Getting organised for next term II: looking after yourself

Support for SENCOs
A colleague of mine was fond of using the air-safety analogy when talking to SENCOs about their workload: ‘in case of emergency, the oxygen mask will drop down – be sure to fit your own mask before helping anyone else’. The implication here is that if you pass out you won’t be any good to anyone. The analogy has clear parallels with being in a very exacting role, and reminds you to remember to take good care of yourself.

The nature of a really good SENCO includes a generous spirit and a tendency to put oneself at the end of the queue; thinking about others first – especially the children. This can mean that by the end of term, you are very, very tired and possibly not as ‘sharp’ as you might be, or as efficient in terms of the time it takes to get anything done. That little job that was going to take ten minutes actually took you most of the afternoon! ‘Never mind,’ you’re thinking, ‘I can have a good rest over the holiday and recharge my batteries for the new term.’ Quite so – but use the time to also think about how to avoid getting so overworked and run down in the future. The summer break is an opportunity to make some resolutions!

1. I will plan carefully and organise my time to best effect (see last week’s notes).
2. I will resist being a perfectionist (all the time, anyway) and accept that, for much of the time, a ‘good enough’ result is, well, good enough.
3. I will delegate. Proficient TAs can take on some of my workload. Class/subject teachers can be encouraged to be more independent in meeting SEN (I will set up information on the intranet to enable them to differentiate more effectively and reduce barriers to learning).
4. I will try to secure some admin support.
5. I will cut down on the time spent responding to colleagues’ concerns by a) having a weekly ‘surgery’; b) setting up a system of ‘cause for concern’ notification –  perhaps pro forma (paper or electronic).
6. I will reduce the number of IEPs by using group plans where possible.
7. I will keep meetings to a minimum and always have an agenda and time limit.
8. I will use staff briefings and a staffroom noticeboard (actual or virtual) to share information.
9. I will organise paperwork/electronic files efficiently so that I don’t waste time looking for stuff.
10. I will not stay on at school later than ….. (except when…), and  if I need to work at weekends, I’ll allocate two hours between ……. And no more.

There may well be more that you can think of…

You might also think about your personal circumstances and how family commitments could be lessened to give you more time for yourself. Can running the taxi service for teenagers be shared with another family member or a neighbour? Could they actually catch a bus some of the time?  Are household chores shared? Could there be a rota for cooking? Are you registered for internet shopping?

Some people find that taking on an evening class, gym membership or simply setting up a regular social event helps them to take time out and feel less pressured. Needless to say, fitting in some exercise is an excellent way of reducing stress and maintaining good health (especially if combined with a decent diet and not-too-much alcohol!).

So, while you’re lying in the sun (surely we’ll get some soon), swimming in the Med, or shaking sand out of your sandwiches, take a few minutes occasionally to think about your working week from next September onwards and how it could be made more manageable.

SENCO Week will continue from 9 September, supporting you next term by providing concise information for a variety of audiences (SENCOs, teachers, TAs, parents and pupils) on a range of special educational needs and how different individuals can contribute towards reducing any negative impact.

SEN NEWS

1. The Bercow review
John Bercow’s review was published last week. (The title of the full report is: The Bercow Report: A Review of Services for Children and Young People (0-19) with Speech, Language and Communication Needs.)

The review makes strong claims for improving communication skills being the key to raising education standards. It found that large numbers of children and young people (up to 50 per cent in some areas of Britain) are failing to learn basic speech, language and communication skills and this is radically affecting their life chances.

The Bercow review makes several wide-ranging recommendations to address SLCN (Speech, Language and Communication Needs), including:

• The regular monitoring of children at important stages of their school lives in order to identify potential speech, language and communication problems as early as possible.
• Setting up a series of local pathfinder projects around the country which will assess speech, language and communication needs, decide which services are required and start to provide them.
• to be given ongoing information about their child’s development and needs throughout their school life. This extends the principle of the ‘red book’ (Personal Child Health Record).
• The appointment of a ‘communication champion’ to raise the profile of speech, language and communications within schools and oversee the implementation of the pathfinders.

2. Interactive Visual Timetable
An interactive visual timetable was produced as a free resource as part of the Down’s Syndrome Association’s Education Support Disc for Schools. It allows you to easily produce timetables with pictorial clues in a choice of formats, using the built-in pictures or adding your own.

This e-bulletin issue was first published in July 2008

About the author: Linda Evans is the author of SENCO Week. She was a teacher/SENCO/adviser/inspector, before joining the publishing world. She now works as a freelance writer, editor and part-time college tutor.