusion by design and provision at universal level is much more appropriate for young people, including those with SEN. The term‘adaptive teaching’ has gained prominence, partly due to its inclusion in the Ofsted Inspection Framework and is, in effect, differentiation but at amore universal level. It is about considering those pupils in the margins at the startoflessonplanning, and providing for them will ensure that you are providing for all. There are some resources available on the nasen and Whole School SEND websites that may help: Webinar on adaptive teaching: https://bit.ly/3IMwdYO
Adaptive teaching: https://bit.ly/3W7U6Np
Inclusive Classroom language: https://bit.ly/3ZBht4M
Online modules: https://bit.ly/3QBNJAF
Ihave ayoung person in KS2who has a diagnosis of autism andADD and does nothave an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Can Istillapply foraccess arrangementsfor them?
SENCO, Derbyshire
In KS2 there is no requirement for formal testing to be used for access arrangements and their teacher would be the one to make the application as they know that pupil’s normal way of working. There are several different access arrangements that you can
www.nasen.org.uk
consider; extra time is the most common, or reader,scribing, the use of aword processor, aprompt, etc. Rest breaks may be more beneficial for young people than extra time as these give an opportunitytotake time out to relax and then restart. All must be considered from the earliest opportunity in view of their normal way of working in the classroom so that pupils are adept and prepared for using the arrangement that is most suited to their needs.
Further information is available here: https://bit.ly/3IHp2Rw
If you have aquestion, and think the answer would be useful to everyone, please submit it to
Of course,
Dyslexia &Me– How to Survive andThriveif You’reNeurodivergent’ follows theauthor’s life from ayoungchild struggling with literacy, who is later diagnosed with dyslexia, to becoming an award-winning entrepreneur. Fromthe start, theauthor emphasises culturaldiversity andthe need for equity (recognisinga learner’s specific circumstances)and equality (allowing everyone access to the same resources andopportunities). As afemale fromaNigerian background, where neurodivergence and learningdifferences
are not‘openly discussed’,she would not havereceivedany specialist support if it hadn’tbeen forher mother.She had experienced the same difficulties as her daughter andintroduced rigorous learning regimes forher from the ageoffive. These clearlypaid off, as sherepeatedly informs the reader of hermany successes, includingstarting atutoring business at the ageof12. To me,the most appreciative readers of this book willbethose students with dyslexia in higher education who may well be experiencingsimilar heightened levels of anxiety. They will be able to take comfort from her practicaltipsand optimistic projectionsofthe way forward.
Author: Onyinye Udokporo
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley
ISBN: 978-1-78775-944-2
Reviewed by: Julia Rowlandson, SEND consultant and trainer
Author: Kim Griffin
Publisher: BloomsburyEducation
ISBN: 978-1-4729-8694-8
Reviewed by: Zoe Mather, education officer,nasen
Thereare anumber of books in the series ‘100 ideas’ offeringanaccessible and bitesize access to identifiable solutions for situations in the classroom. This ‘SensoryProcessingDifferences’ volume,whilstbeing labelled forprimary, wouldbeequallyvaluable for secondary andspecialist setting colleagues, from early-career teachers to senior leadership team members.The introduction supports the reader to understand the foundations of sensory processing, thecausesof issuesand howeachmay presentwithin the classroom.Eachidea is backed up by strategies forteachers, with ideas for whole school changes and further reading as applicable to thesection.The author, KimGriffin,isaqualifiedoccupational therapistwith herown company and her website hosts further reading detailed
withinthe book. Shealsoprovides access to other resources around key areas for schools, such as handwriting andfine motor skills.The references arehelpful at bringingtolife some of the issues and solutions. Forexample,a link to a National Autistic Societyvideoshows how hyperacusis maybeexperienced by ayoung person in an eye-opening way that is difficult to achieve through reading text. There is also asectionto help support parents,which is valuable in assisting the home-schooltrust and support network forthe young person This book wouldbeauseful addition to any schoolCPD libraryfor stafftodip into and to understand how they can make achange to the environment that could make ahugedifference to those who findsensoryprocessinga challenge
Meeting the Needs of EveryChild
28 Mar 2023 (18:00–20:00)
Online live webinar
This webinar is for early-years practitioners in PVI settings, childminders, new SENCOs and TAs working in EYFS. It looks at the responsibilities of aPVI setting,the role of the SENCO and the key person, early identification, inclusive practice and positive relationships.
Cost: Free
To book: https://bit.ly/3wUk6BI
nasen webinars For thefullprogramme and for detailsofthe Webinar Pass, pleasevisit https://bit.ly/3zImMSA
AccessibilitywithApple
BETTShow 2023
29–30 March 2023
ExCeL, London Free, on-time registration for Bett ended 3March, but there is still time to register to attend, with acostof £25. To get your ticket, register here: https://bit.ly/3ExOh6D
19 Apr 2023 (16:00–16:45)
Online webinar
Education should be accessible to everyone, and technology can play akey role. Learn more about Apple accessibility features, such as built-in vision, mobility,hearing and cognitive elements in this webinar
Cost: Free
To book: https://bit.ly/3wTKbAJ
SEND Outdoors Conference
6July 2023
Embercombe (Higher Ashton, Exeter,Devon, EX6 7QQ)
Learn about supporting learners with SEND in an outdoor setting, and how they can be supported and empowered to achieve their full potential through outdoor learning.
Cost: £180 (early bird until end of March) £220 including lunch (vegan/ vegetarian) and refreshments
To book: https://bit.ly/40q74JA
nasen Live 2023 ‘SEND and Beyond’
7July 2023
VoxConference Centre, Birmingham
Cost: Early Release ticket £79, standard ticket £99
To book: https://bit.ly/3tRXMHg
Whole School SEND
Creating an emotionally safe environment –Primary
25 Apr 2023 (16:00–17:00)
Online live webinar
This webinar looks at how to create an emotionally safe environment for learners in aprimarysetting, offering networking opportunities and discussions about approaches that help promote emotional safety for learners.
Cost: Free
To book:https://bit.ly/3DDiwIb
National SEND Conference 2023
21 June 2023
Central London
Hear from the DfE about the latest requirements and expectations, explore the next steps in delivering high quality teaching interventions and assess how to successfully meet the standards of the SEND Code of Practice and the SEND Inspection Framework.
To register interest: https://bit.ly/3RUlbS7
British Dyslexia Association
Dyscalculia Virtual Conference 2023
Thursday 18 May 2023 (09:00–17:00)
Online This conference will discuss how to help develop number sense, explore the concept of number and outline screening tools that can identify key signs of maths difficulties.
Cost: non-members £75, members £65
To book: https://bit.ly/3SCAu3L
Whole School SEND
Creating an emotionally safe environment –Secondary &Further Education
26 Apr 2023 (16:00–17:00)
Online live webinar
Explore methods that support your students’ emotional safety and wellbeing in asecondaryorFEsetting.
Cost: Free
To book: https://bit.ly/3Y5bsw8
LEARN ABOUT BEST PRACTICE and thelatestsector developments to reinforce and enhance your current skills
nasen Live is back! Early Release tickets are now available forthisunmissableSEND CPD conference for alleducation professionals.
Join us for this one-daytraining event which promises to showcase avariety of high profilespeakers from the SEND community
Experience an outstanding range of seminars andworkshops from some of the leading figures within education.
Find out more: nasen.org.uk/nasenlive-2023
SAVE THE DATE!
FRIDAY JULY7TH 2023
#NASENLIVE2023
AN UNMISSABLE AGENDA
Enjoy an incredible variety of seminars and panel sessions!
BROWSE ARANGE OF EXHIBITOR STALLS from sector-leading SEND organisations and services
ENJOYEXCLUSIVE EXHIBITOR DISCOUNTS giveaways and offers, available only for our visitors
RECEIVEA COMPLIMENTARYGOODYBAG full of SEND supplies and FREE lunch for allattendees
NETWORK
with other,like-minded SEND professionals
TICKET INFO
ickets are now available. Book today for just £ 9!
www.nasen.org.uk/nasenlive-2023
