Special Educational Needs… What’s it all about?

1. Special Educational Needs… What’s it all about?

2. Victoria CarrHeadteacher Elton Primary School What qualifies me to talk to you about education? • Philosophy of education. • Where SEN ‘fits’. • Some debates about SEN • Some case studies and anecdotes from my own experiences

3. "Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." -- Marva Collins Motivation - we each have one for teaching… what is yours?

4. "Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation." -- John F. Kennedy Moral Purpose - this too is individual…why bother? VS

5. "Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." -- George Bernard Shaw Personal Aspirations - do you have them? Do you share them?

6. Diversity - every learning community and learner is different… take on board what they offer you… don’t be afraid to grasp what comes along- this is what shapes you as a practitioner even if you’re not aware of it at the time. “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.” Paulo Coelho

7. Commitment to lifelong learning - lead by example, at all times. In as far as it is possible, live and behave in such a way that you inspire others with words and deeds. "Every time you wake up and ask yourself, "What good things am I going to do today?," remember that when the sun goes down at sunset, it takes a part of your life with it." --Indian proverb

8. Experience - learn from it. Mistakes are good and show you are developing. Have courage to try new stuff, share your experiences with others and moreover, share your learning from the outcomes of these experiences. “Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.” ― Salvador Dalí

9. Teaching - “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” –John Steinbeck

10. Philosophy of education.✔ • Where SEN ‘fits’. • Some debates about SEN • Some case studies and anecdotes from my own experiences

11. http://www.teachingchallenges.com/2009/01/challenges-of-teaching.htmlhttp://www.teachingchallenges.com/2009/01/challenges-of-teaching.html There are many challenges for a teacher to manage on a day to day basis- provision for SEN is only one of them. What do you think the challenges are? Do you have a toolkit for building resilience to these challenges?

13. Philosophy of education.✔ • Where SEN ‘fits’. ✔ • Some debates about SEN • Some case studies and anecdotes from my own experiences

14. Politics and Jargon… Is there such a thing as SEN? Does ‘Every Child Matter’? Inclusion or Integration? White Papers, Green Papers, funding cuts…

16. "Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming." – Goethe

17. "If a seed of a lettuce will not grow, we do not blame the lettuce. Instead, the fault lies with us for not having nourished the seed properly." - Buddhist proverb

18. “If kids come to us from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important.” –Barbara Colorose

19. Philosophy of education.✔ • Where SEN ‘fits’. ✔ • Some debates about SEN✔ • Some case studies and anecdotes from my own experiences

20. Context • Fundamentally, I worked in a Church School and our distinctive Christian ethos was such that our intrinsic values reflected those underpinning the Index for Inclusion e.g.: 1. Emphasising the role of schools in building community and developing values, as well as in increasing achievement. 2. Fostering mutually sustaining relationships between schools and communities. 3. Recognising that inclusion in education is one aspect of inclusion in society. Booth et al (2000)

21. Context We were also, however, a large 2 form entry, primary school in an area of affluence, in which there had been, historically, a reputation of a high 11+ pass rate and academic excellence in SATs. For some this may been seen as detrimental, but our monitoring of data systems ensured focus on progress that can be beneficial. Frederickson & Cline, (2009) p76 cite Ainscow et al. 2006a :"... some researchers have found that while the 'standards agenda' may have an undermining effect on inclusion in some respects, it has also required schools to examine closely the progress of groups of pupils who might otherwise be overlooked and to re-examine the practices that appear to be failing these pupils”.

22. TomSingle parent family, mum and dad are supportive and caring but have low literacy ability Tom’s family background indicate that he is atypical of our “school population, in terms of his heritage and socio-economic background”. Corbet J (2001). RaiseonLine would show that he is in the free school meal group and has been a participant in the Seasons For Growth programme.

23. Barriers to Learning?

24. Professional Perspectives

25. Overcoming barriers- towards inclusion… • “…inclusion involves the school in a process of accommodation where the onus is on the school to change, adapting curricula, methods, materials and procedures so that it becomes more responsive. Given an inclusive philosophy, pupils with SEN may be a stimulus to development of a richer mainstream learning experience for all.” Frederickson & Cline (2009).

26. What did we do? • Differentiated! Using the ‘carpetpatch’ mnemonic. “…teaching things differently according to observed differences among learners.” Westwood, P. (2005. Thereby, “Reducing barriers to learning and participation for all students, not only those with impairments or those who are categorised as `having special educational needs'.” Booth et al (2000). Clearly, as recognised by Gains C (1999), effective wave one intervention takes the pressure off the teacher, who must deal with 29 other children in the class.

27. What did we do? • Outreach expertise! Rather than send Tom, and the 6 others like him in our school, to special school, we brought the expertise to us. We used the strategies not just in the outreach sessions but across the curriculum. Thereby, not only “Acknowledging the right of students to an education in their locality”. But also “Learning from attempts to overcome barriers to the access and participation of particular students to make changes for the benefit of students more widely”. Booth et al (2000)

28. What did we do? • Communicated ‘smart targets’ with all stakeholders - in person. We created good, transparent lines of communication and explicitly demonstrated our high expectations of effort and participation from all. We sought the guidance and assistance of experts for support in daily teaching and learning and for assessment adaptations. Thereby, “Fostering mutually sustaining relationships between schools and communities.” Booth et al (2000) Whilst taking cognisance of the “Pressure to push children through norm-based assessments” (Corbett J, 2001)

29. Were we perfect? To conclude, the answer is ‘no’. Whilst, as stated in Frederickson, N & Cline, T (2009) The onus must always be on the school to change; at the heart of every school is the irrefutable notion that every child really does matter – so all decisions made, will be with the needs of the children at heart. The difficulty lies in deciding on which side of the fence you sit, in relation to the inclusion/integration debate, or indeed if you sit on the fence at all.

30. Jimmy • Looked after child – LAC • Delayed development. • Vision & Speech, language and communication difficulties- wears 2 hearing aids, high prescription glasses. • Despite living with maternal grandfather, he has poor support at home in social, emotional and academic areas. • Very low attainment in all areas of learning. • A troubled child with a complex history and issues with managing his own behaviour. • External Agencies – Speech and Language Therapist, Vision Support, Child Psychologist, Social Worker, Educational Psychologist, Paediatricians, LAC teacher, Gilbrook Outreach Service. • Currently ‘in the system’ for Statutory Assessment.

31. Power Power/Interest Matrix (Gardner et al. 1986)

32. Barriers to effective collaboration Sandberg, A and Ottosson, L (2010) • Lack of time. Further supported by Soan, S (2006) • Attitude of staff. • Staff support and sharing good practice. Daniels, H, 2006:109. Kearns, H 2005: 133. • Lack of training/ information about child’s diagnosis. • Accountability. The Code of Practice (DfES, 2001:69) sets out expectations for all class teachers to have a role in developing interventions - alongside general differentiation and wave one teaching. • Social exclusion – a direct result of a lack of flexibility in the system and support from a range of services Abbott et al (2005)

33. Training and Support of Staff • Staff have had only one experience of a child with EBD and this was not positive. We hope that training willaddress issues raised in Ellins & Porter (2005:194-5) i.e. negative attitudes towards inclusion per se. • There is a tendency to want to focus on the academic progress of the main instead of the behavioural issues of the one – inevitably as a result of our current climate and culture. We must take cognisance of the “Pressure to push children through norm-based assessments” (Corbett J, 2001 • Without a diagnosis or label it is difficult to explain to other parents who put pressure on staff to ‘do something’ about the ‘issue’ affecting their child’s education- i.e. remove the ‘problem child’. • There is a sense of impotence and ignorance due to being unable to rectify behaviour that on the surface defies explanation. • Staff are hindered by historically embedded practice and need either training to challenge this or an overwhelming consensus of opinion driven by all stakeholders. • Historically only teaching staff have been trained – the Head and I have changed this mind set to include all stakeholders and therefore children hear the same messages delivered in the same way from all in our school. • Our training must include all staff, be delivered well by a respected expert, and be meaningful in terms of real strategies – a notion supported by Ainscow and Miles (2008). Gilbrook Outreach offer this.

34. Jimmy’s engagement Social, emotional and behavioural • Jimmy has attachment issues as a result of early childhood neglect. • He has never had positive role models for play, behaviour or social interaction. • He struggles to respond to emotion in other children in an appropriate way. • He struggles to find a way to communicate his frustration other than violence and aggression. Academic- We have tried to ‘integrate’ rather than ‘include’ Jimmy into our school system. (Ainscow (1995) in Frederickson & Cline (2009). Jimmy doesn’t like our setting systems. Most parents send children to our school based on excellent academic reputation and most children are highly academic which puts peer pressure on Jimmy. Jimmy gets very little support from home, and lives with 19 siblings, half-siblings, uncles, aunts and his grandfather and step-grandmother- all work must be done in school. Jimmy has delayed development, as a result of neglect, sight and hearing issues. Jimmy has not had good experiences of school thus far.

35. Philosophy of education.✔ • Where SEN ‘fits’. ✔ • Some debates about SEN✔ • Some case studies and anecdotes from my own experiences✔

36. Special Educational Needs… What’s it all about? Teaching. Teaching well. Full stop.