Special needs in the mainstream

CPD that is specifically focused on the needs of the SEN child is particularly difficult to track down. In part this is due to the fact that there is no such thing as a classic special need. Every child is unique and, at the very best, all we can say is that some display some characteristics linked to certain conditions. The children, however, are not the conditions themselves! With this in mind, we explore a new resource from the General Teaching Council for England designed to draw together great practice, policy and research for the benefit of primary and secondary teachers, SENCOs and CPD leaders. We also take a look at an exciting opportunity for heads and deputies to take part in some overseas volunteering.

Quote of the Week

"The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." Harvey S Firestone

Practical Tips

Special needs in the mainstream

While it is hard to pin down specific statistics which back up what many teachers are experiencing in their classes, it does seem to be the case that mainstream schools are increasingly dealing with pupils with quite extensive needs. Keeping on top of how best to support those needs and move towards eliminating their impact on children's potential is incredibly demanding for schools and teachers. With diagnosis of various conditions apparently happening relatively readily, and ideas on how best to support them evolving all the time, what is the best way to keep in touch with the latest ideas?

With all this in mind, the General Teaching Council for England has recently published a new resource to support professional development for special educational needs in mainstream schools. The resource, Making SENse of CPD, draws on work with a number of schools that employ particularly successful CPD strategies for special educational needs. If forms the first strand of a GTC project to gain a better understanding of the professional development needs of teachers regarding special educational needs in mainstream schools, to support mainstream schools to build capacity for relevant professional development and to share experience and good practice in special educational needs.

The resource includes:

• 'Light bulb moments' – practical examples of CPD strategies that work in the project schools, and that can be adapted to suit other schools' own situations.

• Working collaboratively with teaching assistants – how the project schools deploy, train and support TAs.

• What research tells us about the role of the specialist in professional development – collaboration with external teams and special school outreach workers.

• CPD for SEN practice examples from the schools.
  
  
• Opinion pieces from practitioners with activities to support discussion of how their suggestions might apply to other schools' own situations.

• Activities to explore the meaning of an inclusive ethos; the characteristics of effective professional development; tensions in the fields of special needs provision; the Disability Discrimination Act.

Links to further resources and information.

CPD for staff wishing to improve their SEN provision is particularly difficult to achieve given the need for it to be applicable to the often incredibly specific needs of each child. In this respect, labels rarely help in the classroom when seeking to move a child on from current levels of achievement towards their best potential, and personalisation is key.

Find out more

• The resource file, Making SENse of CPD, is available through the GTC website here
  
  
• The GTC's electronic Connect network brings CPD coordinators, advisers and leaders together to share, stimulate and support good practice in leading professional learning. You can find out more about it here

Issues and Information

International extended school leader placements

A Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) pilot set up last December has recently been given a financial boost by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The pilot, which gave eight heads and deputies the chance to work in schools in Rwanda and Namibia for 12 weeks, has been evaluated by the Institute of Policy Studies at London Metropolitan University. The evaluation found that the scheme was beneficial to the leaders who volunteered overseas as well as to their colleagues, who gained from their experiences.

The second phase of the project in 2008 will give another six school leaders who are members of the NAHT the chance to take up extended teaching placements in Rwanda or Namibia. Training and support will be provided by VSO. Recent research by the University of Southampton has found that volunteering overseas gives teachers the time and space to re-evaluate their own teaching methodology, helping them to reinvigorate their work in schools with a greater sense of global understanding.

Find out more

• Contact the NAHT for further information on this scheme: www.naht.org.uk
  
  
• The University of Southampton report can be viewed here

This e-bulletin issue was first published in November 2007

About the author: Elizabeth Holmes qualified as a teacher at the Institute of Education, London and is the author of several books specialising in the areas of professional development and teacher well-being.