… I’m tired of seeing “we can adapt the curriculum” or the idea that all SEND is the same, for some pupils in our school the next step is to make eye-contact, communicate a need or engage in an activity for 1 minute…
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…we have 20 pupils with EHCP’s (13%) in school (1FE primary) many at the highest bandings. They don’t need an adapted curriculum they need an adapted provision, properly funded. My data will always be at the whim of cohort need yet the expectation on us is the same as the school that turns them away
Yes! Couldn’t agree more Simon. Many schools are setting up their own specialist provision ‘in house’ to meet this need, without the economy of scale, funding or expertise/experience.
Yes, I do worry about that. Lots of folk setting up 'hubs' in a spare classroom which can be absolutely brilliant of course but it seems really worrying that they don't necessarily have the experience or knowledge to do this well.
BPs focus on inclusion within mainstream schools means more of this. Teachers without expertise trying to teach children with profound or complex needs which they just aren't prepared for. And more teachers and schools feeling like failures for letting those children down.
What it means for those children is another thing again. You only get one shot at education, so it seems a bit of a letdown to insist, on a point of principle, that it's a bad one.
Absolutely agree Ed. I think the blanket defining of SEND is hugely detrimental. I also
Think we need honest conversations about what can be achieved in a mainstream setting. We have pupils assigned to our school in September whose needs cannot be met in a mainstream setting they deserve the best.
Or in most cases (that I've seen), an HLTA running those 'hubs' or 'enhanced provision' settings. It's babysitting in so many cases, despite peoples' best intentions.
The answer here in 🏴 is always “we’ll give teachers more training”. But by the time you know you’re getting that child the training offer for the year is finished and by the time the course you need comes around it’s November or later and a significant part of the year has passed…
Even when this is done correctly, with LA funding & amazing staff, it still gets abused by the LA trying to place children for whom it would be unsuitable. It's a Resource Base, not a Specialist Provision.
That’s exactly what I’ve done at my school.
It’s been a hard slog to get it up and running. I’ve called in every favour I could to get advice support and training. My staff are so willing adaptable and patient. 18 months into the journey, we support 5 pupils with a waiting list of 3 more to join it
Really proud of what we do, and lucky to have brilliantly experienced staff. This is from a few years ago, the challenge has multiplied since then. I think we do a great job. https://youtu.be/Sn_fmgm1mQA?feature=shared
In the days of data led Ofsteds, our lead inspector asked me to remove a couple of our very high need SEND from the data because they skewed it so much.
SEND progress was huge but didn’t show in the Raiseonline data.
Hear hear. We’re not quite at the same numbers as you but well over average. Some can do well with adapted curriculum, but we know we’re failing others. As hard as the team try, and they work bloody hard, we can’t give them what they need with current provision.
A combination of schools & parents pushing harder for EHCPs in the last 5 years. Then add in lack of early support offered by sure start and the isolation effect of Covid. It hasn’t surprised me that SEND rates will have gone higher.
The percentage has gone up, EHCP is average is now 3.0% we have 13%. Lots of schools have lower than that. Lots of schools guide pupils and parents towards other schools.
That % would be even higher if LA allowed all the EHCP applications. Our LA is practically bankrupt so we get lots knocked back. I think lots of councils are facing bankruptcy due to SEND funding increasing massively.
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Think we need honest conversations about what can be achieved in a mainstream setting. We have pupils assigned to our school in September whose needs cannot be met in a mainstream setting they deserve the best.
Where are the ITT courses or CPD programmes for teachers genuinely interested in SEND let alone those finding themselves w youngsters to help?
We need a plan
It’s been a hard slog to get it up and running. I’ve called in every favour I could to get advice support and training. My staff are so willing adaptable and patient. 18 months into the journey, we support 5 pupils with a waiting list of 3 more to join it
SEND progress was huge but didn’t show in the Raiseonline data.
It was always made a big difference.
Originally using my own spreadsheets - last 10 years SiSRA does it very efficiently for me