When teens take risks

Testing boundaries may be a normal part of growing up, but many forms of risk-taking behaviours pose serious dangers to young people’s health and well-being. Simon Legrand reports on a new programme which aims to help teenagers understand and mitigate the risks they face in everyday life.

Risk-taking behaviour in adolescence is nothing new. It’s part of their transition from childhood to adolescence, and the move towards independence from parents and families.

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      string(5639) "31www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 2.1Leading LearningSENSchool Leadership TodayThe value of earlyinterventionEarly support for children struggling with SEN can save thousandsof pounds helping them at secondary school– so why aren’t more schools investing inspecialist tutors, asks Jean GrossEvery year, the number of children identified as having special educational needsrises. Expenditure grows to match. But does the 5.1 billion invested last year – upfrom 4.1 billion in 2005-06 – offer value for money?Ofsted and the National Strategies say no, and the statistics support them.Children with SEN don’t seem to do any better year-on-year in SATs or GCSEs, despite theincreased spend. Even though literacy and numeracy difficulties are the most commontypes of SEN, and schools spend heavily on supporting children with these difficulties, the32 Vol 2.1 n www.teachingtimes.comLeading Learning SENpercentage of children achieving below level 3 in Englishand/or maths at the end of key stage 2 has bumped alongthe 8 per cent mark since 1998. In secondary schools, onlyaround 50 per cent of pupils who have SEN and who got alevel 4 in science, maths or English at the end of key stage2 (so can be assumed ‘intellectually capable’ of achieving atage-related levels) achieve level 5 by the end of key stage 3.Nor has our investment in SEN had much effect onbehavioural difficulties. About 70 per cent of permanentlyexcluded children are on special needs registers.Investment in SEN could have made a difference inpersonal and life skills. But we have no evidence in this area,since we have no agreed means of assessing and recordingchildren’s development. We do know, from the Ofsted ‘TellUs’ survey, that pupils with SEN are less likely to say theyhave good relationships with friends and very much morelikely to report that they have been bullied.Is there a better way? If the evidence of impact of SENspend is slender, it is important to look at schools that havereduced their number of children with persistent literacy,numeracy, speech and language or social, emotional andbehavioural difficulties. These schools tend to rely on highlytrained specialists – specialist teachers, expert mental healthworkers or speech and language therapists.Most schools do not spend their SEN budgets onspecialists, but on in-class support from teaching assistants.Research has shown that children of all ages receivingsupport of this nature make less progress than children whodo not receive such support but are otherwise similar (that is,matched for SEN status, prior attainment, behaviour, socialdisadvantage and all the other factors that could have ledthem to need in-class support in the first place).These findings, reported by Peter Blatchford andhis colleagues in the last issue of this magazine, makeuncomfortable reading. But most headteachers will still say:“My TAs are wonderful!” And so they are – this low-paidgroup of workers represent some of schools’ most dedicatedstaff, skilled in making warm relationships with children andmuch valued by class and subject teachers.So what’s going on? Research shows that TAs tendto make children dependent – rather than teach themstrategies to manage their own learning.An example comes from David Moore, an inspector, whoobserved a secondary class being taught about the spinningjenny. The worksheets were difficult, and the TA (who hada physics degree) was encouraging a boy to ask the teacherwhat they meant. “Don’t get worried,” the boy told her, “Inever do.” When the inspector asked him what he meant, hesaid: “Cos she’s here to do the work for me, i’n’t she?”TAs focus more on activities than on learning outcomes.If the child finishes the worksheet, that’s a success. Thepresence of a TA has also been shown to reduce the level ofcontact targeted children have with their peers, and vastlyreduce the amount of contact they have with their teachers.One headteacher said: “Often our children who find ithardest to learn are working with the least skilled part of theworkforce.” Class and subject teachers, knowing that a childhas support, will turn their attention elsewhere. In affluentareas, where many TAs are graduates, this may not matter.In disadvantaged areas, where special educational needs aremost prevalent and TAs are often less qualified, it matters agreat deal.The Every Child a Reader and Every Child Countsprogrammes give examples of the results that can beachieved with specialist teachers. In 2008-09, over half of allchildren involved in Every Child Counts had been identifiedby their schools as having SEN. But as a result of an average20 hours of one-to-one help from a teacher with one year’sspecialist training, two in three of these children achievedlevel 2 or above in maths at the end of key stage 1. None hadbeen predicted to do so.Results for the Every Child a Reader programme aresimilar. About 57 per cent of children on the programmehave SEN, but nearly 80 per cent catch up with their peersafter an average of 40 hours of daily one-to-one tuition froma highly trained Reading Recovery teacher.These results appear to be lasting. Researchers from theInstitute of Education (in The impact of Reading Recoverythree years after intervention) monitored the progress of 73very disadvantaged children who took part in Every Child aReader in 2005 when they were in year 1. Even though thechildren had wide-ranging problems associated with generalability, language, behaviour and home environment, their33www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 2.1Leading LearningSENreading and"
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Leadership

The value of early intervention

11 Apr 2010

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      string(5628) "There is a high incidence of young people with special educational needs in the youth justice system. For all those who enter the system with EHC Plans/Statements of SEN or additional needs, there are more than double this number who enter the system with unidentified needs. They have gone through the education system, without their needs being ‘picked up’. There is a moral imperative on society, and particularly on youth offending teams across the country to do something about it, to secure better outcomes for these young people. In this article Marius Frank looks at a Department for Education funded project, which aims to do just that and is having promising results.The project- the Youth Justice SEND Project brings together Achievement for All, the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers and Manchester Metropolitan University to support professionals to bring about a culture and behaviour change around effective SEND joint working. Funded by the Department for Education (co-managed with Youth Justice Board and Ministry of Justice) it builds on the pioneering work of both the Council for Disabled Children and Sheffield Futures. The project which endeavours to continue driving and embedding a culture-change around effective SEND joint working, transforming outcomes for young people with SEND who offend (or who are at risk of dong so)is focused around the following strands:  a)  Building local networks and sharing good practice: Creating effective, active and sustainable local networks of professionals and sector champions (including representatives of local authorities, Youth Offending Teams, health, social care, education providers and the secure estate) that are able to develop and implement practice that improves outcomes for these young people.b)  Continuing to build knowledge and understanding of the SEND reforms (building on last year’s work led by CDC and Sheffield Futures)- particularly around how the reforms impact on current practice within the Youth Justice System through research and through the networks established through this project (sharing evidence based effective practice and innovation). Engage busy professionals with ideas that help meet their needs, including new cross-cutting training.c)   Monitoring outcomes and improving the system – Helping the sector monitor and analyse local authority SEN and disability support and outcomes of children and young people pre-, during and post-custody and address identified weaknesses and gaps (using evidence and data to best effect). d)  Working with young offenders and their parents – Building a good understanding of the challenges that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their parents, have prior to, during and post custody.ResultsThe results are promising and show that by embedding this type of joint approach around the young people, better outcomes are possible.  220 survey responses were analysed, from 86 Youth Offending Teams (YOT) covering 92 Local Authorities. Witness testimonies were gathered through a series of regional workshops across the country from nearly 400 professionals working across youth offending and LA SEND straddling nearly 120 Local Authority areas, as well as some staff from the secure estate, charities working in the sector and NHS England. Interviews were secured with over 30 children and young people within (or with recent experience of) the secure estate.Key Findings show that:a.  The proportion of children and young people they are working with who may have SEND is higher than official statistics suggest (both in the case of CYP with needs that are significant enough to trigger the EHCP process, and those that schools and academies would normally support through delegated SEN Support funding)b.  Information flow and case management between LA SEND Teams and YOTs appears to be adequate in some instances, with room to improve in many areas of the countryc.  Information flow and provision continuity between sending LAs and secure estate lacks consistency; whilst some outstanding practice is apparent, there is much that can be improved in terms of communication, liaison and meeting individual learner needs within elements of the secure estated.  LA Staff have welcomed a professional support and development resource to illuminate the youth justice pathway more clearly, and YOTs have welcomed a similar resource that helps all staff understand the types of SEN that are prevalent in the youth justice system, and a database of strategies ideas and advice from other providers to inform intelligent design and redesign of local services (The Youth Justice SEND Bubble)e.  Some YOTs find it extremely hard to secure adequate resources to support CYPs with SEN in the youth justice system. However, there are examples of local effective practice that other areas can learn from.Effective practice includes:1. The co-location of specialist provision (e.g. Speech and Language Therapists, Ed Psych, CAMHS) takes unnecessary delays out of the equation that sometimes occur if provision needs to be “commissioned in”2.  Access to high needs funding through local delegation policy and practice3.  Multi-Agency “Teams Around the Child” working together, not in isolation, meeting regularly4.  Proactive awareness and intervention work with YOTs working within early intervention teams, Fair Access Panels and within Local Inclusion"
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Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

Caught in the Youth Justice System!

16 Oct 2017

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      string(460) "... less responsive to therapy.Communication disability can lead todevelopmental disadvantage, behaviouralproblems, emotional difficulties and mentalillness. These consequences in turn pavethe way to poor employment prospects,social exclusion and disruptive/anti-social– sometimes even criminal – behaviour. Thebenefits of timely intervention will be feltnot only by the individual, who will be betterplaced ..."
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      string(5708) "Vol 2.1 n www.teachingtimes.comDisabilities/ConditionsEvery Child Journal20Many children need expert help with speakingand understanding. Speech, language andcommunication problems often result in lowlevels of literacy, poor educational attainmentand difficulties in finding employment. When their speech,language and communication difficulties are resolved,children develop good reading and spelling skills. Theybecome more receptive to learning, become more sociallyadept and develop emotional maturity and better behaviour.The impact of communications problems was recognisedin the Bercow report which stated: ‘The ability to communicateis an essential life skill for all children and young peopleand it underpins a child’s social, emotional and educationaldevelopment. Evidence illustrates that there is insufficientunderstanding of the centrality of speech, language andcommunication among policy makers and commissionersnationally and locally, professionals and service providers, andsometimes parents and families themselves. It follows thatinsufficient priority is attached to addressing speech, languageand communication needs.’ (DCSF: 2008)1Communication disability is the most commondisability among children and yet its cause and effect isseldom well understood by parents and professionals.The good news is that once identified, problems can beresolved. But, if they are not dealt with in early childhood,a communication disability quickly becomes entrenchedwww.teachingtimes.com n Vol 2.1Disabilities/Conditions Every Child Journal21Are youtalking tome?Communication disability is often misdiagnosed as bad – and evencriminal – behaviour. Ele Ramsay argues that failure to detect thisdisability results in children being excluded, punished and evencriminalised.Diagnosing difficultiesChildren with speech, language and communication problems have difficulty:Expressing themselves through speaking, writing or non-verbal communicationUnderstanding the spoken or written word, body language and facial expressionsListening to what is being said to themRemembering the information they receiveExpressing their feelings and emotions in an appropriate way e.g. theymay use violence instead of words to express themselvesRelating to others in socially acceptable ways.The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT)has developed an “SOS” (or seven Signs Of Speech language andcommunication problems) to look out for in children, which may indicatethat a child has communication disability:“My child can find it difficult to say what they want or to understand people.”“My child doesn’t talk as much as children of the same age.”“My child seems to get stuck on some words.”“People find it difficult to understand what my child is saying.”“My child gets teased about the way they talk.”“My child finds it difficult to talk to other children and make friends.”“My child’s voice sounds strange.”The RCSLT recommends that if people hear parents or carers refer to a childin one of these seven ways, they should recommend a referral for assessmentto a speech and language therapist.nnnnnnand less responsive to therapy.Communication disability can lead todevelopmental disadvantage, behaviouralproblems, emotional difficulties and mentalillness. These consequences in turn pavethe way to poor employment prospects,social exclusion and disruptive/anti-social– sometimes even criminal – behaviour. Thebenefits of timely intervention will be feltnot only by the individual, who will be betterplaced to benefit from educational, socialand vocational opportunities, but by societyin general.Vol 2.1 n www.teachingtimes.comDisabilities/ConditionsEvery Child Journal22Early InterventionBetween five and eight percent of all pre-school childrenhave difficulties in speech and language. Once in school,this rises to one in ten pupils with a speech, language andcommunication problem. This apparent increase is often dueto an underlying disability going undiagnosed until the childstarts school when they attempt to develop literacy skills. Thispresents a massive challenge for over-stretched and under-resourced teachers. (Basic Skills Agency 2002).In areas of deprivation, communication disabilities aremore prevalent still. More than half of four-year olds fromsome areas of social disadvantage have speech, language andcommunication problems (Locke, Ginsborg et al. 2002) and,in these areas, 80% of their teachers think that only half thechildren starting school have the communication skills theyneed for effective learning (Basic Skills Agency, 2002). TheMillennium Cohort study found children from families withincomes below the poverty line had language scores aboutfive months behind those with incomes above it (George A,Hanson K & Schoon I 2007). This delay has a significant impacton subsequent achievement.Child abuse and neglect also have an effect on expressivecommunication ability (Law J, Conway J 1991). A child’sstruggle to communicate (not just to speak, but to expresstheir thoughts and emotions effectively) can indicate thatthere are child protection issues. Children and young peoplewith communication disabilities are also at risk of bullyingand may find it hard to voice their concerns in a potentiallydangerous situation (I CAN:2007).Communication disability is often misdiagnosed asMichael (9), Sarah (8) and Paul (3) are siblings who allhave Asperger’s syndrome. Michael and Sarah were notdiagnosed as quickly as their younger brother Paul, whohas benefited from early intervention.At the age of two,"
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Special Needs

Are you talking to me?

20 Dec 2010

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      string(5032) "engaged or involved with an activity (crucial for effectivelearning). This improvement was reinforced by video evidence where children wereclearly happier at T2 to sit longer with their parents when reading a book and showedmuch greater engagement with the activity.T1 – baselineT2 – end of 1st termT3 – beginning of term 2T4 – end of term 2T5 – end of Term 3Many more very positive findings emerge from the data including evidence of greaterengagement with book reading, greater parental engagement generally with theirchild’s learning, improved behaviour management and excellent nursery attendance.Finally, the intervention was demonstrated to be equally effective on all measuresfor both genders and across all tiers of risk category.ConclusionThe Field report stresses the need for greater equality in terms of school readinessto enable disadvantaged children to gain maximum benefit from the experience ofschooling. This intervention demonstrates an effective way forward in achieving thisequality. As recommended in the Field report, the intervention reported here includesthe following factors:It is targeted at a specific population (the most disadvantaged two year olds)It is intensive (with a phased reduction in support)It involves voluntary participationIt maintains fidelity to the original model (dialogic reading, home visiting)It works with both parents and children.The Allen Report2 recommends the use of early intervention and investment inprogrammes that have proved to be effective, given the evidence, the interventionnnnnnFigure 3: Leuven involvement scalemean scores.http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/supporting%20families%20in%20the%20foundation%20years.pdfhttp://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/supporting%20families%20in%20the%20foundation%20years.pdfhttp://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/early-intervention-next-steps.pdfwww.teachingtimes.com n Vol 2.6Early Years/practice research Every Child Journal63Knowledge Trails1) Dealing with disengagedparents – A look at the newStaffordshire initiative tackling loweducational aspiration by loweringthe social care threshold.2) Making the most of the earlyyears – Evaluating which earlyyears interventions work best.3) Extended services vs. socialdisadvantage – Research intothe effectiveness of extendedschools tackling socialdisadvantage.Article available from SchoolLeadership Today in theProfessional Learning Community(access by subscription).Education update for technology and learningThe list of requirements for schoolsregarding the utilisation of technologyevolves each year. This monthlye-magazine helps both primary andsecondary school leaders and teachersunderstand the issues, products,problems and the possibilitiesassociated with technology in schools, such as VLE’s, web-basedlearning, white boards, video-conferencing, online assessmentand mobile learning.Recent e-Learning Update articles have included:• Creating a 21st century learning environment on limitedbudgets• Introducing ICT in the early years• Using computer games to help people with learning diffi culties• Making maths more engaging with technologyUp and coming:• The International Comparison of Computing in Schools• The role of digital arts in cultural learning• How secure is your school’s data?• The use of social media by teachersSubscribe online at: www.teachingtimes.com/publications/e-learningupdate.htmTo subscribe to e-Learning Update: Call theSubscriptions Orderline0121 224 7578 or email sandie@imaginativeminds.co.ukreported here would seem to be a prime contender to take this recommendationforward.Sarah Lambert is Senior Manager Early Years and Family Support in Blackpool’sChildren, Families and Adult ServicesProject and research completed by Prof. H. E. Whiteley, Dr. J. M. Hutchinson, D.Shannon, J. Pullan & S. LambertField, F. (2010). The Foundation Years: Preventing Poor Children Becoming Poor Adults. HM Government ReportDecember. http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/supporting%20families%20in%20the%20foundation%20years.pdfAllen, G. (2011). Early Intervention: The Next Steps. HM Government Report, January http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/early-intervention-next-steps.pdfWaldfogel, J. & Washbrook, E. Low Income and Early Cognitive Development in the U.K. A Report for the SuttonTrust. http://www.bris.ac.uk/ifssoca/outputs/sutton.pdf (last accessed 22/03/11)Brownell (2000). Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test and Receptive One Word Vocabulary Test (2ndEdition). Academic Therapy Publications, California.Laevers, F. (1994). The Leuven Involvement Scale for Young Children ¸LIS-YC, Manual and Video Tape. ExperientialEducation Series No. 1. Leuven, Belgium: Centre for Experiential Education.Locke, A. & Beech, M. Teaching Talking (1991). Windsor: NFER-Nelson, Packs of Record Forms for Nursery"
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Special Needs

Ready for school

16 Mar 2012

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      string(5088) "points across a 6 monthperiod with T1 being pre-intervention). Significant progress was made from T1 to T5indicating an increased ability to become engaged or involved with an activity (crucialfor effective learning). This improvement was reinforced by video evidence wherechildren were clearly happier at T2 to sit longer with their parents when reading a bookand showed much greater engagement with the activity.T1 – baselineT2 – end of 1st termT3 – beginning of term 2T4 – end of term 2T5 – end of Term 3Many more very positive findings emerge from the data including evidence ofgreater engagement with book reading, greater parental engagement generallywith their child’s learning, improved behaviour management and excellent nurseryattendance.Finally, the intervention was demonstrated to be equally effective on allmeasures for both genders and across all tiers of risk category.ConclusionThe Field report stresses the need for greater equality in terms of school readinessto enable disadvantaged children to gain maximum benefit from the experience ofschooling. This intervention demonstrates an effective way forward in achievingthis equality. As recommended in the Field report, the intervention reported hereincludes the following factors:http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/supporting%20families%20in%20the%20foundation%20years.pdfhttp://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/supporting%20families%20in%20the%20foundation%20years.pdfReferencesField, F. (2010). The Foundation Years: Preventing Poor Children BecomingPoor Adults. HM Government Report December. http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/supporting%20families%20in%20the%20foundation%20years.pdfAllen, G. (2011). Early Intervention: The Next Steps. HM GovernmentReport, January http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/early-intervention-next-steps.pdfWaldfogel, J. & Washbrook, E. Low Income and Early CognitiveDevelopment in the U.K. A Report for the Sutton Trust. http://www.bris.ac.uk/ifssoca/outputs/sutton.pdf (last accessed 22/03/11)Brownell (2000). Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test andReceptive One Word Vocabulary Test (2nd Edition). Academic TherapyPublications, California.Laevers, F. (1994). The Leuven Involvement Scale for Young Children¸LIS-YC, Manual and Video Tape. Experiential Education Series No. 1.Leuven, Belgium: Centre for Experiential Education.Locke, A. & Beech, M. Teaching Talking (1991). Windsor: NFER-Nelson,Packs of Record Forms for Nursery Level52Vol 4.1School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comInclusionClosingtheperformancegapKnowledgetrails1) Dealing withdisengagedparents – A look atthe new Staffordshireinitiative tacklinglow educationalaspiration bylowering the socialcare threshold.2) Making themost of the earlyyears – Evaluatingwhich early yearsinterventions workbest.3) Extendedservices vs. socialdisadvantage– Research intothe effectiveness ofextended schoolstackling socialdisadvantage.Article availablefrom SchoolLeadership Todayin the ProfessionalLearning Community(access bysubscription).It is targeted at a specific population (the most disadvantaged two year olds)It is intensive (with a phased reduction in support)It involves voluntary participationIt maintains fidelity to the original model (dialogic reading, home visiting)It works with both parents and children.The Allen Report2 recommends the use of early intervention and investment inprogrammes that have proved to be effective, given the evidence, the interventionreported here would seem to be a prime contender to take this recommendationforward.Sarah Lambert is Senior Manager Early Years and Family Support inBlackpool’s Children, Families and Adult ServicesProject and research completed by Prof. H. E. Whiteley, Dr. J. M. Hutchinson,D. Shannon, J. Pullan & S. Lambert■■■■■Recognised as the most cutting edgecurriculum magazine in the country,Creative Teaching and Learninginvestigates innovations in thecurriculum, exploring how thinkingskills approaches can be embeddedwithin learning environments throughsubject and project-based teaching.Teachers at all levels will benefi t from shared bestpractice, expert advice to make learning more imaginativeand inspiring, and project resource plans in every issue,giving project work more pedagogic depth.CreativeTeaching & LearningRecent Creative Teaching and Learning articles have included:• Drama and Proud!• Hands up, hands down! Who thinks they can teach music?• I want to tell you a story• Excitement in ScienceRecent Cross-curriculum project plans:• Ocean environments• Making your own countryUp and coming:• Cross-curriculum project plan: Contemporary SlaveryA comprehensive and thought-provoking resource plan for use in theclassroom with key stages 2 & 3.To subscribe to Creative Teaching & Learning:Call the Subscriptions Orderline 0121 224 7578 or email sandie@imaginativeminds.co.ukSubscribe online at:"
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Leadership

Preparing seriously for school

4 Jul 2012

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