Providing Community Support and Social Inclusion for Disabled Children and Young People
at the Ann Tayler Centre
on Thursday 28th January 2010
(next meeting on Thursday 25 February 2010)
Special Educational Needs
How special educational needs can work for your child at school
23 parents attended the group
Professionals attending
Sheila Ramdular
Gillian Goodchild
Aysegul Dirik
Kunbi Jones
Scilla Morgan
Robert Raby
Pat Howley
Lizzie Yauner, Head of Inclusion Team, The Learning Trust
Mary Vince, Senco & deputy head, Benthal Primary School
Neil Hudson, Head of SEN Assessment & Monitoring Team
Sheila Ramdular facilitated the meeting.
1. Introductions from the speakers and parents:
Sheila welcomed everyone to the group and all present introduced themselves.
2. Scilla Morgan - Introduction to SEN
Scilla, in her capacity as Head of the Parent Partnership service, introduced the topic of special educational needs in the light of the recent Lamb Enquiry, published in December 2009, which emphasised how parents' confidence in SEN processes could be improved. Lamb's findings come as no surprise to parents, and gives the clear message that parents need to be listened to more and that we should all be more ambitious for children. Although Lamb makes 51 recommendations, the Inquiry covers 4 key areas.
- Children's outcomes should be at the heart of the system (eg better teaching, fewer exclusions)
- Stronger voice for parents; parents as equal partners in the education process, which complete access to relevant information.
- Greater focus on children's needs.
- A more accountable system delivering better services, with an enhanced role for Ofsted.
- Establishment of a parent SEN helpline
- A new duty on Ofsted to report on progress of children with SEN
- Right of appeal if the LA doesn't amend Statement after annual review
- Strengthening the Parent Partnership service
- Professionals not being restricted in advice they give by resource restrictions in their borough.
- Improved training for wider audience - governors, headteachers, Sencos, inspectors, LSAs etc
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Assistant Director | | ||||||
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Educational Psychology (Andrew Lee) |
Inclusion Team (Lizzie Yauner) |
SEN Assessment & Monitoring (Neil Hudson) |
Children's Therapies |
Healthy Schools |
Parent Partnership (Scilla Morgan, Kate Akindipe) |
School Transport |
3. Lizzie Yauner - Provision Management & the Inclusion Team
Lizzie explained that the Inclusion team comprises specialist teachers who bring their expertise into mainstream schools to help statemented pupils by supporting Sencos to develop effective and appropriate interventions; they look at the overall provision, including how the child is progressing across the curriculum and how his/her medical or behavioural needs are being met and suggesting ways forward. This process is informed by current research. The Inclusion team is able to offer training to mainstream teachers, often in situ, an effective and efficient method of ensuring staff access relevant training. The Inclusion team also supports school Sencos via a Senco forum.
She outlined four areas where the Learning Trust has worked with schools & Sencos to develop good practice:
- Provision management
- Senco support
- Development of a "provision map" of interventions which also helps parents to understand the interventions and support these at home
- Information for parents to enable them to know what is available
- Senco support
- Data collection
- Systematic collection and keeping of assessment information to provide clear evidence of each child's progress
- Audit Commission's "Value for Money SEN Audit Tool" helps decide the most effective interventions - Senco training in the use of this.
- Systematic collection and keeping of assessment information to provide clear evidence of each child's progress
- P Scales (Performance)
- A way of measuring and refining pupils' attainment before Level 1 of the National Curriculum; ensures an "inclusive" curriculum.
- Training and moderation to ensure all schools can use consistently
- Importance of parental input in discussing child's progress at review - parents see children across settings
- A way of measuring and refining pupils' attainment before Level 1 of the National Curriculum; ensures an "inclusive" curriculum.
- Working in partnership
- The Ark - attendance at multi-agency referral meetings and involvement in keyworking and parent groups
- Sensory support: new Visual Impairment resource centre, with technician, and partnership working with Tower Hamlets in Early Years Hearing Impaired service. Training for parents available in BSL, Braille
- "Knowledge is Power" workshops for parents
- The Ark - attendance at multi-agency referral meetings and involvement in keyworking and parent groups
4. Mary Vince - Senco at Benthal Primary School
Mary described the SEN process at her school (emphasising that this was just one model - it works for Benthal but is not necessarily how all schools do or should work). She described how Benthal regards works in "essential partnership" ensuring yhat all children and families are welcomed. The school receives information on pupils with SEN before they enter the school and makes careful preparation including via home visits for nursery pupils. There is then an "admission meeting" of around 20 minutes for essential exchange of information. The school supports pupils without a current Statement but who need to be assessed by helping set up assessments and using observation. Benthal works in a multi-agency fashion and is also part of a mental health wellbeing project, with a mental health nurse working with children and families, and also a mentor to support children with social and emotional problems. Mary informed the meeting that all pupils will have an IEP and parents and carers are invited to share this so that they can continue some activities at home; these activities are very much at the child's level. She identified communication as the key to successful inclusion; both within the school and with home and other agencies. Ofsted has recognised Benthal's success in including SEN pupils and Mary herself is particularly proud of having been described as the "official Ofsted Agony Aunt"!
There were then questions from the floor.
Q What about medical needs? What is the provision for giving medication at school?
A (LY) There is a protocol within each school . Parental permission is needed. There is a specialist teacher on the Inclusion Team (Sue Davies) whose role covers supporting the school in best care of medical need including medication, feeding etc.
(MV)Benthal would have a written plan and would involve a doctor or nurse in writing down the medication plan in detail- the School Health Service would also be involved/informed.
Q All this lovely support for inclusion seems to exist only in primary
A (MV) All information is passed to secondary schools prior to transition. There is lots of liaison between primary and secondary schools, plus involvement of the Inclusion team. (LY) the Inclusion team will also go into the secondary school to work on a 1:1 basis with teachers to devise strategies
Q But in secondary schools children move from class to class and have lots of different teachers. It's unsettling and inconsistent.
A (LY) The Inclusion team works with pupils to prepare them for this. The keyworker, tutor or head of year in secondary holds responsibility .
Q Do all secondary schools in Hackney take children with SEN?
A Yes.
Q If a child doesn't yet have a Statement, how long before s/he receives one?
A As soon as a final Statement is issued there is a period of 6-8 weeks to enable the school/LA to arrange to meet the needs.
Q What are the Learning Trust's views on Lamb and how will they implement the recommendations? We all know provision and Sencos are uneven. Also, many Sencos are reactive not proactive and we know that parents often get better service if they fight.
A (LY) The Inclusion team welcomes Lamb! It's a positive move. Want to move away from idea of "good" versus "bad" Sencos. All Sencos now experienced teachers (not previously the case) and training is widely available.
(NH) Ofsted now also inspect SEN provision and the Learning Trust is helping to train school governors on their SEN responsibilities.
5. Group discussion and feedback.
a) What works well?
- EarlyBird and EarlyBird Plus
- Transition teachers for changing schools
- Voice of the child "passport" made by specialist teacher.
- Training for LSAs to understand and work with individual conditions/children
- Communication with school - Home-school book. Being able to email Senco - MUCH easier than constantly ringing in vain!
- Good information sharing
- One-to-one support for personal care
- Good educational progress
- Child has increased confidence
- Child likes school
- Good support in primary
- Good speech & language therapist
- Regular meetings & updates on strategies. Able to speak to school
- School accepted child - close to home
- Good experience of nursery and close link to reception
- Parents evening and opportunity to meet school staff
- Benefit from provision in the school - additional support
- Child is safe
- Child is learning
- Staff well-qualified
- Very inclusive practice - child able to join in everything
- Staff understand and know the child
- Friendly staff, accepting, enthusiastic, dedicated. They "like my child"
b) What could be better?
- Statement vague - not specified or quantified
- Changes of staff, especially in secondary school
- Home school communication - especially in secondary
- Poor communication - unable to arrange meeting to discuss needs.
- Lack of support or understanding of non-english speakers - unable to support parents on big issues or even regarding school absences.
- Sencos briefing cover staff
- Child excluded from after-school clubs/activities
- Told to keep child at home during Ofsted
- Sencos should introduce themselves to parents and give contact details (customer service)
- Knowledge of choices - information for parents from schools,
- Parents should be empowered - regarded as equal partners
- Some staff lack training and/or empathy and knowledge.
- Delay in implementing support
- School didn't accept child. - stress to parents
- Attitude of other children - whole-school need to combat bullying
- Disputes regarding child's personal care
- All schools trained in supporting medical need
- School not communicating with parent about what they will put in place.
- Maybe put parents of children with SEN in touch with each other - "peer mentoring" for parents!
- Staff could have higher expectations of SEN children
- Staff could encourage greater participation in activities
- Clarity about transition - more support/information about which school best for my child.
- What questions we should ask around transition - empower parents to ask the right question - how do I know what to look for if I don't know what I'm looking for?
- More parent governors
- More specialist provision eg music, sport -broader curriculum.
6 Action points
- Inclusion Team to plan in advance and ensure that a school has a detailed plan in place before a child arrives in school
- Lizzie Yauner to bring to Senco Forum suggestion that Sencos meet and greet new families at the outset...
- ...and suggestion that schools put on coffee mornings for SEN parents in their schools
- Parents could also promote the Learning Trust's training in their children's schools!
7. Grapevine slot
- Roz Grainger presented the HIP newsletter. Parents given advance notice of new website, soon to be launched. HIP is represented now on several borough-wide groups and has also made representation to influential boards
- Mandy Elliott gave notice of the next Millfields parent support group on 6th February at 10.30 - 1.30. This is NOT just for parents whose children attend Millfields
- Scilla Morgan- anyone with a speech and language impaired child is invited to attend a "Knowledge is Power" workshop on 4th February 9.30 - 12.30 at TLT.
- Sheila Ramdular reminded parents of HFBU's "Leaps and Bounds" club for children whose behaviour challenges. Next session this Saturday, 30th January.
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