SEND Workforce Development Update September 2022
School Inclusion Charter:
SEND change agents and champions in schools are working together with parent carers and Warwickshire County Council to make a difference on defining inclusion, by coproducing an inclusion charter for schools.
Free SEND training for schools:
As part of the review of SEND training for schools, the Council is pleased to announce the following free training to all Warwickshire schools:
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1/2-day Youth Mental Health Awareness: accredited through Mental Health First Aid England. Available for two staff members per school. Please register interest here.
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Restorative Practice: 2-hour introductory training. Dates available between Sept 2022 – Jan 2023, all sessions run 3.30pm - 5.30pm. You can book your place on Eventbrite here.
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Autism Education Trust: Tier 1 training is free to all schools and can be delivered to whole schools/teams in one session virtually or face to face. Email melindatwells@warwickshire.gov.uk for more information.
For more details of the above training please see the attached flyer.
The ‘Lost at School’ pilot is well underway in Warwickshire to support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in mainstream schools. The pilot was created following the Ofsted and Care Quality Commission local area SEND inspection last year which found that too many children and young people with SEND had been placed in specialist settings when their needs could have been better met in mainstream schools.
The overall aim is for all children and young people in Warwickshire to lead a fulfilling life and be part of their communities. This includes promoting inclusion in mainstream schools, providing the skills and resources to support children and young people with SEND.
A total of 33 Warwickshire schools have signed up to be part of the pilot. A third are over 25% through the programme so far, and it is anticipated that all 33 schools will have started or completed the programme by Christmas. It uses a model for understanding challenging behaviours called Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) developed by psychologist Dr Ross Greene, the author of The Explosive Child and Lost at School. Based on over 30 years of research, the model works with children and young people to identify and solve the problems that are causing the behaviour. Beyond every challenging behaviour there is a need or expectation a young person is struggling with. The young person is then supported to develop the skills they need to overcome the challenges they face. The model has been used successfully across the world including in USA, Canada, Australia and Sweden.
The schools taking part are being trained in the CPS approach with the support of dedicated trainers, to gain skills and experience in the problem-solving approach working with a group of children and young people. The first group of schools will then support further schools to adopt the approach. The initial pilot is being funded by Warwickshire County Council.
We will be following up with schools on progress and to help embed the approach. Schools in the first phase include: Hartshill Academy, Nuneaton Academy, The George Eliot Academy, Quinton Primary School and Studley St Mary’s Primary School. Feedback to date includes:
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‘It has had a profound impact on the children’.
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‘The trainer was excellent in explaining the philosophy. Each time I hear about how it works and the results the more excited I get’.
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‘We are finding the work that we are doing absolutely fascinating. It has opened our eyes about developing children's skills and we are learning more every session’.
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‘The trainer is highly skilled; clearly very knowledgeable; clarity of delivery is superb; genuine empathy and communication skills with our core group means that all the teachers involved feel motivated and know that she listens and responds to their specific questions rather than just churning out generic responses’.
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‘No question is too trivial, and rather than feeling belittled (sadly all too common with some trainers), staff feel empowered to say exactly what they feel and follow her detailed advice. We can all learn a lot from her. She is making sure this is a high quality and enjoyable learning experience’.
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‘The trainer is really supportive.’
At the Children and Families conference on 15 July the approach was launched to social care teams.
The HOPE study
We have been asked by the researcher working on the Health Outcomes for young People throughout Education (HOPE) Study at the University of Cambridge to help promote three national surveys which aim to explore and highlight any variations in SEND identification and provision across all Local Authorities in England.
The HOPE study aims to explore any differences in the support received by children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) across England.
They are asking the following groups to share their experiences of SEND support:
1. Children and young people with SEND (aged 11-27)
2. Parents/Carers of children and young people with SEND
3. SEND professionals in or working closely with education/health/social care
The information from these surveys will be used to help improve SEND provision for children and young people in the future.
The surveys are open until 30th September and your support would be appreciated in completing the survey(s) and also sharing the links with your networks.
Link: https://redcap.link/HOPEsurvey
If you would like any further information about the Survey or the HOPE Study please email the team at hope21@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Webinar to help families with children aged 0-5 with SEND in Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Council is hosting another special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) webinar on Tuesday 4 October to support parents-to-be and parents with children aged 0-5.
The webinar offers an opportunity to understand more about the support provided by the local Health Visiting Service, with a particular focus on children with SEND.
Health Visitors offer advice on a range of topics from eating, sleeping and toileting as well as housing, relationships and caring for and making connections with your child. They play a vital role, working in partnership with parents to assess needs and identify problems or issues at the earliest opportunity.
The webinar will explain how health visitors will work with families and other agencies to improve health and wellbeing for the whole family, looking in more detail at the support the service offers for children aged 0-5 years with SEND.
During the session, parents and carers will also be able to put their questions to the 0-5 team from South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
The webinar takes place on Tuesday 4 October, 1.30pm - 2.30pm and you can register to attend at: https://bit.ly/HealthVisiting.
Please feel free to share the above information and registration link with parents and carers.