Child File – The Graduated Response: making it effective in an early years setting – Part 2

Child File - The Graduated Response: making it effective in an early years setting - Part 2

Following on from the theoretical presentation of the graduated response in the last issue, this case study show how one primary school is putting it into practice.
As you read and reflect on it consider:

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      string(5851) "KS2 and 3.6 APS for secondary schools. The overall longitudinal changes were as follows in table 1. Table 1: Longitudinal changes in yearly APS among target group pupils from 20111-2015, source, PwC, 2016Schools also improved attendance and behaviour with a reduction in exclusions and increased parental engagement. (PWC 2016)The parental involvement element of the approach was progressed by an open dialogue approach developed through a series of structured conversations between the classroom teacher and parents which provided a platform from which parents could effectively engage in the learning process. The conversation allowed parents to discuss their aspirations and also share their knowledge of their child with teachers and professionals. There were a number of key stages. The explore stage enabled a better understanding of the pupil and his/her needs, existing provision, what had worked well in the past and what barriers there were to achievement. At the focus stage, the aim was to be explicit about the nature of aspiration and need, to clarify key issues and their impact on progress, and to identify priorities. At the plan stage it was for parents and staff to plan, agree and set challenging but achievable targets that addressed the key identified issues and may also be used for assessing progress. Parents would also be encouraged to contribute ideas for how they might support progress. The emphasis was on setting targets that were not too complex or detailed and were framed in accessible, jargon-free language. The final review stage was used to summarise the key points of the meeting, clarify the next steps and arrange dates for further meetings or communication. 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In the research programme these conversations were usually once a term and for duration of between half an hour and three quarters of an hour on average. “the frequency of SCs, the emphasis on giving parents a voice and listening to this, sharing the setting of targets and the focus on positive achievements are also important factors.” (Lendrum 2013) While schools initially found the additional time devoted to these meeting daunting by the end of the pilot many schools were planning to role the approach out on a whole school basis due to the dramatic impact this was having on the positive culture of engagement within the school. (Humphries 2011). The structured conversation was also popular with parents, and has remained so in analysis done since by PWC on the programme. (PWC 2016)  Parental Engagement and the SEND Reforms SEN Support The Children and Families Act embodies the principles of parental engagement at the core of its requirements in Section 19 of the Act and links this strongly to ensuring better outcomes which is then followed through in the Code of Practice (CoP) (DfE 2014, 2015) The CoP (2015) acknowledges that the Achievement for All approach formed the basis of the requirements for a whole school approach outlined in the schools chapter of the code of practice. “This (AfA) demonstrates that when a whole-school approach to supporting pupils with SEN is taken, along with effective engagement with parents, there can be a clear impact on attainment.” (DfE 2015 p276)  The CoP directly reflects the learning from the structured conversation in both the content and the way the graduated approach follows the same steps as the structured conversation;“6.48 Where it is decided to provide a pupil with SEN support, the parents must be formally notified, although parents should have already been involved in forming the assessment of needs…. The teacher and the SENCO should agree in consultation with the parent and the pupil the adjustments, interventions and support to be put in place, as well as the expected impact on progress, development or behaviour, along with a clear date for review.”The assessment should then be reviewed on a regular basis as part of the graduated approach;“6.65 Where a pupil is receiving SEN support, schools should talk to parents regularly to set clear outcomes and review progress towards them, discuss the activities and support that will help achieve them, and identify the responsibilities of the parent, the pupil and the school. Schools should meet parents at least three times each year.”  (DfE 2015) Further that;“6.66 These discussions can build confidence in the actions being taken by the school, but they can also strengthen the impact of SEN support by increasing parental engagement in the approaches and teaching strategies that are being used. 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Achieving best value from your Pupil Premium allocations

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      string(5252) "2013) – children can learn when they aresupported in activities which would otherwise be beyondtheir own ability- saw adult intervention within thecontext of social learning. He underlined the importanceof adults both supporting children, through appropriateintervention and modeling good practice, in enablingchildren to develop social and cognitive skills.In practice, emotional well-being, social competenceand self-concept, as identified by Bertram and Pascal(2002) are integrated and should be addressed alongsidethe cognitive dimension of learning and development.The extent to which children develop these skills, withappropriate support from educators, hinges on theirself-confidence. A pupil’s self-confidence is enhancedby, and to a large degree founded on, their ability tocommunicate effectively.■■■ Professional Development: The role ofparents and carersQuality early education not only puts children aheadin terms of cognitive development at age 5, but alsoleads to better performance in GCSE English andmaths (Sylva et al., 2014). However, pre-school isnot the whole picture. Parents or carers have a keyrole in their children’s language development; familyinfluences are likely to be the earliest in a child’s life.It is essential at this time that children have warmand supportive environments, where parents or carersactively communicate with them in different ways.Early years settings have a role in supporting parentsor carers to develop the home learning environment.The Achievement for All programme, delivered throughcoaching leaders and practitioners, has shown that whenparents or carers engagement with their child’s learningis encouraged and supported (e.g. at school throughbook club and other activities) it leads to acceleratedprogress in children’s outcomes in literacy (Humphreyand Squires, 2011). This idea has been successfullypiloted in early years settings in England through theAchieving Early programme; the Taking Time for Talk,structured conversation model has enabled parents andcarers to engage effectively with their child’s learning anddevelopment (unpublished interim report, Achievementfor All, 2015).■■■ Professional Development: ChangingCulture and PracticeAgainst this backdrop, early years settings need torespond to the various challenges they face, not least inensuring children are school ready. This is best achievedthrough a structured, systematic approach built on keyprinciples and focused on raising children’s outcomes.This might include a consideration of the culture of thesetting, professional development and practice and howit supports a whole setting approach to speech, language,communication and the development of reading andwriting. It will undoubtedly involve the development ofhigh expectations among staff for children’s outcomesunderpinned by investment in professional developmentand coaching.Aspiration encompasses the expectations, beliefs,understanding and capacity of children to engagefully and positively in the learning process. Themind-set that underpins all educational endeavours,Policy andpractice13……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………whereby practitioners, parents and carers have a sharedunderstanding of that which can be achieved throughthe setting of goals (short, medium and long term)culminating in the raising of aspirations. The embeddingof ‘aspiration’ across the setting is closely connected toideas of ‘access’. Access has a two-fold meaning. The firstis the removal of barriers preventing access to learning;these can be broad or specific, e.g. low expectations,physiological, social, environmental, educational andmore. The second is the provision of education; someparents or carers, might not have perceived educationas having any significance or value in their lives, whichplaces emphasis on the support provided by practitionersfor children and their familiesA key aspect of aspiration is that of giving ‘voice’ tothe child. This is central to the SEND Code of Practice0-25 (DoH/DfE, 2014); the opinion of parents orcarers and their child are important in decision makingaround issues which affect their life. In practice, givingchildren ’voice’ provides opportunity to develop theircommunication skills, give their opinion and contributeto the setting. There are many ways that this can beachieved through ‘Time to Talk’ sessions and trainingfor key workers.■■■ Professional Development: LeadersIn recent years there has been much discussion aroundleadership of settings and the need for workforcedevelopment (Nutbrown, 2012). Effective leadershipis central to bring about cultural change. A model ofinclusive leadership, based on an inclusive approachto education, looks towards increasing"
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Professional Development

Talking with young children: how professional development can improve children’s speech and language, thinking and learning

3 Nov 2015

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      string(5660) "managing provision for students who miss lessons due to ill health since tight deadlines within the curriculum delivery make it challenging. Many successful teachers have used technology to help: online communication, sending work home and even telephone conversations or Skype sessions where possible.4 Inclusiveness, where students are on study programmes and are within programmes designed specifically around SEND requirements, are well managed. Inclusion in such things as drama/reading/group work/activities/debates/community engagement/work experience and projects in mainstream curriculum, however, are the things that can tax some of the most motivated teachers. Don’t do everything alone, ask for help from colleagues, support staff, family and online. Ask professionals for guidance and don’t be afraid to discuss possible solutions with the student that you could try together. Even if they don’t work, you will learn with the student what does work, and that will be a positive experience for both you and the student. You may even include some of the class in solving the issues depending on the situation – young people often suggest ingenious ideas.5 Learning Support Assistants vary greatly in experience and knowledge, and this is an essential provision that needs to be in focus. The spectrum of support can move from ‘too hands off’ to ‘too hands on’. Students, particularly in post-16, need to gain as much independence in all areas of their education and life as possible, especially if they are aspiring to access HE and/or employment.  So how can the success of learning support intervention be measured in a meaningful way with unambiguous evidence of impact on outcomes? Firstly, we need to know what outstanding learning support looks like. We need to define it in quantifiable terms and have a system of observation and review that informs us of progress and effectiveness. It is worth spending time on this piece of work, including looking at the staff you have and their skills, providing relevant and meaningful CPD activities and ensuring there is high quality team work between learning support staff and teaching staff. Involve the student in feedback of their support, in a way that gives real and true responses that are helpful in developing provision.6 Written work should be adapted appropriately for students with poor hand function, both for handwriting and keyboard use. Writing can slow students down and often the correct equipment may not be accessed. In negotiating Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs) at the start of their college life, obtaining the right equipment and professional input is essential. The set up for a student with SEND starts from pre-enrolment.  Mainstream or vocational teachers can be nervous about adaptations and their uses, as they may not be trained or fully supported in their use, and many learn on the job. This can mean that students do not have a good start to their college education. Staff need time to ‘play’ with equipment so they are fully comfortable in its use and they can see how their curriculum can be adapted. Support from professionals in assistive technologies is also advisable.7 Verbal communication may be challenging for some students, and teachers tend to learn as they go, having had little training in speech, language and communication techniques. This can leave both the student and teacher frustrated. This is such a big area because of the array of verbal and cognitive issues a student may have. Staff must get a full understanding from the professionals about each student. No two will be identical and each will have personal preferences as to how they wish to communicate, down to small details like whether you can help with finishing their sentences or not. Some students welcome it to speed things up, others are very frustrated by this. It is not only our job to communicate, it is our job to develop that communication. Often up until this point in their lives, the language used will have been quite child-like, but as students grow into adults, the language needs to develop with their age. If you imagine learning a foreign language at school, then stopping and 10 years later had to use the same language to communicate with adults, you can see the problem. Education at all ages is about the whole person, not just the subject they are learning.8 Pace is important. The speed at which you deliver information is crucial to their understanding and ability to fully join in to learning activities. However, if students have comprehension challenges and/or delayed language, this becomes a basic need for learning. Differentiation should be happening naturally in all classes, but attention needs to be given, especially if students need more time. Find small activities they can do alone to allow them time to be able to work things out for themselves. It is often too tempting to do things, or too much for them, and then they don’t get the real experience of experiential learning. In the end this actually hinders their success and growth.The final wordThere is so much information out there to help staff in all roles achieve success with students who have SEND, but what we need to ensure is that we are providing age-appropriate environments and experiences in a safe and developmental way. We also need to focus on extending students’ abilities that they will need in their adult life, looking at opportunities for work and higher-level studies where possible. 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Inclusion

SENDing Students on the Road to Success

10 Sep 2018

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      string(5852) "What is a typical day in a life of a Senco” I found myself thinking. As Senco every day is different and that is why I thoroughly enjoy each day and I have developed an ever-growing interest in special educational needs. A Senco’s day is one of variety which sees the clock ticking by extremely quickly and sometimes there are never enough hours in the day.Typically, I arrive before 8am and will begin by double checking my diary and the ‘to do’ list I have written the night before, as a reminder of what I need to do. Then it will be a quick catch up on emails. My day is always well organised but even the best laid plans are often interrupted. That is why I feel if you are going to be a successful Senco you must be extremely flexible, supportive and willing to change your plans at any given time. I work very closely with class teachers to ensure all SEN learners have access to high quality teaching,  and teachers have high expectations for all SEN learners whatever their starting point. I also work with a team of ten Learning Support Assistants who support individual pupils, three SEN assistants who support children on the SEN register and additional support staff, which may mean offering them advice, suggesting different strategies to use with pupils and of course hearing about the progress each individual is making. It is very much a team effort which I promote every day so all children succeed.My school day always involves teaching individuals or a group of SEN learners, which is truly rewarding as each child has their own unique barrier to learning and it is so rewarding when a child makes their own small steps of learning or to hear “Miss I can do it now!”, watching their confidence and resilience with learning grow is truly heart-warming.My day may also begin or end with meetings with parents of the children I teach or the children on the SEN Register who partake in a variety of targeted interventions to ensure that they make progress. Parents are extremely supportive but there can be challenging structured conversations that take place where parents need a longer time to consider their children’s special educational needs and the further support they need to progress and flourish. As a Senco it is at these times you must be patient, understanding and remember that all parents are the first educators of their children, and with experience I have learnt that working together for the child at the centre delivers the best outcomes.Days always involve meetings with other professionals which are organised between teaching, parent or class teacher meetings. Meeting with outside agencies is crucial to ensure that I gain the best support for all pupils with the most complex needs throughout our school. I believe it crucial to listen to the expertise of all outside agencies and spend time with them as this enhances the provision each child has access to each day within the school. Our school Educational psychologist visits throughout each term. Visits must be well organised and may involve pupil observations, teacher-parent meetings or consultations with myself, and are invaluable as they offer an extremely high level of support.My ambition as Senco is that all pupils receive an inclusive education and receive the best intervention possible to succeed during their time at primary school. My day will involve ensuring that the children with Speech, Communication and Language Needs are met by my endeavours to promote communication friendly classrooms for all, meetings with speech and language therapists and embedding a Language Champion within our school. Each day also entails promoting my huge ambition of supporting pupils with social, emotional and mental needs. I am delighted that we have two skilled ELSA’s (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants) who I work closely with each day to work alongside individual pupils who are displaying the early signs of SEMH, but also with our play therapist and outside agencies such as CAMHS.You must also not forget the weekly senior leadership team meetings, which I thoroughly enjoy as the SLT have ambitious expectations for all SEN learners and each one of us ensure that the pupils on the SEN register are considered in all planning and provision across the school. And then there are the days when I may spend meeting class teachers to set individual targets for each SEN pupil from term to term so that they progress. There is Pupil Progress Meetings each term which involve the Head teacher, Assistant Head, Class teachers and myself to think about progress, intervention and consider if anything could be done differently for each individual pupil to meet their full potential. Afterwards there is data to be scrutinised and strategic decisions to be made regarding resources and support to be offered for effective intervention.Days may also involve championing the Achievement for All programme, arranging teacher-parent structured conversations or meetings with our AFA coach to raise the aspirations, access and achievements of our most vulnerable and under achieving pupils.I spend time planning staff meetings to deliver so that all teachers have the knowledge and understanding to support pupils with SEN. Termly I write to the governors to keep them up to date with the progress of all SEN learners throughout the school and annually I deliver a presentation to Governors to guarantee they are aware of the quality of interventions and the effectiveness of the resources we use to meet the needs of each individual SEN pupil.There is no typical day"
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Inclusion

A day in the life of a Senco

16 Oct 2017