Building teacher confidence in working with pupils with special

educational needs

Angela Scott

Regional Lead for SEND

Eastern Partnership UK (SEND)

Workshop aims are to:

• Explore what is meant by special educational needs and or disability (SEND)

• Look under the surface at a range of issueswhich create difficulties in learning for pupils with SEND.

• Increase teacher confidence by exploring a range of tools which research shows improve outcomes and progress for pupils with SEND.

What is….

Whilst there is no international or national criteria set for the definition of a special educational need

• The SEND Code of Practice (2015) states:

• A young person has a learning difficulty or disability if they:

• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age

However:

• It is important to understand that some difficulties in learning are not caused by SEN.

Important!

“Slow progress and low attainment do not necessarily mean the child has SEN…..the class or subject teacher working with the SENCO should assess whether the child has SEN.”

SEND COP (2015 para 6.23)

Important!

Persistent disruptive or withdrawn behaviours do not necessarily mean that a child or young person has SEN. Where there are concerns, there should be an assessment to determine whether there are any causal factors such as diagnosed learning difficulties, difficulties with communication or mental health issues.

SEND COP (2015 6.21)

Important!

Difficulties related solely to limitations in English as an additional language are not SEN.

SEND COP (2015 6.24)

The four broad areas of need give an overview of the range of needs that should be planned for.

The purpose of identification is to work

out what action the schools needs to

take, not to fit a pupil into a category.

SEN… what does the SEND Code of Practice say?

Co-occurring needs

‘In practice, individual children or young people often have needs that cut across all areas and their

needs may change over time. A detailed assessment of need should ensure that the full range of

individuals needs is identified, not simply their primary need.’

SEND COP (2015:6.27)

Sensory / Physical

Cognition & Learning

Social Emotional Mental Health

Communication & Interaction

SEN

Equality Act 2010

SEN…some interesting research

Communication & Interaction

SEN

66% of 7-14 year olds with serious behaviourproblems have language impairment

•60% of young people in young offender institutions have communication difficulties

•40% of 7 to 14 year olds referred to child psychiatric services had a language impairment that had never been suspected

Cognition & Learning

SEN

A profile of Specific learning difficulties may result in a feeling of humiliation which many report as resulting in being ridiculed. Whilst research suggests, some develop coping strategies, many become disaffected and disengaged from education ( Rose 2009)

•Research suggests that 50% of the prison population have a “some form of dyslexia” ( Kirk and Read 2001 cited in the SEN Magazine 2010)

Sensory / Physical

SEN

Undiagnosed difficulties related to visual or hearing impairment difficulties will result in the failure of teachers to make reasonable adjustments, which may result in the manifestation of behavioural difficulties.

Sensory difficulties for pupils with autism are a prime cause of behavioural changes…

” when they redecorated the classroom I couldn’t stand being in there, I just couldn't see anything properly” .(IDP)

SEN and Disability

• ‘Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 –that is a physical or mental impairment which has a long term or substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’

• This definition provides a relatively low threshholdand includes more children than many realise’

• SEND Code of Practice (2015)

‘Normal day to day activities’

Ability to lift

Speech, hearing, eyesight

Memory or ability to concentrate, learn orunderstand

Understanding of risk of physical danger

Reasonable adjustment example

Pupil with dyslexia can’t

write homework down quickly

enough

Yes (all actions reasonable)

Issues RA Yes/No & comments

Homework “buddy”

Homework sentvia text.

Homework Made availableon a prewrittenSheet.

Any or all To be put In place by agreement

Reasonable adjustment example

A pupil on the autism spectrum hits pupils passing by in the corridor

Pupil is able to leave the classroom a few minutes early to move to her next destination to avoid being “ crowded”Pupil has a map of the crowded places in the school and a timer which she uses to self direct when she will make her journeys.

Yes (all actions reasonable)

Yes (reasonable).. actionAny or all will be put in place (reasonable

Issues RA Yes/No & comments

Using the ice-berg to identify underlying causes of SEN.

• What we see on the surface which we describe as ‘difficulties/needs/challenges‘

• Often have multiple underlying causal factors.

For example:

•Writes only a few lines, screws up work.

• Calls out or talks about

irrelevant things.

• Often defaces work.

• Short term memory difficulties?

• Organisation and sequencing difficulties?

• Language processing difficulties?

• Poor fine motor skills?

• Anxiety about making mistakes?

• Risk averse?

• Underlying neurological differences making learning

and or social interaction difficult?

•Work avoidance or

refusal.

• Reluctance to write.

• Difficulty accepting

praise.

•Chats and distracts

others.

Teacher toolkit for SEN

Person Centred Approaches…why?

• Focuses on the child or young person as an individual.

• Enables children and young people to share their views and feelings.

• Delivers an outcome focused on

a co-ordinated planning for the child/

young person with their parents.

Shifting the culture from…

Doing to… Doing with…

www.personalisingeducation.org

One page profiles…

www.sheffkids.co.uk

•Talking

• Being a good friend.

• Creative skills ; Art, Design & textiles

• Solving problems for people

• Animals

• Poems

• Art

• Family

• Best Friends

• TA

• Art Club

• Swimming

• Reading

• Writing

• Spelling

Understanding too much talking.

• Specific learning difficulties: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia

• Organisation

• Memory.

• Having the TA near but not always next to and only for me

• Having key words on the whiteboard and always in the same place

• Giving me homework on a sheet so I don’t have to copy it from the board

• Let me work in different groups

• Ask me to talk through what I have to do

• Give me task breakdown sheets

• Let me have a shared writing buddy

• Use buff coloured paper & good sized text

• Allow more time for task completion

‘High impact tools’

Research from a variety of sources

• Suggests there are key tools which teachers should use, reflect upon and discuss with pupils to promote good outcomes and progress.

Teaching and Learning Toolkit Education Endowment Foundation.www.educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk

‘Don’t get me wrong’Communication Trust

What works for young people with literacy difficulties Brooks (2016)

Time to talk –outstanding practicein SLCN

Gross (2013)

ASD approaches to inclusionBaron Cohen (2007)

High Impact tools: Visual timetables and cueing systems

High impact tools

• Chunk

• and

• Freeze!

Metacognitive: learning-to-learn skills

Give of your expertise:

A few great websites!

And finally…want to keep up-to-date about SEND?

• In addition to many SEND courses run by • Herts for learning• www.hertsforlearning.co.uk

• &

• Eastern Partnership UK (SEND) www.easternpartnership.co.uk

• Look out for

The Regional SEND Forum: coming soon!