Special Educational Needs

Michael Farrell considers the mathematics disorder dyscalculia, and looks at ways of supporting students who struggle with its effects

This article discusses the GTC's Making SENse of CPD resource, which includes a summary of research findings about the effectiveness of CPD for SEN, as well as the emerging themes in CPD for SEN

Dyslexia is the subject of this issue of SENCO Week, which looks at providing support for dyslexic learners, raising awareness of dyslexia amongst teaching staff, and improving pupils’ and parents’ understanding of the challenges the condition poses

The first SENCO Week of the new term looks at the importance of planning how to share information and how to develop good inclusive practice

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This resource provides practical tips and strategies that will help Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) support pupils with mutism

Spelling is an area of difficulty for many children. As a Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), you have a pivotal role in embedding the skills your pupils need to improve their literacy development

This resource will help you implement an effective approach to support pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) - specifically profound or complex needs

This free resource for primary schools provides response sheets which will help children with disabilities express their feelings about the daily barriers they encounter and their feelings towards school

This free downloadable resource for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) provides ready-to-use templates for provision mapping and effective monitoring of intervention programmes and strategies

Dyslexia Games Manual will help you support pupils with dyslexia by developing the auditory and visual awareness necessary to improve your literacy skills

Author: Ian Summers

The SEN Diary is designed to help the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs). read more

Author: Margaret Collins

Inclusion in the Primary Classroom, suitable for children aged 5-11, is a practical resource to help promote inclusion and disability awareness

Author: Sue Soan

This helpful guide, part of the Teaching Children with Special Needs series, provides useful information specifically for teaching assistants and support workers in a primary school setting. This series by Sue Soan publishes in October!

Special Children, edited by Mick Archer, is written for professionals working with children who have special educational needs (SEN)

Author: Sue Soan

Part of a series of accessible books by Sue Soan, this title is designed to help those working with children with special needs to support learners in a primary school setting. Publishing in October, this title provides easy reference to up-to-date information and the most frequently used strategies.

Author: Sue Soan

The second book in this series by Sue Soan, this title offers accessible information on the most frequently used interventions for those teaching children with special needs. Suitable for primary schools.

Author: Editor: Sue Soan

Providing everything that a busy secondary SENCO will ever need all in one place, this new handbook will allow you to spend as much time as possible where you need to be – with your students. Edited by Sue Soan.

Author: Edited by Dr Colin Smith and Christopher Robertson

SENCO Update, edited by Dr Colin Smith and Christopher Robertson, is the only monthly newsletter written specifically to provide news, analysis and practical guidance for SEN co-ordinators. New issue available now

"SENCO Update has helped me understand how the role of the SENCO is changing and ways in which to make my role easier to manage." Viki Tucker, SENCO, Liberty School.

Forward planning and prioritising are the topics for the last two issues of SENCO Week this term. We provide you with some 'to do' pointers to help you finish off the school year in good shape and consider some forward planning for next term

'Thinking about yourself' is the theme for the last issue of SENCO Week this term, as you 'sign off' the old term and prepare for September read more

Peer support can be an invaluable resource for SEN pupils, not only those who need help and encouragement with learning but also for the de-motivated under-achievers and those whose social skills are under-developed read more

We all know how valuable it is to have parents ‘on board’ in terms of supporting their children and reinforcing what school is trying to do. For pupils with SEN, this is especially important read more

This week we look at some of the ways to collect and interpret information about pupils' achievements read more

As part of your provision mapping activity this term, you'll be reviewing the resources for small group and individual intervention programmes, class-based learning support and various types of 'catch-up' work. This week we provide some prompts to guide your thinking. read more

The summer term is traditionally the time for adventure camps, field trips and visits to places of interest − enriching the curriculum for all children and often providing them with memorable experiences. How can we ensure that these activities are as enjoyable and positive as possible for pupils with SEN? read more

This week we're looking at how teachers and TAs can support pupils with SEN in art lessons, as well as how art therapy can be used to help individual children with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties read more

It's that time of year when SENCOs are planning for SEN provision for the next school year. Reminders can be helpful, so this week we provide some pointers for you to bear in mind. read more

Continuing our subject-specific guidance, we're looking this week at how teachers and TAs can support pupils with SEN in geography, history and religious education

This week, continuing our subject-specific guidance, we're looking at how teachers and TAs can support pupils with SEN in music lessons, as well as how music may be used in other situations. read more

In our second subject-specific issue of SENCO Week, we consider some of the issues involved in teaching science to pupils with SEN and how teachers and TAs can support their learning

PE is the theme of our third subject-specific issue of SENCO Week, in which we look at the inclusion of pupils with SEN in all kinds of physical education and sport read more

An important part of the SENCO role is to support colleagues in developing effective strategies for meeting children's special needs. This term, we're providing subject-specific guidance for you to share with class teachers read more

In the first of our subject-specific issues, we raise some points for teachers of D&T to bear in mind when planning for pupils with SEN read more

Numeracy and mathematics are areas that cause confusion and anxiety for many learners. SENCO Week looks at ways in which teachers can identify and support such pupils in the classroom

This week, we consider those pupils who need extra support with numeracy skills and explore some issues to think about when setting up an intervention programme read more

Pupils who have significant difficulties with spelling will need some sort of structured programme. This week we provide some tips and a HELPSHEET which outlines a possible group or individual education plan. read more

When pupils find it difficult to write legibly and reasonably quickly, it can significantly disadvantage them in school. We look at how SENCOs can organise additional support

Spelling is an area where many well-educated adults lack confidence, let alone children who are still developing as writers. It's important to have a whole-school policy for teaching this important skill. read more

In this issue of SENCO week, we will consider the SENCO's role in developing reading, beginning with how you can support excellent 'first teaching' read more

Once a teacher has identified that a child is experiencing difficulty with reading, the next step is often to approach the SENCO for an assessment of the child read more

This week, we look at some ways to get family members involved in a child's interest in books and developing reading skills read more

The ability to write is still of prime importance, it's a complex activity and many children with SEN need extra help and support

In our last SENCO Week bulletin, we began a three-part review of recruiting and managing teaching assistants − a key part of the SENCO role. This week, we look at some of the different ways of deploying TAs read more

This final section of SENCO Week's three-part review of recruiting and managing teaching assistants looks at the teacher/SENCO/TA relationship and offers ideas for joint training sessions read more

Continuing last week's inclusion theme, SENCO Week provides a downloadable checklist to help you achieve an inclusive classroom environment

In many schools, it is the SENCO who has the main responsibility for managing Teaching Assistants (TAs). SENCO Week provides tips on selecting your TAs effectively

SENCO Week provides information to help you support pupils with physical or sensory difficulties and outlines the role of the Disability Discrimination Act read more

SENCO Week explains the tell-tale signs of hearing impairment and introduces some support strategies. Also included is SENCO Helpsheet 4 on medical conditions. read more

SENCO Week explains the pros and cons of using Individual Education Plans (IEPs) read more

Mixed messages on inclusion policy

assembly - SENCology

Curriculum Briefing Vol 2 No1: Achieving effective assessment for learning