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The following articles, taken from recent issues of our Optimus newsletters, will prove invaluable for anyone with a professional or personal interest in SEN provision. To ensure you stay up-to-date with the very latest thinking in this area, please make use of the articles below. If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, simply click on another category on the left or 'search the library'.

Extended schools: after-school and holiday provision | SEN provision

As an extended school, Chesnut Lodge School in Halton provides inclusive after-school and holiday provision for children with additional needs and mainstream children. Heather Austin, their deputy head, explores why it has been a success

Reading intervention programmes | SEN provision

With 20% of children leaving school with lower than expected literacy levels, additional support is needed. Reading Recovery, a reading intervention programme developed in 1993, offers exactly that, say Rebecca Jenkin and Isobel Goss

Multi-sensory environments in special schools | SEN provision

Sound is now an integral part of the sensory environments that exist in many special schools, and the latest technology involved encourages interaction, stimulation and feedback

Making music with SEN pupils | SEN provision

Are pupils with special educational needs receiving the level of music provision they ought, as LAs and schools are getting more money for it than ever before?

Storytelling to facilitate inclusion | SEN provision

Louise Coigley enhances and develops the communication of SEN children and adults through inclusive storytelling. Michael Jones describes seeing her in action

Assessment and funding of SEN provision: breaking the link | SEN provision

Following the government's rejection of the recommendation that the link between assessment of children's SEN and funding for their provision be broken, John Wright discusses the reaction of the select committee who proposed the change

Provision for pupils with development coordination disorder/dyspraxia | SEN provision

Michael Farrell considers a wide range of provision for pupils with development coordination disorder, or dyspraxia

Provision for pupils with moderate learning difficulties | SEN provision

Michael Farrell considers provision for pupils with moderate learning difficulties (MLD)

Provision for pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD) | SEN provision

Special education consultant Michael Farrell considers provision for pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD)

How far must the school meet personal care needs? | SEN provision

It all depends on the SEN and disability discrimination regimes. David Ruebain, Chris Barnett and David Wolfe examine a recent case that sets out some limits

Developing reflective practice through team work | SEN provision

Consultant Harriet Goodman describes two years' work with staff at New Rush Hall special school to help build even more reflective practice

SEN past the age of 16: where do limits of responsibility lie? | SEN provision

Who gets the final say in deciding when a statement of SEN comes to an end? David Ruebain, Chris Barnett and David Wolfe unravel a complex new case

Specialist SEN schools - sharing expertise | SEN provision

Pauline Holbrook, national inclusion coordinator for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, talks to SENCO Update about the nature and role of specialist SEN schools and gives advice on how to make the most of the expertise within them and the services they provide

What makes a PRU successful? | SEN provision

A recent Ofsted survey of 28 good or outstanding PRUs sought to identify what contributes to effective practice. It also reveals some of the barriers to it, including insufficient data from schools and LAs and inadequate decisions about long-term placement

How effective is Reading Recovery? | SEN provision

The Reading Recovery programme has established a reputation as an effective intervention for pupils at risk of failing to learn to read. A new research review examines its strengths and weaknesses

Reading 'catch up' at Lyndon Green school | SEN provision

Sarah Whitehead describes a project that she undertook as part of a postgraduate professional development course for SENCOs. She highlights the value of having time for systematic professional reflection, and how this can be used to good effect when introducing 'Catch Up', an intervention designed to support reading development

The renewed Primary Framework and SEN | SEN provision

Sal McKeown looks at some of the implications of the renewed primary Framework for those working with children with special educational needs

Activities to develop gross motor skills | SEN provision

Gross motor skills are the movements of the large muscles of the body. These activities will help to develop and improve gross motor skills.

Activities to develop social communication skills (pragmatics) | SEN provision

Pragmatics refers to the ability to communicate in social situations. These classroom activities will help all children to develop social communication skills.

Provision for pupils with health impairments | SEN provision

Michael Farrell looks at a number of different areas in which special provision is needed

Tackling low achievement: children with SEN | SEN provision

A research study on tackling low achievement suggests that children with special educational needs form a large percentage of low achievers but more could be done to assist them through their schooling

Keeping up at Key Stage 2 | SEN provision

A new report considers why some children who did well at Key Stage 1 do not maintain the same rate of progress at Key Stage 2

Orthopaedic impairments and motor disorders | SEN provision

Special education consultant Michael Farrell considers provision for pupils with orthopaedic impairments and motor disorders

SEN and personalised learning in secondary curriculum review | SEN provision

The curriculum review section of most direct interest to SENCOs concerns organising the curriculum. SENCO Update reports

A better start is not always sure for children with SEN | SEN provision

New research evaluates how effectively Sure Start programmes help children with special needs and disabilities

Meeting the needs of SEN students | SEN provision

Inclusion of SEN students requires lots of involvement from teaching assistants. Enid Alston introduces a new training course designed to help

Learning mentors improve behaviour | SEN provision

This article examines the role of the learning mentor and how they can be deployed in the school for the benefit of the whole learning community. David Morley reports

Provision and support for gifted and talented children in primary schools | SEN provision

Many SENCOs in primary schools also have a designated responsibility for G&T children. New guidance should ensure that effective provision for this group of children is in place. It may also help clarify whether or not SENCOs can be expected to take primary responsibility for this task

A vision of personalised learning | SEN provision

The 2020 Vision report calls for personalised learning to be designed to reduce the ‘persistent and unacceptable gaps in average attainment between different groups of pupils’.

CPD for Teaching Assistants: reading | SEN provision

Linda Evans suggests how SENCOs can plan and deliver training on subjects which feature prominently in the role of most teaching assistants (TAs)

Inclusive ICT: SENCOs' experiences | SEN provision

ICT can enhance opportunities for inclusive learning. However, getting the right ICT tools in place to support this process can be a daunting prospect. In this article Gerald Haigh, in conversation with SENCOs, shows what is possible and argues that simple innovations tailored to individual needs often work best.

Permanent exclusion of a pupil with SEN | SEN provision

QUESTION: What considerations should we apply when considering permanent exclusion of a pupil with special educational needs?

Activities for developing skills | SEN provision

This series of classroom activities will be useful for SENCOs, teachers, assistants and mentors. Each page focuses on a different skill set – from spatial awareness to visual discrimination to semantic knowledge

Consultation on early years provision | SEN provision

The government’s 10-year strategy for childcare, Choice for parents, the best start for children, promised to establish a single coherent development and learning framework for all young children from birth to the age of five. The DfES is currently consulting on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which provides that framework.

Implementing the new Disability Equality Duty | SEN provision

This month’s professional update summarises the requirements of the Disability Equality Duty (DED) for the public sector and outlines the steps that schools, colleges and local authorities will need to take to ensure that they comply with new legislative requirements.

SENCOs and ICT | SEN provision

Many SENCOs, though aware of the benefits of ICT, are a bit wary of its complexities. Gerald Haigh provides a user-friendly guide

Praise for SEN Regional Partnerships | SEN provision

The Special Educational Needs Regional Partnerships (SEN RPs) have made a substantial and marked contribution to the government’s agenda regarding provision for pupils with SEN, according to a report* from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

Decision-making in school: involving pupils with no verbal communication | SEN provision

Researchers based at the University of Bristol are examining the support for children with complex communication needs – in both mainstream and special schools – to express their views and make decisions for themselves.

Using school grounds for gardening | SEN provision

The Manifesto for Education Outside the Classroom promotes high-quality outdoor learning experiences to support cognitive skills and aid personal development – gardening fits the bill, says Dr Susan Johnson

Educational psychologist's duty of care | SEN provision

What duty of care does a school educational psychologist owe a pupil and, if the psychologist is negligent, what damages will the LEA be liable for?

Educational negligence: extent of LEA responsibility | SEN provision

When does an LEA education officer owe a duty of care to pupils? How far does this duty extend? Michael Segal looks at important new case law.

Understanding autism in school | SEN provision

The National Autistic Society has developed a flexible learning programme for schools.

A teaching elixir or best-fit pedagogy? Do learning styles matter? | SEN provision

Dr Steve Rayner (School of Education, University of Birmingham) explores recent criticisms of the use of learning styles in education, arguing that they are, when used in well-considered ways, an essential feature of personalised learning.

More than 100,000 pupils attend special provision | SEN provision

A Summary of DfES Statistical First Release - SFR 42/2005 (September 2005) indicates that in January 2005 nearly 8.3 million pupils attended 25,300 maintained and independent schools in England. Ninety-one percent of pupils were taught in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools; 7% of pupils attended independent schools; 1% of pupils attended maintained and non-maintained special schools. Overall numbers for each type of placement are listed below:

Consultation on standards for SEN support and outreach services | SEN provision

The DfES is currently undertaking a consultation about the development of quality standards for SEN support and outreach services with a strong focus on strengthening inclusion.

The value of arts activities in special units | SEN provision

In their report Serious Play: an Evaluation of Arts Activities in Pupil Referral Units and Learning Support Units, Wilkin, Gulliver and Kinder (2005) review the work of seven arts projects (four PRU based and three LSU based) that have taken place in recent years.

Call for national communication strategy | SEN provision

In its evidence to the SEN inquiry, the charity I CAN calls for a three-pronged strategic programme to actively support children’s speech and language development, comprising:

Evaluating support and outreach services | SEN provision

A recently published review of external SEN support for schools in England highlights variations in both the quality and quantity of services across the country. The review, carried out by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) also makes a number of recommendations, describes features of effective practice and outlines standards that can be used to identify and develop such practice.

SENCOs in secure settings | SEN provision

Education for young people in secure settings is undergoing radical change. Further work is being undertaken to ensure that educational opportunities in custody are comparable to those in the community.

New technology helps visually impaired | SEN provision

A unique combination of sound and touch is bringing a whole new world of teaching opportunities into both special needs and mainstream education.

Effective SEN support services make a difference | SEN provision

The recently published report Inclusion: the Impact of LEA Support and Outreach Services (July 2005) summarises a review, undertaken by Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) of the quality of external special educational needs (SEN) support available to schools in English LEAs.

New P scales materials | SEN provision

NASEN, QCA and the University of Cambridge have collaborated to produce advice and guidance on using and moderating the P scales.



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