nasen Connect January 2022

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HELLP HE LPIN PIN P ING IN EVER EV ERYONE ACHIEVE J A N U A RY 2 0 2 2 / I S S U E 3 1

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From all of the team at nasen

Reflect ctive sensory ry pract ctice

Welcome to nasen Connect ct

Helping children with th DME

A look at the use of sensory rooms with learners with SEND

CEO Annamarie Hassall discusses commitment to inclusion

Key lessons on working with children with Dual and Multiple Exceptionality

EMAIL US: nasenconnect@nasen.org.uk

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Welcome

By Annamarie Hassall MBE, Chief Operating Officer, nasen

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elcome to the first edition of nasen Connect for 2022.

A new calendar year is often the time to contemplate lessons learnt, something that many of us have been doing as we reflect on the journey of the SEND Review.

While the Review needs to be much more than a resolution, it is fitting that we should place a high expectation on the intent, the implementation and, most importantly, the impact for 2022 and beyond. The best resolutions are those that have specific, measurable goals.

Arguably, in England, we have a legislative framework that provides the resolutions and requires improvement on those specific, measurable goals. Defining ordinarily available provision, for example, and examining how can that be better explained and how can we recognise when it is happening and when it is not.

In the year where we will be marking the 30th anniversary of nasen, our resolution is to focus on inclusion, taking this through to our annual nasen Live event with the theme of ‘Inclusion by Design’. Read more about nasen Live 2022 on page 12.

Our role at nasen involves convening those who share a commitment to make changes that make a difference. This coming year we want to go the extra mile in dissemination of the latest research, and in discovering how that relates to practice. We want to share the golden threads, facilitate peer-to-peer learning and provide access to both high-quality professional development and examples of outstanding practice. The annual nasen Awards shine a spotlight on some of these examples; do look at pages 10 and 11 to discover more about two of the winners of nasen Awards 2021, and their work to further inclusion.

In the year where we will be marking the 30th anniversary of nasen, our resolution is to focus on inclusion.

With a membership of over 46,000, we have one of the largest professional networks in the SEND sector. Join in our conversations, update your nasen membership preferences to indicate your interests, making sure you tell us we can involve you.

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necessarily those of the editor or nasen. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply recommendation by nasen. Not all photographs in nasen depict children with special educational needs.

Many of the photographs are taken in integrated classes. nasen would like to thank all those who have contributed photographs.

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INSIDE

Contents

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J A N U A RY 2 0 2 2 / I S S U E 3 1 REGULARS

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Membership Focus

46 / Ask the team

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Have your say

48 / Book reviews

10 / nasen Awardss

50 / Events Diary

12/ nasen Live 14/ Sector updatee FEATURES

18 / Reflective

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sensory practice

Jo Grace examines the use of sensory circuits and sensory room ms with learners with SEND.

22 / Back to schooll –

acquired brain injury

The National Acquired Brain Injury Learning and Education Syndicate discusses progress made in raising awareness of acquired brain injury in education.

24 / Learning in parallel Riverstone School outlines how its parallel curriculum for pupils with SEND has created positive change and boosted outcomes.

27 / Regression or SEND?

How schools can identify the differences between regression due to lost learning and SEND during the pandemic.

31 / The Diary of a SENCO Pippa McLean discusses lightbulb moments and the importance of always being a learner.

32 / Mind the gap

Sam Gamblin outlines key areas for schools, SENCOs, parents and carers to be aware of when it comes to student anxiety and mental health.

36 / Embracing Arts

Helping children with DME: Mariza Ferreira shares key lessons on working with children with Dual and Multiple Exceptionality.

39 / Spinal injury

and inclusion

Julie Wharton examines the support available after spinal injury for schools and settings and the young people they support.

43 / Helping

children with DME

How children who have high learning potential and SEND or Dual and Multiple Exceptionality taught occupational therapist Mariza Ferreira some key lessons.

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SECTOR UPDATE

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Welcome to January’s Membership Focus o open January’s Membership Focus, we’d like to offer a very warm welcome back to all our members. We hope that you’ve enjoyed some rest and relaxation during the recent period of festivities and are ready for the exciting year ahead.

2022 marks nasen’s 30th anniversary, and we can’t wait to celebrate our history with you.

Stay tuned for some BIG celebrations, as well as a retrospective of nasen’s work throughout the decades.

diverse range of seminars from leading specialists within the sector. Join us, network with likeminded professionals and access a full exhibition from a plethora of prominent SEND suppliers. https://bit.ly/34hcga8

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WHOLE SCHOOL SEND – ‘TEACHER HANDBOOK: SEND’ We are kicking off 2022 with a reminder for members to access Whole School SEND’s latest Teacher Handbook. Launched in December, the ‘Teacher Handbook: SEND’ has been developed as a resource for teachers to use over time as they embed inclusive practice in their classrooms. Written for primary, secondary and specialist colleagues, teaching assistants, teachers, senior leaders and headteachers, the handbook includes whole-school and whole-

nasen’s PREMIER SEND SUPPORT SERVICE

class approaches as well as subject-specific and condition-specific guidance. https://bit.ly/3mXtL5S

nasen LIVE 2022: INCLUSION BY DESIGN If you haven’t already secured your ticket, there’s still time to join us at nasen Live 2022 by taking advantage of our early release offer.

The event to the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham on 15 July 2022, with the theme ‘Inclusion by Design’. Join us for just £79, saving £20 on the standard ticket price.

Our one-day SEND CPD ill showcase a

We’ve proudly introduced our Premier SEND Support Package; our most comprehensive, valuefor-money service. Enjoy the benefits of a single, annual subscription offering multi-user access to share information across your whole setting. https://www.nasen.org.uk/pssp

If you have any questions regarding your membership, please do get in touch with us at membership@nasen.org.uk We look forward to supporting you throughout this year and beyond.

Kind Regards,

The Membership Team

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HAVE YOUR SAY

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Hyour nasenconnect@nasen.org.uk

We would love to hear from you, so please send any comments or letters to nasenconnect@nasen.org.uk In case your letter is chosen for publication, please include your name and setting.

Don’t forget, you can ‘Have Your Say’ via Facebook and Twitter too.

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Have Your Say gives you, the reader, a forum to share your thoughts and opinions about current issues in the world of education and SEND. It is also the place to share your reactions to, and thoughts about, what you have read in previous editions of nasen Connect.

nasen Live 2021 participation I really appreciate you uploading all the presentations delivered at nasen Live 2021 onto your website. I was able to attend, though not able to get into all the sessions, due to there being so many of them! It has been great to be able to see what I missed.

SENCO, Leeds

Editor: You are welcome. We are aware that, due to the number of sessions and the interest, you would not have been able to attend all of them so hosting them on the website is the least we can do. Do look out for the next nasen Live, which is back on its usual timetable and will be held on 15 July 2022.

Visit https://bit.ly/3kCPFu8 for more details.

Inclusive practice I am writing to say thank you so much for the ‘Meeting the Needs of Every Child’ webinars. I have given my staff time to watch these webinars and it has really helped improve our team commitment towards inclusive practice. My staff have developed the setting to be very sensory friendly and our parents and children couldn’t be happier. PVI leader, Ipswich Editor: That is lovely to hear. The more we develop these inclusive settings, the more younger people and their families will feel included and understood. Well done for being proactive in supporting your staff to develop their awareness and improve the offer for all.

Engaging with music Thank you for the article around the use of music in Cherry Garden School. We have an external practitioner come in to work with our pupils and for some, this can be a difficult time.

Since reading the article we have invested in more instruments and provided pupils with more opportunities to investigate them without any pressure. This has reduced their hesitancy and now those pupils are more engaged within the music sessions. We are now planning to extend this to our external areas if funding allows.

SENCO, Newcastle-under-Lyme

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Supporting the next generation of SENCOs Congratulations on reaching 30 years! I have been a SENCO for the last 28 years and remember how grateful I was to find you right back in my first three challenging years!

I am retiring this year, after the strangest last three years and I hope you continue to support the next generations of SENCOs. Soon-to-be-retired SENCO, Cumbria

Editor: Congratulations to you too, 28 years as a SENCO is a magnificent achievement! You can still be a member of nasen, even retired, if you wish to keep up to date on the current SEND sector information. If not, we wish you well and do let your successor know about our newly revised SENCO induction booklet if they are new to the role.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/30wwF9B

Editor: There is a lot of research around music being a sensory stabilising activity when completed in conjunction with others. Now that those pupils can attend those sessions, they will hopefully benefit from that.

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AWARDS

Celebrating our nasen winners nasen Connect takes a closer look at the winner of the Primary provision category from the nasen Awards – Liverpooll’s Whiteffielld Primary Sch hooll.

ighlighting the best in the education sector, the nasen Awards mark a high point in the academic year. They give us the opportunity tyy to champion, conne ect and support those working with, and fo or, children and young people with SEND D and learning differences. In the first of our series of articles highlighting the best in incclusive practice, we take a closer look at one e of our winners.

Whitefield Primary School in Liverpool won the Primary Provision category at nasenn’s fifth annual Awards and was also shortlisted for the Early Years Provision categ gory. The school was put in the spotlig ght at a glittering ceremony at the Wald dorf Hilton Hotel in London for its outsta anding work in helping children with SEND D reach their full potential.

The e school joins 12 other award winners who were judged by a panel of leading professsionals with a wealth of experience in education and SEND, as well as people with lived experience.

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ABOUT THE WINNER White efield School was recognised for its focus on high-quality tyy inclusive practice in cla asses, with the aim of integrating all children in learning as much as possib ble. The school is located in an area of soccial and economic need, and its

l's o o h c s e h t d e ir Judges adm itment to inclusion, strong commiveness towards and attent h SEND during the learners witckdown period.

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percentage of pupils with SEN support is well above the national average.

The school prides itself on helping all children to achieve their full potential academically, socially and emotionally, and it is committed to being a safe and inclusive place where learning is nurtured and encouraged in a happy, caring and fun environment. In its 2017 Ofsted inspection, the school was praised for its exceptional provision for pupils with SEND. “At whichever point they start school, most pupils come with a variety of issues, such as those related to emotional or social development and communication and language abilities,” the report stated.

“Leaders promptly identify pupils’ needs and are unstinting in their work to provide pupils with highly effective nurture and support.”

WHAT IMPRESSED OUR JUDGES? Judges admired the school’s strong commitment to inclusion, and attentiveness towards learners with SEND during the Covid-19 lockdown period, when the team made weekly phone calls to support families and linked in external agencies to provide support and strategies. Staff also tailored learning on the school’s online platform and used external professionals to help identify children’s needs through Zoom. On the return to school, staff boosted integration through approaches such as visual timetables, a clear, ordered learning environment which is consistent class-toclass, and the creation of sensory corridors and spaces. They also increased playtime to half an hour daily, while prioritising social communication skills and self-regulation.

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They are inspiring a love for learning among pupils, families and the wider education and SEND sector.

“The team at Whitefield Primary should be extremely proud of what they have achieved,” said Annamarie Hassall (MBE), Chief Executive of nasen. “I am thrilled to be able to spotlight the team’s work and inclusive best practice to support all their pupils, particularly those with SEND and learning differences. They are inspiring a love for learning among pupils, families and the wider education and SEND sector.”

Receiving the award on behalf of her school, headteacher Jill Wright spoke of their pride and commitment to helping all children: “Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do at Whitefield Primary School. We are extremely proud of this award and of our Whitefield school community ty.” y

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NASEN LIVE

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Live 2022 It’s now just over six months until our unmissable, one-day SEND event returns! hemed ‘Inclusion by Design,’ nasen Live 2022 will offer delegates the opportunity to share SEND best practice by providing unlimited access to a variety of CPD seminars and panel sessions from some of the sector’s leading SEND specialists.

Network face-to-face with colleagues and peers who have a shared interest in SEND, and enjoy a day of CPD designed exclusively for SENCOs, leaders, teachers and other education professionals.

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nasen Live offers attendees the chance to celebrate outstanding practice and provision for children and young people with SEND, while exploring the latest sector developments. Join us on 15 July at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham and learn from evidence-based practice to update your knowledge and skills.

Delegates can also explore the latest products, resources and offers from some of the UK’s leading SEND organisations and enjoy exclusive discounts and giveaways from our award-winning exhibitors!

E NJO Y CO M PLE T E P E ACE O F M IND WIT H O UR RISK- F RE E GUARANT E E

In these uncertain times, it is reassuring to know that anyone who has purchased a ticket to attend nasen Live will receive a full refund if: nasen Live cannot go ahead due to a national or local lockdown You cannot attend nasen Live because the area you live in is subject to a mandated local lockdown where travel outside of that area is restricted.

EARLY RELEASE TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE! Early release tickets are now available for this sector-leading SEND CPD Conference at just £79 per person until 31 March 2022.

The event is suitable for all education professionals, and anyone interested in exploring ‘Inclusion by Design’ across early years, schools, post-16 and specialist settings, including parents/carers and people with lived experience of SEND. Tickets provide unlimited access to any of the seminars and panel sessions hosted on the day, allowing you to select those that are most beneficial to your needs.

The seminars will be grouped around sub-themes and hosted across three separate rooms within the Vox Conference Centre. Panel discussions, hosted by a member of the nasen education team, will take place after grouped seminar sessions.

Sub-themes explored by panellists will include ‘Inclusive Design in the Early Years’, ‘Include my Voice’ and ‘Sticky Labels and No More “Normal”’. The questions for the panels will be taken from the floor, ensuring that the discussions are shaped by the expertise of both you – our members – and the panellists.

Ticket holders can also enjoy complimentary light refreshments during designated breaks as well as free lunch.

C O N F IR M E D EX HI B I T O RS

For more information about the event and to secure your ticket, please visit: https://www.nasen.org.uk/nasenlive-2022 nasen connect

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Don’t want to wait for the next issue? Check out https://nasen.org.uk/news

SECTOR UPDATE

Sector

A L L T H E L AT E S T NEWS FROM ACROSS SEND

Update nasenconnect@nasen.org.uk

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Video highlights ‘how the world looks’ for visually impaired children Thomas Pocklington Trust has announced the launch of ‘What do we see? 2 – How the world looks to vision-impaired children’.

Created for professionals who work with vision-impaired children and their families, the video simulates five common sight conditions in an educational setting: Nystagmus, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Cataracts, Retinopathy of Prematurity and Optic Atrophy.

It aims to raise awareness and understanding of each condition, how it affects a young person and tips to support them.

To access the video, visit: https://bit.ly/31i9vUo

KS2 LITERACY PROVISION GUIDANCE UPDATED he Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has published updated guidance to support schools in improving Key Stage 2 literacy provision.

The EEF’s ‘Improving Literacy in Key Stage 2’ guidance report has been revised in line with the best available research to provide further insights around how best to approach literacy teaching at this stage of pupils’ schooling. It includes brand new visual models to support practitioners in breaking down the complexity of developing children’s reading and writing skills, while also providing further illustration of how the seven core recommendations can be meaningfully implemented into day-to-day teaching practice.

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The recommendations themselves remain consistent with those provided in the previous iteration, published in 2017. These encourage schools to: 1. Develop pupils’ language capabilities 2. Support pupils to develop fluent reading capabilities 3. Teach reading comprehension strategies through modelling and supported practice 4. Teach writing composition strategies through modelling and supported practice 5. Develop pupils’ transcription and sentence construction skills through extensive practice 6. Target teaching and support by accurately assessing pupil needs 7. Use high-quality structured interventions to help pupils who are struggling with their literacy.

To access the guidance report and Summary of Recommendations poster, visit: https://bit.ly/3cZO3Gy

UK GOVERNMENT OUTLINES EDUCATION RECOVERY GUIDANCE The UK government has published ‘Teaching a broad and balanced curriculum for education recovery’ and provides links to new resources for the academic year 2021-2022.

The optional guidance was updated in November with minor updates for clarity and links to new resources. It is aimed at school leaders and staff responsible for the curriculum and its delivery in reception and key stages 1 to 3. This non-statutory guidance offers suggestions to help all maintained schools, academies, and free schools decide how to prioritise elements within their curriculum for education recovery.

These suggestions are based on the good practice evident in many schools, as exemplified in the case studies. While the guidance states that schools should follow these suggestions, this language is used for clarity and the guidance remains optional.

To access the guidance, visit: https://bit.ly/3D5nNVE

Research shows pandemic continues to impact on staff wellbeing Education Support, a charity dedicated to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of teachers and education staff, has published its annual Teacher Wellbeing Index. It shows that the pandemic is continuing to have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of school staff.

According to the findings, the ongoing demands of dealing with Covid-related issues in schools has seen 62 per cent of school staff surveyed citing it as a contributing factor to their poor mental health – an increase from 33 per cent in 2020 at the height of the pandemic.

Findings also show that 77 per cent of staff experience symptoms of poor health linked to their work and 38 per cent of staff experienced mental health issues in the past academic year (up seven per cent on 2020). The highest percentage of staff who had experienced mental health issues was in the Northwest of England (47 per cent).

In addition, early career staff experienced the highest levels of symptoms of poor mental health.

Forty-four per cent of staff expressed feelings of

anxiety – seven per cent higher than the figure for the general population.

There are many resources available on the Education Support website for people and organisations to access to support around mental health and wellbeing.

Visit https://bit.ly/3lhPg0w or call Education Support’s free helpline (08000 562 561) to get confidential help.

Will Quince publishes SEND letter to parents and carers Will Quince, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Children and Families, has published an open letter to all parents and carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities In the letter he says: “I am committed to delivering the SEND Review quickly, but we do need to make sure our proposed changes are robust. The Review has been delayed, in part due to the pandemic which has intensified some of the issues in the system, and we have needed time to reflect on those. We also wanted to do justice to the huge amount of input we have received and take time to check back with people to be sure that we had properly understood what they were telling us. I agree improvements are needed – and overdue.”

He goes on to say: “To help us move forward and enable us to publish proposals in the first quarter of 2022, we have established a steering group that brings together government departments with representatives of parents, schools, colleges and early years, local government, health and care and independent experts.

You can find out more about the steering group by visiting https://bit.ly/3oO460G To read the full letter, visit https://bit.ly/3xwXwi9

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SECTOR UPDATE

Ofqual opens consultation on designing and developing accessible assessments Ofqual is keen to hear your views on draft guidance for awarding organisations on producing accessible assessments, including exams. The wide range of learners’ needs form the heart of the proposals, including those of disabled learners.

The new guidance, intended to help awarding organisations design and develop accessible assessments and comply with their General Conditions of Recognition, will cover: how to avoid unnecessary burden on learners when measuring the assessment construct how to use accessible language, within an accessible layout how to use source material, context, images and colour in an assessment how to design and develop assessments in a way that facilitates reasonable adjustments practices that may help awarding organisations make their assessments as accessible as possible.

The proposed new guidance, if adopted, will form separate guidance within section D of the General Conditions of Recognition. It will complement or replace guidance on relevant specified conditions.

Ofqual is not making any changes to the conditions themselves, so the obligations on awarding organisations are unchanged. However, they welcome views on the content and the style of the proposed new guidance.

The consultation finishes at 11.45pm on 24 January 2022.

The proposed guidance can be found at https://bit.ly/3d0NBYE

ELECTIVE HOME EDUCATION SURVEY REPORT 2021 FINDINGS PUBLISHED Since 2016, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has undertaken an annual elective home education (EHE) survey to capture the number and characteristics of children and young people who are known to be home educated.

The survey also aims to understand the reasons behind a family’s decision to electively home educate, how local authorities (LAs) across the country are supporting these families, and how any available resources are being deployed in this area. This year’s survey sought to capture the impact of Covid-19 across the 2020/21 academic year when schools experienced closures due to national lockdown and Covid outbreaks.

Findings revealed that during the whole of the last academic year (2020/21) 94,258 children and young people were known to be home educated across 124 responding LAs. Therefore, an estimated cumulative total of 115,542 children and young people were being home educated across all 152 LAs in England during the previous academic year. This represents an increase of approximately 34 per cent from the 2019/20 academic year.

In addition, between September 2020 and August 2021, there were an estimated 57,500 notifications for children and young people to become electively home educated. This represents almost half of the cumulative total of EHE children and young people across the 2020/21 academic year.

On school census day, 7 October 2021, a total of 67,308 children and young people were known to be electively home educated across 126 responding LAs. It is estimated that 81,196 children and young people were EHE across all 152 LAs in England. This represents an increase of approximately seven per cent from the same school census day in 2020.

The most common reasons cited by parents for home educating were health-related due to Covid-19, followed by wider health/emotional health reasons.

To read the full report, visit: https://bit.ly/2ZA6cYl

New early years childhood hub announced The Chartered College of Teaching, the professional body for teachers, and The Montessori Group, a global leader in Montessori provision, have announced their collaboration on a new learning hub for the early years.

The Hub will provide content by, and for, early years practitioners, recognising their expertise and supporting them in delivering excellent early years education.

Due to launch January 2022, the partnersship will involve the development of an Early Chilldhood Hub, which will be available free and online e. The online hub will host and commission high-qua ality tyy articles, research and insights focused on ea arly years pedagogy and practice, ranging from

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learning approaches that practitioners might adopt to wellbeing training for staff.

The partnership will work with the early years community through the Early Childhood Hub, drawing on a broad range of perspectives and approaches and provide professional development resources of the highest quality.

This will include written, audio-visual and interactive training g material, reflective of the breadth of professional content required by the sector today, to help further the development of professional practice and community tyy engagement.

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FEATURE

TEACHING & LEARNING

Reflective sensory practice

In the third and final article in the series, Jo Grace examines the use of sensory circuits and sensory rooms with learners with SEND.

efore I go any further, I’d like to state for the record that both sensory circuits and sensory rooms are wonderful things. But, just like the settle jar I described in my previous article, both can be used in ways that minimise or maximise their potential impact.

As with the settle jar article, what is important for you is not to get a step-by-step guide from me, because however great that might be there is no one-size-fits-all answer for these types of approaches. The important thing is to be reflective – to question.

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SENSORY CIRCUITS A sensory circuit contains a series of activities designed to offer stimulation to the senses. Having our sensory needs met helps us to feel safe and secure. A well-designed circuit can enable a child with sensory differences to have their needs met and reach a state where they feel calm and able to engage in learning.

Brilliant! But ... keep in mind that is one circuit, designed for one child, specific

to their needs. It is not a routine you lead your whole class through. You may have a fantastic circuit that helps Ben to calm, but excites Nila, worries Muhammed and bores Isaac. A question to ask if you are using sensory circuits with a group is: How could I personalise this to the needs of each child?

There is another question that is worth asking with regards to sensory circuits, which is: Why does this child need a circuit in school? There are different answers to this question which will lead you to different conclusions. But here is a narrative I have heard which I find worrying: “The classroom is a difficult place for Ben, his needs aren’t met there. He can cope for a while but then he has to go out and do a circuit or two.” The idea is that once he has done the circuit Ben has effectively topped up his internal battery and can go back into the classroom to learn until such time that he needs to recharge.

Whilst it is great that Ben has somewhere he can go to recharge, wouldn’t it be better if he could remain in the learning environment and not need time out? Interestingly, often some relatively

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small adjustments and permission given for low-level access to ongoing stimulation are what is needed. These things look a lot less impressive than a circuit. They are less Instagram-able! Which leads me on to multisensory rooms.

MULTISENSORY ROOMS In 2019, I carried out a research study into the use of multisensory rooms in the UK. Within that study I asked settings about their motives for installing a multisensory room and one of the most common answers was a desire to impress. for ‘wow factor’. Whilst there is nothing wrong with impressing people it is concerning that the answers were not about meeting the needs of the people who would be using the rooms.

A multisensory room, of whatever variety, is a place where the environment can be adjusted to offer different forms of sensory stimulation. One of the respondents to my study described her school’s sensory room as the only place where her students could learn. That speaks to the power of getting them right. However, overwhelmingly, my respondents reported that the potential in

BIO JO ANNA GRA CE Joanna Grace is a Sensory Engagement Specialist, trainer, author and founder of ‘The Sensory Projects’.

More information can be found at https://bit.ly/3bwHACw, including details of upcoming events.

You may have a fantastic circuit that helps Ben to calm, but excites Nila, worries Muhammed and bores Isaac.

their sensory room was not being realised.

Together we identified barriers to effective practice.

I am often asked for advice on what equipment should go into a sensory room, or which company I would recommend, or how a sensory room should be laid out.

None of these things rate in comparison to the logistical issues.

Through these articles I have talked about the importance of asking questions, of reflective practice, of not expecting a one-size-fits-all approach to work. With sensory rooms there are so very many questions to be asked, some of which spring from the room’s very inception but, for now, let’s focus on some positives!

AN IMPROVISED APPROACH CAN BE WONDERFUL A blanket thrown over a table with a torch underneath it can achieve the same ends as the most amazing, all-singing, all-dancing multisensory room. So, if you do not have the budget for all the fancy stuff, an improvised approach to sensory adventures can work wonderfully.

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FEATURE

TEACHING & LEARNING

The most important feature of multisensory rooms – all multisensory rooms – is the people.

Do not worry about what things look like, think instead about what looking at them is like. So, for example a piece of coloured cellophane might not look like much but looking through it is an amazing visual experience. The children can be great guides here, be led by them.

EMBRACE THE GREAT OUTDOORS Researchers exploring the merits of sensory gardens, or simply the great outdoors, have found that being out in nature can be an effective way of meeting people’s sensory needs. Going for a walk in your local park might not look as spectacular as entering a space that looks like a movie set in the future, but it will feed children’s sensory needs and engender feelings of wellbeing in staff and students alike.

could create darkness, and then within that darkness points of visual focus.

Have a look around your classroom, where does the light come from? You may find installing blackout blinds would mean you could create darkness. I have seen some wonderful settings cut cardboard to fit the shape of their windows and then secured it in place using Velcro tabs.

Once you have your darkness what can you introduce to it? A small UV pen torch is a wonderful way of picking objects out and creating visual focus. And, if the budget allows, perhaps splash out on a magical fibre optic spray or a bubble tube, but do not think that these things are the be all and the end all of the magic of multisensory rooms because that lies elsewhere entirely.

BLACKOUT I asked people what the most important aspect of their sensory room was. I expected people to wax lyrical about the magic of bubble tubes, or the wonders of fibre optic sprays (both wonderfully entrancing objects of visual stimulation) but the top answer was darkness. The power of the sensory room in so many cases was that it was a place where teachers

WHERE DOES THE MAGIC LIE?

Nature can be an effective way of meeting people’s sensory needs

The most important feature of multisensory rooms – all multisensory rooms – is the people.

Everyone I spoke to in my research had received training in how to operate the rooms: how to switch it all on and off, how to create effects.

But only one, just ONE, had received training on how to use the room.

Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so the magic of multisensory rooms lies in the hands of their users. In magic hands, a cardboard box and a torch can outshine the most brilliantly modern high-tech room, and in duff hands the £1.2m (yes, that much) super-immersive sensory suite is rendered useless.

If you are curious about what other questions you might ask about multisensory rooms, check out my training day, Multisensory Rooms: Myth Busting the Magic. And, for ideas for their usage, Richard Hirstwood is the man to go to (www.Hirstwood.com).

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TEACHING & LEARNING

Emily Bennett and Gemma Costello from the National Acquired Brain Injury Learning and Education Syndicate (N-ABLES) discuss the progress being made in raising awareness of acquired brain injury (ABI) in education, and outline new guidance to support return to school. ver 40,000 children and young people (CYP) in the UK experience some kind of acquired brain injury every year (NHS England, 2018).

The majority tyy of these will return to the school they attended before their injury or illness, and most will rely on school to play a core role in supporting their rehabilitation and adjustment. Despite this, many teachers and SENCOs report knowing little about ABI, and schools frequently feel unprepared and ill-informed to manage the new needs presented by a child returning to school after an ABI.

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RETURNING TO SCHOOL AFTER ABI After an ABI, young people and their families are often faced with the challenge of adjusting to a ‘new normal’ in many areas of their lives. Returning to their education setting is highlighted by many young people as a key goal.

Despite this, it is frequently cited as

WHAT IS AN ABI AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT ON A CYP’S EDUCATION? An ABI is an injury to the brain that is acquired after a period of ty typical y development. ABI is identified as the leading cause of death and disability tyy in childhood and can be the result of accident/trauma, infection, illness, stroke, tumour or hypoxic events to the brain. ABIs can range from mild (e.g. concussion) to severe, with the subsequent need for support in school varying from simple adaptations in the weeks after an injury, to long-term individual sup pport or chang ges in school placement.

pact on children Outcomes can im . Changes in ins ma across all do , otions are common behaviour and em ory ns se d an l ica ys ph as are cognitive, e CYP also experienc difficulties. Many in s ge an ue and ch high levels of fatig d communication. an ills sk l cia their so

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BIO

BIO

E M ILY BE NNE T T

GEMMA COSTELLO LLO

Emily is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in Paediatric Neuropsychology at Nottingham Children’s Hospital.

Gemma is a Specialist Educational Psychologist in Paediatric Neuropsychology and the Head of Psychosocial Services at The Children’s Trust.

one of the most difficult aspects of their recovery, with children and young people finding school both familiar, yet completely different. There are a number of reasons this transition can be so challenging, including a lack of training about ABI for teachers, the time taken for the SEND system to respond to acquired needs (e.g. EHCP process/funding applications), and a scarcity tyy of pathways and planning to ensure there is collaborative support across health and education.

DRIVING CHANGE FROM WESTMINSTER The above issues were highlighted as key recommendations for change in a report submitted to Parliament by the All-Party ty Parliamentary Group (APPG) on ABI. The APPG was launched in November 2017 and is led by Chris Bryant, MP. The group’s main aims are to raise awareness of ABI and demand improvements in support and services across government departments for people affected by ABI and their families. The APPG’s report, Time for Change (https://bit.ly/3cHwuej), was launched in October 2018 with education as one of the core elements.

On the back of the Time for Change report, N-ABLES was formed. The group aims to drive forward the recommendations made in the report, and to support education settings to become more ABI aware.

young people with an ABI. The resources available from accompanying support booklet The Children’s Trust The group’s main aims are provides key information (https://bit.ly/3cO9UQY) to raise awareness of ABI and demand improvements in about childhood ABI. and the Child Brain Injury support and services across It has a range of materials Trust and Eden Dora Trust government departments for to aid schools as they navigate (https://bit.ly/3l54fdQ). people affected by ABI and an often-unfamiliar system; this their families. includes details of professionals WORKING TOGETHER who may be involved, and It is hoped that together, charities signposting to sources of support. and organisations such as N-ABLES It emphasises the importance of the can work alongside teachers and netw twork w sharing information to support SENCOs, as well as politicians and the schools as they prepare for the CYP’s Department for Education, to improve return to education. The booklet also offers the understanding of childhood ABI in insight into how ABIs can present in the schools. With schools playing a crucial classroom, to help teachers in recognising role in recovery and rehabilitation after and effectively supporting the often-hidden ABI, getting their return to school right needs associated with ABI. for CYP can make a real difference in For schools who are interested to learn minimising the impact of their ABI, and more about childhood ABI, there is instead, maximising their participation, also a range of free and easily self-esteem and success throughout accessible training and their time in education.

A NEED FOR GUIDANCE A key priority ty for N-ABLES was the development of best practice guidance to support the return to education process, ABI RETURN. This was collaboratively created by a group of professionals working with children with ABI and educators from around the UK. The guidance established core principles for support based around planning and preparation, communication and training, flexible and dynamic responses within the system, child and family centred working, and participation and inclusion.

The ABI RETURN guidance includes a poster outlining core principles, forms for tea achers and schools to support information shharing and planning of a successful re eturn, and stories from children and

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TEACHING & LEARNING

LEAAR RN NIING IN PAR RAAALLLLLEL

Riverstone School’ss Eleanor Vinall outlines how the school’s parallel curriculum for pupils with SEND has crea ate ed posiitiive ch han nge and d boo ostted d outtco ome es. urr ap pproacch to o how w we e besst sup pportt chhildre en with le earninng ne eedss and d help p the em re eachh their full pote ential is centre ed onn the pro oviisiion off a maiinsstream m ed ducattiona al environment with the highest levels of pastoral care. We are fortunate to have the op pporttunity ty to put thhis intto practicce thrroug gh ouur ‘pa aralle el currriculum’,, whiich we inntroduuced d in 2018 8.

Thhiss parrallell currricullum is desiigne ed annd crreate ed to mee et the ne eeds of puupiils worrking g siignnifica anttly bellow deffine ed age-expected ranges and allow them the space, time and content to ensure they are learninng at the right time, right pace and,, crucciallyy, do o not feel judg ged.

We e gro oup childrren by ab bility rathe er thhan age; inste ead off lab belling g eacch group p ‘Key Sta age 1’, ‘Key Stag ge 2’, forr example, and making the children ver y aware of their level of learning, each group is named after a planet.

Pup pils stuudyy a sp pecificc the eme (whicch chhang ges each ha alf terrm) acrosss all core e and d huumannity suubjeccts thhroug gh a

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Our number one tip for other schools looking to implement a similar approach is to do the groundwork first – particularly in terms of designing the curriculum and preparing assessment plans.

cro oss-cuurricuular,, crea ative approa achh.

Forr exa ample e, the e top pic mightt be rainnfore ests and all asspeccts off theirr lea arniing g, suuchh as artt, ge eogra aphhy, English and maths will focus on this theme for half a term.

Whillst chhildre en arre group ped by ability fo or lesssonss in our parallel currricullum mod del, thhey re e-joinn chhildrenn their ow wn age for food d techhnollog gy, drama and PE. We believe that this is an important part of children feeling com mforttable e and d hap ppy at scchoo ol and d ma akes for a possitive e com mmunnity outlo ook.

Beffore we inttrod duced d thhe para allell curriccullum m in 2018, we spent a year developing it and setting up the space at school. Forward planning wa as esssentiial to o the succcess of ouur ne ew appro oachh in te ermss of logisstics but also teaccher trainiing to o pre eparre ouur sta aff forr the e cha ange e. Ouur num mbe er one e tip for otherr schhools lookking to impllemennt a simillar ap ppro oachh is to o do thhe ground dworkk first – particularlyy in terms of designing the curriculum and preparing assessment plans. We often discuss internallly how w the e intrroduuctionn of a paralle el currriculuum iss sim milar to imp plem mentinng a who ole other scho ool withinn a schoo ol annd thiis cann only work iff youu are e rea ally well prepa ared!

The Acad demic Plans thatt we use to sca affolld the framework for our curriculum, both mainstream and parallel, are very similar. The pupils in our parallel currriculuum, how weverr, are e learning g at a low wer level in the e core e sub bjectts, se ecurinng thhe esssenttial fo ound dationn skills

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BIO ELEAN OR VI NA LL After earning her Honours Degree in History of Art and Qualified Teacher Status from Goldsmiths College 12 years ago, Eleanor entered the world of education with a passion to support pupils with mild to moderate learning needs. She is currently the Director of Studies at Riverstone School and has led the successful development and design of a blended mainstream and SEN curriculum.

of each subject, before advancing to a typ ypical ‘age appropriate’ mainstream curriculum.

Thrreadss from m thee ma ainstreeam curricculum m aree intrroducced at eveery availa able oppo ortunnity, whenn it is felt pupilss cann accesss theese, to no ot com mpleetely dista ance thesee pup pils frrom a curriicullum m app proprriatte for theiir acttua al agee. In our crea ative and d physical subjects, the curriculum for mainstream and parallel pupils is exactly the same – albeit witth tailored resources.

Thiis ap pproa ach sup pports pup pils inn trannsitionning g to our mainsstrea am cuurricuulum at thhe ap ppro opriatte tim me. We usua ally te est thhis byy pla acing g ourr parrallel currriculuum pupilss into oa maiinsstrea am class, wiith a 1:1 1 learniing supp portt assiisttantt.

If it is felt the pupil can access the mainstream curriculum they transition over. Our therapy team discuss the transition with pup pils annd parentts be eforehhand d to make e the e trannsitio on a succcesss and d we e enssure the tiimeta able for our mainsstrea am and d para allell pupills is the sa ame e so there e is no o chhange e to thhe structure of the day for any pupil transferring across.

All our pupils, mainstream and parallel curriculum, are hig ghlyy aw ware that theyy are in a scho ool settinng where pupilss witth SE END are give en the e op pportuunity ty to thhrive e.

Throuugh form--time disccussio ons, visitiing guestt spe eakerrs annd celleb bratio on weekks succh ass ‘Neurod diverrsity Cellebratiion Week’, we provide many opportunities to raise awareness of SEND throughout the school. We also have a display board d in our foyyerr withh ima agess of famo ous celeb britiess and succe essfuul pro ofesssiona als who each have e a speccial educa ationnal need.. Parrallel currriculuum puupilss realise that theiir partticullar SEND need dn’’t holld them m bacck and d our mainstream pupils see that their peers with SEND are capable of great success.

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The parallel curriculum has been running for three years now; before joining, only 19 per cent of new pupils in Ye ear 7 we ere excee eding g or workking g within the eir prediccted le evels in thhe co ore suubjeccts, but by the e end d of the 202 21 suumme er terrm, this numb ber ro ose to 64 4 perr cennt of pupiils – a huge achhievem mentt.

Our parallel curriculum has also helped prepare young people for Sixth Form that are interested in taking a BTEC co ourse e as the appro oachh is continnuouss asssessm ment,, not one huuge assesssme ent att the end. Thiss hass resuulted in pupilss beinng ab ble to o achhieve e tanngible e, vo ocatio onal--base ed quualifficcatio ons, whichh wiill sett them up for furttherr ed ducattion annd a life of independence in the working world. This approach is in addition to a programme that centres on life skills, for exxamp ple how to se et up p a ba ank acco ount, as te eachiing g our puupils thesse skiills is just as im mporrtant as classro oom learrning..

Thhere have beenn chhalleng ges along g thhe wayy, butt forw ward d pla anning and a constant focus on our long-tterm aims helps us to enable outstanding futures for the whole school communitty.

This has resulted in pupils being able to achieve tangible, vocational-based qualifications, which will set them up for further education and a life of independence in the working world.

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LEADERSHIP

REGRESSION OR tinSEg puNDpil?s in Suppor challenging times

With the pandemic still affecting our day-to o-day lives, how best can schools identify the diffe erences between regression n due to lost learning and SEND, and what is the e best way to support child dren as we move into a seccond winter with Covid d-19? Claire Pressdee exam mines the issue and looks at some of the informatio on available to guide and in nform schools, settings and d staff. here have been severa al reports documenting the difficulties that the pandemic has presented for our children and young people. The research report, ‘Covid 19 – Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children in Epidemics

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(CO-SPACE)’, released in May 2021, stated “B Behavioural, emotional and restless/ attentiona al difficulties have increased again since the la atest lockdown in January 2021.

This was especially the case in primary school age ed children.” This is worrying, not only for the education sector and our pupils, but for socciety as a whole.

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SUPPORT AND ADVICE There have been many proposals as to how best to support pupils during this time.

The Government has pledge ed £1.4 billion, including £100 miillion for ex xtra tutoring hours. Meanwhile e, the Scottish Government has announced £115 million to o boost young people’s mental health, incluuding targeting

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LEADERSHIP

specifically low-income households, charities working with young people and children and national sports agencies.

Scotland’s provision seems to be a holistic approach to supporting children and young people. We need to ensure we don’t just provide curriculum-focused teaching but also that we understand the path our children and young people have navigated during the last 15 months of the pandemic. We also need to work out how best to address the regression of our pupils, particularly as we now know there are many who have understandably taken a sideways step and, in some cases, a backwards step with learning. This may not necessarily mean they are now in need of special educational needs support, so how then do we meet their needs?

Barry Carpenter CBE, Professor of Mental Health in Education, has constructed the Recovery Curriculum, which has been designed to enable schools to support children with the transitions and changes. The word ‘construct’ suggests this is a process of building – of co-constructing – a

curriculum that is responsive to the needs of children, that harvests their experience and makes sense of it emotionally as well as cognitively (see right).

What is the reason for this? Simply put, the reason is loss, in its many guises. Loss of school, loss of social interaction, loss of friendship, loss of family, loss of freedom and structure. All the things that give us a sense of purpose and meaning. Loss or trauma may be in the background for some but in the foreground for others. Alongside this, we have the anxiety children and young people may have felt from parents regarding the loss or change of jobs or the complexities of homelife. For others,

We need to ensure we don’t just provide curriculumfocused teaching but also that we understand the path our children and young people have navigated during the last 15 months of the pandemic.

CARP ENTER ’S RECO VERY CURR ICULU M SUGG ESTS FIVE LEVER S:

Lever 1 – Relationships: restoral of and investment in our relationships.

Lever 2 – Community: listen to what has happened, understand the need of the community and engage in the transition back to school.

Lever 3 – The use of a transparent curriculum: addressing gaps, consulting and coconstructing to heal the sense of loss.

Lever 4 – Meta-cognition: re-learning in a school environment so we can rebuild confidence and skill.

Lever 5 – Space: Simon Knight to be, to re-discover, to make sure students are not disadvantaged against.

To find out more, visit https://bit.ly/3nZKIO3

their experiences may have been extremely positive, and they may feel angst at the return to school.

The levers in the Recovery Curriculum can be set as a manifesto for schools to holistically support pupils. In doing so, identifying pupils who have regressed, and how best to support their needs, has become an unpicking process to determine the best way forward. As National Federation for Educational Research data suggests, nearly all teachers (98 per cent) reported that their pupils were behind where they would normally expect them to be; on average, by roughly three months. With this in mind, schools have many challenges ahead, and many priorities to juggle.

BALANCING ACT It is important that schools are ready to look for the signs of additional needs and not automatically label students as having a SEND, to be placed on the SEN register.

A useful starting point for teachers is to examine what the school and staff have done to help pupils.

We need to work in an informed and person-centred way and provide the catch-up support needed as appropriate to each child. Good relationships with parents and carers is key here.

PR ACTI CAL POI NTE RS F OR SUP P ORT I NG OUR P UP I L S P U social, emotional, mental health (SEMH) Use or wellbeing questionnaires, or scripted conversations with pupils, RAG (Red-AmberGreen) ratings ratings information and assign vulnerable pupils to specific staff.

Use of SEMH working party to source and develop resources for staff, pupils and parents.

Create opportunities to re-develop bonds and relationships.

Focus on metacognition rather than filling acad dem mic gaps.

Create a sesssion with staff and the SENCo to besst support staff and pupils.

Create a who ole school approach to ensure staff knnow what to do prior to involving the SENCo. Create a pare ent hub run by parent support advissors.

Focus on what has remained the same during lockdown for pupils, e.g., improved family relationships.

Offer emotional support to staff where needed.

Ensure collaboration between all involved – pupils, parents and teachers.

BIO

Above all, building a nurturing, supportive, constructive environment for our pupils should be our main priority, particularly for those whho have found d it difficullt to naviigate thhe pandemic. Although the majority tyy of pupils are now back at school, we do not yet know wha at disruptions they may face in future. Ultim mately, we need to ensure students are in a go ood place for learning, because even in the ese uncertain times, we can all be sure that thhere will still be challenges ahead.

CLAIRE PRE SSD E E Claire is an experienced SEND trainer and consultant with over 20 years of experience. She has worked in a variety of school settings and with local authorities to provide support, advice and training. In addition, Claire is a member of the panel for several LAs for EHC assessments.

Above all, building a nurturing, supportive, constructive environment for our pupils should be our main priority.

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2022 SLCN: A WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH

FRIDAY M A R C 2022 H

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ONLINE SLCN CONFERENCE

Following the success of last year’s online conference, The Link Live 2021, we are pleased to announce the details for our next event.

What is a ‘Whole School Approach’?

8 SPEAKERS 7 SESSIONS 1 KEY MESSAGE HEADLINE SPEAKER: MICHAEL ROSEN Broadcaster, children’s author and poet

The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased Ofsted focus on SLCN, mean that the challenges schools face are exceptional: Fortunately, there is a growing awareness of the long-term impact of SLCN. We are passionate about supporting all school staff – wherever you may be - to identify and support SLCN successfully, so that no child is left behind at school or in life.

68< )?@$%<%@)% <%J%)9: 9"!: 9"!@U!@# D@' ?8< V %A!@%@9 :>%DU%<:H $<?A 9"% world of literature, speech and language therapy, child psychology and entertainment, Q!SS ><%:%@9 Q?<U:"?>: D@' D)D'%A!) >D>%<: ><?7!'!@# ><D)9!)DS :9<D9%#!%: 9? 9DU% DQDOF L!7% 3R; %@DBS%: O?8 9? %@#D#% Q!9" ?9"%< D99%@'%%: D@' 9"% :>%DU%<:F +"%9"%< O?8 Q?<U !@ %D<SO O%D<:H ><!AD<O ?< :%)?@'D<O :%99!@#:H 9"% U%O A%::D#% !: the same: ‘A Whole School Approach’ is vital to increase the life chances of our children and young adults with SLCN.

#LinkLive22

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DR SARAH SPENCER Academic and speech and language therapist

BAASIT SIDDIQUI Director of Siddiqui Education and of Gogglebox fame

DR SAMANTHA WELDBLUNDELL Educational and child psychologist

SANDRA BOWEN Team Leader West - East Sussex

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The standardised D::%::A%@9 !@ LD@#8D#% L!@U !'%@9!K%: hidden SLCN, and tailored interventions enable school staff to deliver meaningful interventions with measured outcomes.

Our aim is to raise awareness of SLCN and inspire schools to develop a communication friendly setting that B%@%K9: DSSF ."% LD@#8D#% L!@U >D)UD#% !@)S8'%: 9<D!@!@# 7!'%?:H =8DS!9O K<:9 teaching strategies and resources for parents to use at home.

Find out more: https://speechandlanguage.info/

linklive@speechlink.co.uk

DR SAM WELD-BLUNDELL

MICHAEL ROSEN

JORDAN SCOTT

BAASIT SIDDIQUI

How can I get my ticket? .!)U%9: Q!SS B% ?@ :DS% $<?A *C9" MD@8D<O (C(( D@' )?:9 2VCI,;.F /)"??S: Q!9" D )8<<%@9 />%%)" L!@U ?< LD@#8D#% L!@U :8B:)<!>9!?@ "D7% D :>%)!DS ><!)% ?$ 2&CI,;. >%< 9!)U%9F ,!:!9 your Home Page for more information.

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Tickets: "99>:TEE:>%%)"D@'SD@#8D#%F!@$?ES!@US!7%

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The Diary of a SENCO

Be a Learner

In the last of the series, Pippa McLean discusses lightbulb moments and the importance of always being a learner. am short-sighted. My eyesight has deteriorated over the years to the extent that, without my glasses on, pretty much everything that is not right in front of my eyes is blurry. Without anything to remedy the situation, it’s all very disorientating. So, the first thing I do when I wake up is go to the bathroom and put my contact lenses in. This morning was an exception, because it’s the weekend, and I decided to have a leisurely start to the day. Big mug of tea in my pyjamas, glasses on ... except they were smudgy, so I took them off and looked around; everything was a blur.

It is disconcerting being disorientated. Even BIO though I’m in a familiar AN P IP PA M C LE environment, there’s still is a Pippa McLean something unsettling about it en be s teacher and ha because I can’t see clearly.

12 er ov r a SENCO fo Immediately, I thought about ht ug ta s ha e Sh years. rough an annual review meeting Bo on nd Lo e in th urrock I had this week for a child of Newham, Th d is with visual impairment. and Essex, an O in a He has an EHCP with a currently a SENC fant and high level of funding to mainstream in . nursery school support him. I remember reading his EHCP before I

I

first met him and the medical terminology was bamboozling, but we put in the work to try to understand how his visual impairment impacted on his daily life.

At one point during our annual review discussion, I asked the child’s mum whether she thought her little boy would be able to tell us if he was finding things tricky to see. What I meant was, would he have the confidence to tell us if he couldn’t see something and needed more help, or might that be difficult for him in some way?

That’s what I meant, but as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realised my folly. “He can only see what he can see,” said the visual impairment specialist teacher.

Lightbulb moment. Of course! For someone like this child, with his visual impairment, you can only see what you can see. You don’t know what you can’t see because you can’t see it. It’s like you don’t know what you don’t know until you know it!

It’s the same for us, and the same for all our colleagues. We may have a treasure trove of information, insight and knowledge about different areas of need and strategies that support differentt children, but it’s no good that informationn just staying with us. Of course, much of our role is to share and develop expertise across the whole staff so that

We may have a treasure trove of information, insight and knowledge about different areas of need.

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we can meet the needs of all pupils. So, let’s embrace every lightbulb moment; let’s model being learners and value new ways of seeing things. There’s always more to learn, always more to see.

Be a learner.

If you enjoyed the Diary of a SENCO excerpts and have any thoughts or experiences you’d like to share with us, please get in touch via michaels@nasen.org.uk

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MIND THE

GAP

The University Mental Health Advisers Network’s (UMHAN) Sam Gamblin outlines the key areas for schools, SENCOs, parents and carers to be aware of when it comes to student anxiety and mental health, and the support available to students. tudent anxiety and mental health issues can be exacerbated by the transition from school to college or university, and the effects can be far-reaching. Recent headlines have renewed our collective focus on young people’s mental health, especially during the pandemic with articles such as: ‘Mental health of students “single biggest concern” of school staff, union finds’; and ‘Parents warn of tsunami of schoolanxiety cases’. The message is clear – young people are struggling with poor mental health, while schools, colleges, universities and society at large are struggling to support them.

UMHAN’s work in student mental health over nearly 20 years has given the national charity in-depth insight into the mental health of young people arriving at university, and during their studies. UMHAN’s members work primarily with students with long-term mental health conditions, and we have identified some key points to ensure this cohort can access the right support.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE We know that one of the biggest barriers to students with mental health conditions accessing support at university is the

terminology used. As a society, we have started using the terms wellbeing, mental wellbeing and mental health frequently and interchangeably.

Additionally, we are seeing an overuse of psychiatric language to describe common and everyday experiences, such as “I’m depressed” or “I’m a bit OCD”. This can make it harder to prioritise the students most in need.

Even more confusing is that schools use the term ‘special educational needs’, while in university this changes to ‘disability’ and ‘disabled’. Added to this is uncertainty around available support; it’s hard for students, carers and advisors to know what might be available because systems are not joined up. This means that many are under the impression that an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) extends to university, whereas Disabled Students Allowances (DSAs) and specialist university support takes over once a student has transitioned to Higher Education (HE).

We advocate for a more homogenous use of language across the whole sector to ensure we are all consistent in the data we are collecting. This will help ensure the evidence for what works is accurate and, most importantly, make sure students get the support they really need.

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BIO SAM GAM BLIN Sam is the charity manager of UMHAN, the largest network of mental health professionals working in education. Sam previously managed disability support services at a large university for 10 years and is the parent of two neurodivergent teens, one of whom was diagnosed with mental health conditions while at school. Sign up for UMHAN’s free newsletter: https://bit.ly/3FYjw8l

MENTAL HEALTH IN HIGHER EDUCATION? As with schools, the number of students with a mental health condition is rising. A recent UCAS report showed that there had been a 450 per cent rise in students disclosing mental health conditions over the past decade via their application service.

If an applicant discloses on their application form (by ticking the relevant disability tyy box) they will normally be proactively contacted by support services who will discuss what support is needed, and also given advice about applying for DSAs. DSAs are a funding stream that students with SEND can apply for. For students with mental health conditions, this can mean access to Specialist Mental Health Mentoring (which includes regular one-to-one meetings with a specialist to assist with tips and strategies to support academic studies).

Many students with mental health conditions will also be eligible for adjustments to teaching and learning or might have accommodation needs. If they disclose their condition, these will normally be discussed with the student prior to their arrival on campus. It is also worth noting that university tyy services can provide advice on transferring care and help with risk and safety tyy planning. Specialist staff come from a range of backgrounds such as mental health nursing or occupational therapy; it’s not just counselling on offer.

ENCOURAGING INFORMATION SHARING We now know more about why students don’t always disclose on application, as more work has been undertaken around transitions to university ty. y For example, some students want to start with a clean slate, putting mental health difficulties that have been present in school behind them, while others do not relate to the medical model language around disability tyy disclosure. There is also still a misconception that disclosing a long-term condition will affect an academic offer of a place.

Our experience shows us that the biggest challenges for students with mental health conditions on transition to university tyy are around transferring care and losing normal support netw tworks, w all at a time when trying to adapt to a new environment and independent living.

The way universities operate means that most do not offer the close support and contact of school life, which can be a big adjustment in itself.

A recent UCAS report rtt showed that there had been a 450 per cent rise in students disclosing mental health conditions over the past decade via their application service.

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FEATURE

LEADERSHIP

Some students may be high achieving and may fly under a SENCO’s radar, but issues like perfectionism and managing independent study can create mental health challenges for those already prone to anxiety.

We know that those who give advice to students about completing UCAS forms are often varied members of staff or parents/carers. Sometimes these advisors might not understand that long-term mental health conditions can be as disabling as a physical health condition, or the challenges that this huge transition might bring. We believe SENCOs are wellplaced to understand which students fall under the definition of disabled according to the Equality Act and provide advice on the support available at university for students with mental health conditions.

Other students with co-existing conditions such as autism or ADHD may similarly find that the less formal structure of a higher education course, and lack of normal scaffolding, may mean that they require mental health support for the first time.

Some students may be high achieving and may fly under a SENCO’s radar, but issues like perfectionism and managing independent study can create mental health challenges for those already prone to anxiety, for example. We also know that someone may experience their first episode of psychosis while at university, as young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 are at the peak age for developing serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Early intervention here is key, and university services are

well equipped to provide an appropriate response.

It can be difficult for school staff concerned about a young person’s mental health to know what to do. By ensuring that all students are more aware of the range of support on offer and encouraging those they already know about to share information with their chosen university, we can make sure support is better joined up.

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

RESEARCH AND FURTHER READING Starting the Conversation: UCAS report on student mental health: https://bit.ly/3EcDT1e Improving mental health outcomes, Office for Students https://bit.ly/3rlRAHr Mental Health of Higher Education Students, Royal College of Psychiatrists: https://bit.ly/3D43kAF What support is available at university, UMHAN: https://bit.ly/32Q0Z01

It’s been heartening to see how widely the whole school approach to mental health has been adopted. As a charity, we’re looking forward to understanding more about the effectiveness of the new education mental health practitioners and senior school leads.

Mental health support for students at university is fairly well-developed (despite what some press reports suggest) but there remain many challenges. A recent paper from the British Journal of Psychology has suggested that there are multiple contextual reasons contributing to student distress, summarised as “cuts, competition and comparison” which will be well recogniseed by staff in education. These systemic issuess

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would require intensive investment and an overhaul of the education system.

All effort for future development will benefit from lessons learnt along the way. From our extensive experience, we believe that, as well as counselling and therapy, a wider range of skills and support should be offered throughout the education sector such as the practical, strengths-based approach offered by occupational therapists and specialist mental health mentors. To truly improve student mental health, it’s imperative that we start connecting the dots, think about how we are communicating and share best practice. We’re ready to talk, and to listen.

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SPOTLIGHT

A sensory theatre for a digital world A special educational need or disability should not reduce access to the arts but in many cases it does. Embracing Arts was established to help all children experience theatre and the arts. We speak to Claire Sundin, artistic director, about the charity’s experiences during the pandemic, and what this means for their future work.

What does your charity, Embracing Arts, do?

The children we work with have complex needs, ASD, PMLD or life-limiting illness. We, like many others, believe that every child should be able to enjoy the magic of theatre, and we provide theatrical experiences that can be brought to them, wherever they are. Our work is multi-sensory and participatory and can be tailored to the needs of each audience using storytelling, song, music and puppetry to entertain, engage and educate.

When did you start your work with children?

We have been working with children’s hospices and SEND schools since 2009, bringing interactive sensory shows into their venues over the Christmas period, free of charge with our annual project, Christmas for Kids. In 2020, we began delivering inclusive parties and workshops for

SEND schools. Our mission is to improve wellbeing for those participating and our work is inclusive, sensory, musical, interactive, and performer led.

How did the pandemic change things for you?

In 2020, we planned to tour our Christmas show to over 60 venues including children’s hospices, hospitals and SEND schools across the UK. Covid-19 had a huge impact on our plans, as it has for so many others.

Our first responsibility was to our participants. We were aware that our work with the most vulnerable and isolated audiences was needed more than ever.

Initially, we created a series of songs and stories, read by our puppets and sung by our alumni of actors, available on our YouTube channel. But this would not be a replacement for our ‘in-person’ tour.

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BIO CLAIRE SU N DIN Claire has worked with children with complex needs for over 15 years.

She graduated from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) and is an actor, singer, drama facilitator and artistic director of Embracing Arts. Claire directs the Christmas for Kids project, digital productions and devises Embracing Arts parties and school workshops. To register for the free show, visit https://bit.ly/3pRCzer and to find out more about the charity, visit www.embracingarts.org.uk

and how they liked. Being able to press pause when you need to take a break is very useful, and we found that family, carers and teachers were also encouraged to take part.

Our formal evaluation of the show reported that 100 per cent of hospices and 92 per cent of SEND schools agreed that the show improved the mental wellbeing of the children who saw it. This, alongside focus groups and interviews, provided positive and useful feedback as we trialled a new platform for our show delivery.

Will you be going fully digital now?

What were the main challenges for you during the pandemic?

We had to adapt our work to a digital format, and the biggest question for us was how to create interactive, sensory theatre for our audiences when we could not be physical with them. Immediately, we were losing one of the most important senses and a great communication tool in our work: touch.

Our main concern was our audience, as not everyone is an avid screen user; some may find it hard to focus on a screen for a period of time and prefer a live format.

For us, we miss the connection that comes through touch and sensing the needs of the audience in person. We also missed the reactions of the audience during the performance. Even with feedback forms and surveys to monitor our impact, nothing quite matches the physical reaction you get from the audience directly.

What are your plans for the next year?

How did you continue to reach children?

After many meetings, we produced a digital show called ‘Benson’s Christmas Letter’, based on one of our existing shows. We used green-screen technology to create a colourful, animated world, incorporating our lively puppets and using symbols and direct Immediately, we were losing one of the most address to interact with our audiences. This important senses and a show was distributed to every children’s great communication tool hospice in the UK, and to 100 SEND schools in our work: touch.

UK-wide, reaching over 2,000 children, carers, teachers and family members.

In order to retain the interactive elements of our in-person shows, we provided a resource pack which guided families, teachers and care professionals through the film, highlighting when to use physical props such as musical instruments, materials, costume and light stimuli.

Were there any advantages to going digital, and what was the feedback?

We were able to treble our usual outreach of participants, unrestricted by geography or funding, and audiences appreciated the flexibility of being able to see us when, where

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For 2021, we remained on the digital platform and created a new show called ‘Phoebe’s First Christmas’.

You can still register your interest in receiving this FREE digital show using the Eventbrite link on page 36. This link enabled schools, children’s hospices, community groups and families to register and access to the show alongside all our resources, videos and guides.

In 2022, we hope to be back on the road with a UK-wide ‘In-Person Tour’. We will also offer a digital show alongside this, as we have learned that both platforms can and should co-exist in a blended format, offering us the chance to reach as many people as possible with an offering that they can access and enjoy.

Finally, has the pandemic changed your mission at all?

Not as such. As a charity we are always learning, developing and growing. We continue to adapt our work to the needs of our audiences. The discussion on accessible theatre is a huge one, and we contribute to this as much as we can – experimenting, taking risks and breaking down barriers, with the intention of widening the scope of inclusivity and accessibility of the arts for all.

ENHANCE YOUR PR ACTICE WITH LEEDS If you work with individuals Our postgraduate programmes include: with special educational needs, • MA Special Educational Needs • PGDip Deaf Education developmental disorders or those who (Teacher of the Deaf Qualification) are deaf, we have a range of full-time • MA Deaf Education (Teacher of the Deaf Qualification) and part-time courses to suit you.

Find out more essl.leeds.ac.uk/special-educational-needs

FEATURE ➜

CONFIDENCE AND INCLUSION: Support after spinal injury A spinal cord injury can be lifechanging, but it should not be a barrier to learning, friendships or confidence.

Julie Wharton examines the support available for schools and settings, and the young people they support. hirty ty-five y years ago, Mike Nemesvary, a world champion skier with many television and film appearances as a stunt double, broke his neck during a routine trampolining training session. A year prior to his accident, Mike appeared in the opening credits of the James Bond film ‘A View to a Kill’. But after his accident, having sustained a life-changing spinal cord injury, Mike was paralysed from the neck down and unable to walk.

Undeterred, and with the support of his friends, Mike returned to the ski slopes and learnt to sit-ski. Mike believed that others in his situation sho ould be given the same

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opportunity tyy and, with the help of friends from the film and skiing industry, Back Up was established.

Over time, Back Up grew into an organisation which supports individuals and their families of all ages to rebuild their confidence and independence following a spinal cord injury. I first came to hear of Back Up when I talked with Julie Hill. Julie and I grew up as next-door-but-one neighbours.

In 1990, not far from the village where we grew up, Julie sustained a spinal cord injury as the result of a car accident. Julie’s story is cap ptured in the book Footp prints in the Snow and the television film of the same name in which Caroline Quentin played d Julie. Julie had sustained a spinal cord injury at the ninth thoracic (T9) vertebra.

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SPOTLIGHT

BIO JULIE WHART ON Julie is the course leader for the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination (NASENCo) at the University of Winchester. Julie’s research interests are in inclusion and diversity.

The spinal cord consists of nerves and is a long tube-like structure that runs from the brain stem almost to the bottom of the spine. A spinal cord injury might be damage to the cord, or the tissue and bones surrounding the cord. Where the injury occurs will have an impact on how much movement and sensation is lost. Back Up is there for anyone who has been affected by spinal cord injury. All services are delivered by people affected by spinal cord injury themselves, so they can help people adjjust positivelyy to sp pinal cord injjuryy and get the most out of life e. Back Up is the only UK charity tyy with dedicated services for children and yo oung people with a spinal cord injury.

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The spinal cord injury at the ninth thoracic (T9) vertebra that Julie sustained

I asked Julie about her role as a volunteer with Back Up. Julie has been involved as an education advocate, a mentor to others with a spinal cord injury and is a wheelchair skills trainer. When a child or young person sustains a spinal cord injury, Back Up is there to provide support to them and their families. Julie regularly volunteers at the Under 13s course for children with spinal cord injury. This summer, she volunteered on their course in Exmoor.

As part of this course, children have the opportunity ty, y along with a parent and a sibling, to take part in a range of activities such as horse riding, swimming, canoeing, abseiling, hand cycling and zip-lining.

During these weeks in either Exmoor or the Lake District, children are also taught wheelchair skills to help increase their independence. In this safe and supportive environment, children can meet other young people with spinal cord injuries and learn from each other while having fun and gaining confidence. Julie explained that a very common concern for children and young people is what life might be like on the return to school. Back Up’s education inclusion service helps ease these concerns for children and their parents. The charity tyy supports them to settle back into education and to participate at all levels, ensuring their voices are heard.

Back Up aims to ensure that children and their families feel prepared and confident,

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and also advise education providers from nurseries and schools, to college and university ty. y Back Up liaise daily with schools and SENCOs across the UK on how to include young people with a spinal cord injury in all aspects of school life, including lessons and activities, ensuring that no child or young person ever feels left out.

The education inclusion service, led

by Jo Teager, is supported by a team of dedicated volunteer education advocates, all of whom have a spinal cord injury, like Julie. In this role Julie works with Jo to advocate at meetings with the young person, family and school and to provide support, advice and reassurance. Jo recently provided intensive support for 15 year-old Lillie after she sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident. Lillie faced many barriers to accessing her education but Back Up worked with Lillie, her parents and her school

All services are delivered by people affected by spinal cord injury themselves, so they can help people adjust positively to spinal cord injury and get the most out of life.

If your school would like to find out more, you can contact Back Up directly for an informal chat or you can access the education inclusion toolkit for free on their website, www.backuptrust.org.uk

Julie and other education advocates go into schools to provide free training for staff and students alike.

to facilitate a positive and smooth transition back. Julie joined meetings and was able to provide vital peer support for Lillie.

Lillie was worried about fitting back in at school now she is a wheelchair user.

She explained: “Back Up has helped me get back into school and access the school in ways that I could have before.

Being in school now, it’s made me feel more confident and less worried, as school knows how to help me in and out of my wheelchair with exercises.”

Julie and other education advocates go into schools to provide free training for staff and students alike. Julie may present at school assemblies where she’ll talk to students of all ages about how they might best offer support to a classmate with a spinal cord injury. “The most important thing is to listen to the voice of the child,” Julie explained.

For example, when sharing the story of a young person with a spinal cord injury, it will be personalised as to what the child would want included and shared with others. Some children don’t want others to touch their wheelchair and want to be as independent as possible. Education advocates can bring very specialist knowledge of what will provide the best possible educational opportunities for children and young people with spinal cord injuries.

Alongside Jo, I met Back Up’s Under 18s Services Manager, Ella Provan.

Listening to the voices of children and young people who have had spinal cord injuries is vital to ensure they feel welcomed back and included in the life of their school.

Ella explained that Back Up also offers mentoring for young people with a spinal cord injury. Each person is matched with a mentor of a similar age, who has a spinal cord injury, to enable them to share experiences and talk to someone who has been in a similar situation.

Back Up is now re-launching its online toolkit to help ensure that students with a spinal cord injury are fully included in every aspect of their school lives. This free resource can be accessed online and used by schools and SENCOs. Itt provides comprehensive advice and practical tips from professionals, young people and family members to build confidence for students to get the most from their education after a spinal cord injury. This person-centred toolkit will help ensure that children and young people have full and successful livess in their educational setting. The materials provide support and guidance on a range

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of topics from inclusive PE, guidance for school trips, and adaptations. Back Up is also able to help with the practicalities of the statutory assessment process and matters associated with a child or young person’s Education Health and Care Plan.

Listening to the voices of children and young people who have had spinal cord injuries is vital to ensure they feel welcomed back and included in the life of their school. As Lillie states: “Thank to Back Up Education, I feel like I’m part of the school again ... that they are OK with me being in school with friends who can help me throughout.”

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SPOTLIGHT

Helping children n with DME I Helping children who have high learning potential and SEND, or Dual or Multiple Exceptionality (DME), taught Occupational Therapist Mariza Ferreira some key lessons.

Here, she outlines her journey and shares some insights to help families and professionals offer effective support.

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n 2016 when the charity Potential Plus UK (PPUK) asked me to provide training to their parent members on how to help their children with sensory processing difficulties, I assumed it would just be like all the other training events I’ve given on the topic. In a way it was. The training went off without a hitch, but the process taught me several things that have informed my work since then.

A paediatric occupational therapist’s (OT) main goal is to help children overcome barriers to become as independent and efficient as possible in carrying out their tasks. These tasks can vary widely from everyday activities such as writing legibly or being able to concentrate in class to basic skills such as playing football with their friends. The barriers could be anything from difficulties coping with noise, light and touch, hyperactivity, an intense need for movement, difficulties with handwriting, to extreme emotional reactions if things do not go the way they perceive it should.

After providing the training for PPUK, I began to work with children with High Learning Potential (HLP) and DME on a oneto-one basis. The parents were confused and frustrated that their children were struggling to reach their academic potential despite their high cognitive ability, or that their children had a hard time making and

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SPOTLIGHT

BIO MARIZA FERREIRA Mariza is an independent specialist children’s Occupational Therapist, who runs The OT Company. Mariza has a particular interest in working with children who have high learning potential and dual or multiple exceptionality and received the Above and Beyond Inspirational Therapist Award in 2019 for her work in this area.

Discover more about her work by visiting her website www.theotcompany.com

keep ping friends, despite thheir immense creativity when it came to playing games.

Of course, there are many reasons why children struggle and not all of these can be addressed by occupational therapy, but some can. In my experience, children with DME typically struggle with sensory processing difficulties (SPD) and motor coordination skills. I found that the majority of the children with DME that I work with choose to work on developing management strategies for their SPD, as it causes them the most distress and is often the biggest barrier to their learning.

The areas of SPD they struggle with are overreacting to everyday sensory input and displaying an increased and intense need for physical movement.

The unique profiles of children with HLP or high cognitive ability and DME could be masking their SEND, or the other way round.

Several issues became apparent as I worked with the children. Firstly, the unique profiles of children with HLP or high cognitive ability and DME could be masking their SEND, or the other way round. Secondly, using the term DME to describe their particular neurodivergent makeup helped ensure I could accommodate their SEND and support the development of their HLP. Thirdly, as a therapist I needed to adapt my standard treatment approaches and techniques to be effective. For instance, repeating concepts learnt in previous sessions is almost a sure way to ‘lose’ a child with DME. They quickly told me, whether by their words or sudden defiant behaviour, that they ‘got it the first time round’ and would rather like me to help them expand and explore the concept further!

My mission is to ‘change the world one child at a time’ and I’m not alone in this ambition. I was able to secure grants

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to enable me to deliver courses to other occupational therapists on how to treat children with HLP and DME in collaboration with PPUK, and I have also created online courses for parents of HLP and DME children on how to help their children on a daily basis. These courses focus on how parents can help children cope with noise or manage their sensory processing difficulties and they are also suitable for SENCOs; the theory and all the strategies are transferable and easy to implement within the school environment.

If you are interested in learning more about helping children with DME who also have SPD, then you can access the course ‘How to help your gifted child with sensory issues cope in real life’ at https://bit.ly/3FElKcu Use the code ‘nasen2022’ to get a 20 per cent discount if you enrol in January or February 2022.

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ASK THE TEAM

Ask the

There is always a steady stream of questions arriving at nasen House and, of course, the Education Team answers them as soon as possible. But, while many of them are specific to a particular context, the answers to a number of them could be helpful to the wider nasen membership. ‘Ask the team’, formerly ‘Connect with Us’, provides the space to share these questions and answers.

team nasenconnect@nasen.org.uk

01827 311500

@nasen_org

search: @nasen.org

If you have a question, and think the answer would be useful to everyone, please submit it to nasenconnect@nasen.org.uk Of course, you can always give nasen House a call too.

A POSITIVE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

HANDWRITING INTERVENTION

There has been a rise in our secondary school teachers demanding pupils have intervention for their handwriting, especially since September and the return to full subject teaching. These pupils are not on the SEN register, have not had an issue prior to the lockdowns and it is only certain subjects that are seemingly an issue. Is there a specific intervention that we could use across years 7 to 10?

Secondary SENCO, Walsall Handwriting could become a lost art across the world with the advent of so many technological advances. In the future we probably won’t even type as we will simply speak our answers into the computer! As for the pupils you are referring to, this is taken from the JCQ Access Arrangements for 2022 (https://bit.ly/3owVURm): “A candidate does not have a learning difficulty but is a ‘messy’ writer. His handwriting is hard to decipher. He requests the use of a word processor. This is granted by the SENCO because it reflects his normal way of working within the centre.” If this is the student’s normal way of working, evidence will be needed to prove this and there will need to be a statement from a member of the senior leadership team as to the criteria that has been used to allocate word processors for examinations.

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT

I have been reading research around the impact of an over-stimulating environment on some children’s ability to learn. Are there any resources you can point me towards to support changing my classroom environment? My headteacher wants all classes to have lots of displays and working walls and I feel this is not working for a certain number of pupils in my class.

Since the pandemic our pupils have got more accustomed to using technology and we want to encourage this whilst also providing them with the tools to support them best. Can you point me to the best apps or software to support reasonable adjustments such as reading aloud or changing backgrounds to help visual stress, etc.?

Primary teacher, Plymouth

In the recent past, additional software or programmes were the way to go for these accessibility features, though the tech giants have got wise and realised that these should be provided as standard. There are therefore a large number of accessibility features available in software that we commonly use. nasen hosted a free webinar on the accessibility tools available in Microsoft 365 (https://bit.ly/3cdBvLf) and if you contacted your local EdTech demonstrator school (https://bit.ly/2YNyChf) they may be able to support across other programmes.

This is an interesting area of research that has gained momentum as the number of diagnoses of autism increases, along with awareness of the way the environment has a sensory impact. There are a number of resources that can provide evidence and support for the changes to your environment on a sensory needs basis. It could provide an excellent topic for you to use as evidence for our nasen Recognised Teacher of SEND course. Find out more at: https://bit.ly/2YLfyjw

DYSCALCULIA TRAITS

We have several students who are showing possible dyscalculia traits. Is there a simple screener we can use for all pupils to check areas that they may be having difficulties with?

Primary SENCO, Stafford IDL, the winner of the 2021 nasen award for technology, currently has a dyscalculia screener (https://bit.ly/3Hzrwyz) that is free of charge to all schools. The screener is an online test that takes around 15 minutes to complete and can be used for an entire year group or a particular individual that you may believe has an area of difficulty or dyscalculia.

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Special School SENCO, Warrington

It may also be that the young people are having difficulties due to some missed learning during the past two years of disruption, and it would be looking at the high-quality teaching approach with concrete materials to support this as the first intervention.

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Reviews

INCLUSION – A PRINCIPLED GUIDE FOR SCHOOL LEADERS nclusion is one of those terms that has been around education since the Warnock report back in 1978. The term ‘inclusion’ is unusual in that it can often mean different things to different people and this book seeks to identify the commonalities in various viewpoints and present the different aspects that can make up the components to becoming an inclusive school.

The layout of this book enables the reader to take each chapter on its own or to read the whole book. It provides the key themes and evidence and builds in reflection points for you to examine your

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current practice. Clearly articulated within each chapter is the moral responsibility that school leaders have to frame the education that they provide within the right values and practices. One of the standout sentences on inclusive values is ‘If we disagree with the school system we have, then it is our responsibility to change it’.

We know that exclusions remain high in England and that there are groups that are disproportionately affected by this. Within the book there are specific chapters looking at SEND, socio-economic disadvantage, culture, language and ethnicity and the more able, which offer the reader further insight into how best to engage these learners and their families

Author: Nicola Crossley and Des Hewitt Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 9780367345280 Price: £22.99 Reviewed by: Zoe Mather, Education Officer at nasen

with school and learning. Every school has a level of inclusion, and I would recommend this guide to any leader who wants to reflect upon how they can develop their inclusivity further.

MIDDLE LEADERSHIP MASTERY

Author: Adam Robbins Publisher: Crown House Publishing Limited ISBN: 978-178583534-6 Price: £16.99 Reviewed by: Andy Smyth, Key Stage 4 Lead, Beverley School, Middlesbrough

Middle Leadership Mastery provides a good overview of middle leadership with a mixture of theory and practical examples to support existing middle leaders or people that wish to move into such a role. The book is split into nine chapters and is equally useful being read cover to cover or being dipped into, depending on the area of interest.

There are some real gems in here. The chapter on curriculum is extremely useful. It is here that an early example of Robbins’ pragmatism can be noted; he speaks regularly of ‘opportunity cost’, the idea that when focusing on one thing, inevitably, something else is not being done. This is one of the most pressing issues as a middle leader. The chapters on teaching and learning and on leading others are also invaluable and give much practical help. The cognitive science tables with their implications for teachers and the table of routines were notably insightful in the former and the analogy of the elephant, the rider and the path valuable in the latter.

Unfortunately, the quality of the chapters is not maintained throughout and there are some missed opportunities. There is very little focus on SEND and, whilst there are theoretical and ethical questions raised that could lead the reader to consider this area, this is a regrettable omission. Middle Leadership Mastery is a thought-provoking read, with excellent links to research and theory, and a worthy publication. It would be suitable for those already in post and gives an excellent introduction for those wishing to pursue a role at this level in the future.

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EVENTS

Events

Diary Making Participation Work – Practitioners Conference 25 January, 10am – 1pm As part of the Department for Education (DfE)-funded Making Participation Work programme, the Council for Disabled Children is delivering a practitioners conference.

To find out more, visit https://bit.ly/3GEHx4N

nasen webinars For the full programme and for details of the Webinar Pass, please visit https://bit.ly/3zImMSA

Nursery World Show: Supporting the Future of Early Years 29-30 April 2022 The Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London, N1 0QH Visit: www.nurseryworldshow.com/

nasen Live 2022 – ‘Inclusion by Design’

nasen Early Years nasen’s national seminar – The Constant Gardener 1 March 2022, 9.30am – 12.30pm DfE funded, free to attend for local authority early years and SEND teams.

To book, visit: https://bit.ly/3I13e0l

SEND Conference 2022 Online, 26th April 2022, 9am – 5pm Join SEND experts at the SEND Conference 2022 to hear the latest updates on policy and guidance for supporting pupils with SEND. Visit: https://bit.ly/3FYemJy or call 0330 0584 285.

15 July 2022, 9.30am – 4:30pm

nasen Early Years

One-day conference with complimentary lunch enabling delegates to share SEND best practice and network faceto-face with colleagues. Attendees can also enjoy a variety of CPD seminars from sector-leading speakers.

Meeting the Needs of Every Child

Whole School SEND

Whole School SEND

Beyond the School Gates: Exploring Opportunity and Aspiration into FE and Beyond Online webinar series* Part 1: 19 January 2022 available via SEND gateway: https://bit.ly/3DGabjZ. Part 2: 2 Feb February 2022, 3.45pm – 5pm.

Part 3: 23 February 2022, 3.45pm – 5pm.

To book, visit: https://bit.ly/3E4mEPv

Early Bird offer: £79 until 31 March 2022 To book, visit: https://bit.ly/3I3lV3K

New to the SENCO Role: Understanding the role of the SENCO within a context of distributed leadership Online webinar series* Part 1: Recording and materials available (along with pre-reading for part 2).

Part 2: 20 January 2022, 2pm – 3.30pm Part 3: 10 February 2022, 2pm – 3.30pm To book, visit: https://bit.ly/3cWn8eR

*DfE funded and free to attend.

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16 March 2022, 6pm – 8pm This DfE-funded, free two-hour live webinar is for early years practitioners in PVI settings, including childminders.

To book, visit: https://bit.ly/3nZyQeW

Whole School SEND Perfecting Preparation for Adulthood Online webinar series* Part 1: Thursday 10 February 2022, 4pm–5.30pm – The Universal PfA Offer Part 2: Thursday 3 March 2022, 4pm– 5.30pm – The Targeted PfA Offer Part 3: Thursday 17 March 2022, 4pm– 5.30pm –The Specialist PfA Offer To book, visit: https://bit.ly/3cZCsHG