How Can Schools Make Every Teacher A Teacher Of SEND?
With SEND expertise no longer a specialism but something all staff need to know about, James Bowen looks at how schools and SENCos can go about bringing them up to speed…
- by James Bowen
In many ways, the latest SEND Code of Practice is as much about a shift in culture for schools as it is about changing specific practice.
At the heart of the reforms is the premise that every teacher should be responsible and accountable for the progress of all children in their class, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Whilst many would argue that in the best schools this has always been the case, the new reforms make it clear that this must now be the norm across the board.
As a former SENCo, I warmly welcome this shift in mindset – but also recognise the challenges many will face as they strive to make this a reality in their schools.
I don’t believe there are many teachers who will deliberately abdicate responsibility for meeting the needs of SEND pupils, but I have had sobering first-hand experiences. I’ve sat in pupil progress meetings and heard teachers say they’re ‘Not sure what happens when little Jimmy disappears off with the TA for 15 minutes a couple of times a week’. Other times, I’ve been told ‘If you really want to know how young Jane is getting on with her writing, you’d be better off speaking to the TA who works alongside her in class each day’.
I never felt happy with such responses at the time, and the CoP reinforces that this is not acceptable. So how can SENCos achieve such a cultural shift in their schools?
Establishing expectations
Every teacher needs to be very clear about their responsibilities under the CoP. SENCos would be well advised to share some key sections from the Code, and then explore with the staff what this looks like in practice in their school.
This presents a great opportunity to establish clearly that teachers have a responsibility to know about any additional support that children might be receiving, the progress they are making during such sessions and how they relate to their day-to-day classroom teaching. It is also an ideal time to reinforce that all children should have fair and equal access to the class teacher during lessons.
TAs can make a fantastic contribution to children’s learning, but teachers must know that ultimately, they are responsible for the progress of all children in their class. Expert support from TAs should supplement, not replace, the class teacher.
Training and CPD
Sadly, too often teachers still enter the classroom with only minimal training in how to meet the needs of children with SEND. One of the key roles of the SENCo is to therefore identify staff CPD needs, and put an appropriate training plan in place.
An audit can be a great place to start. You need to find out what skills and knowledge the staff already have and build on this. This will not only allow you to prioritise what training needs to take place, it may also help you identify where there is already expertise in the school that you can draw on when supporting others.
When organising training, it is unlikely that a one-size fits all approach will work. Teachers will want to access the training that is most relevant to them based on their existing skill levels and the needs of the pupils in their current class.
With that in mind, consider preparing a ‘menu’ of SEND training opportunities that staff can dip into over time. Some teachers may want to start by attending a session focused on supporting children with literacy difficulties, whilst others choose to learn more about social communication difficulties.
SENCos shouldn’t feel they themselves have to deliver all the training. SEND is such a broad and complex area, it’s almost impossible to be an expert across all areas. There are times when it may be far better to bring in outside specialists, or to draw on online materials to support staff development.
Improving communication
It is absolutely vital that teachers are fully involved in planning, tracking and evaluating the impact of any additional support children are receiving. Gone are the days when SENCos plan interventions away from the teachers, and rightly so. This means that teachers need to know what additional support is available, what the support entails and who it might be most appropriate for.
We once had a fantastic staff meeting where the teaching assistants explained the various intervention programmes that were being run, and the teachers had the chance to try out some of the materials for themselves. As a result, the teachers became far more confident in identifying children who would benefit from specific programmes and how they could link these to their daily lessons. The SENCo still has a strategic role to play in terms of co-ordinating the support, but in this model there is far greater responsibility on individual teachers.
For this approach to work really well, there needs to be sufficient time for teachers and TAs to discuss the progress pupils are making, and to ensure that there is a close link between classroom practice and any additional support that the children receive. Some schools have now changed the timetables of their TAs so that there are specific points in the day or week for these conversations to take place. A word of warning here – if you do decide to do this, everyone involved must be clear as to what this time is to be used for, and there must be a clear expectation that teachers and teaching assistants are available to have these crucial learning conversations. The support of the headteacher and senior leadership team is critical.
Providing advice and information to teachers
Whilst every child is different and has a unique set of strengths and needs, some simple guides to the most common areas of need that teachers are likely to come across can be really useful. Short information booklets on topics such as speech and language, social communication and numeracy/literacy difficulties can outline some of the common difficulties that children might face, accompanied by a list of suggested strategies for teachers to try. This is a good way of giving teachers access to a toolkit they can use in their classrooms before seeking more specialist support.
These guides can also signpost teachers to other useful websites and resources that they can access if they need further information. Ultimately, there will still come a point when teachers need ask for more specific advice and support, but the first question a SENCo should ask is ‘What have you tried already?’
The CoP is clear – all teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs. SENCOs will continue to play a vital strategic role and provide much-needed advice and support to teachers, but the responsibility for the learning and progress of all children quite rightly lies with the class teacher.
Useful resources
Inclusion development programme
A suite of materials aimed at supporting teachers, TAs and trainee teachers to increase their knowledge and skills in working with children and young people with a range of SEN idponline.org.uk
Send gateway
An online portal offering education professionals free and easy access to high-quality information, resources and training for meeting the needs of children with SEND. sendgateway.org.uk
Guide to the 0 to 25 send code of practice
A useful guide for schools intended to help staff understand their responsibilities as outlined within the new SEN Code of Practice tinyurl.com/SENCoP- Guide
About the author
James Bowen is the director of NAHT Edge and a former subject leader, SENCo and deputy head teacher; for more information, visit nahtedge.org.uk
