Supporting SEN students: Lessons from a career in special needs education Colin May’s years of experience working with children with SEN led to him winning the Nasen Award for SEN Leader of the Year. In this article, he gives his advice to teachers working with special needs students
The tip of the iceberg: SEND, masking and multiple needs Children can often mask their special and other educational needs. At the same time, schools can struggle to support those with multiple needs and vulnerabilities, often focusing only on the ‘visible’ tip of the iceberg. Sara Alston discusses
How can we radically shift the way we 'do' SEN? In part three of his series focusing on the state of our SEN system, inclusion expert Daniel Sobel looks at the problems of silos of working, asks what would happen if we collaborated more effectively, and offers schools some ideas for making this happen
SENCO workload: Identifying barriers and finding solutions There are far more pupils who desperately need the expertise of the SENCO than the SENCO can realistically support according to on-going workforce research. Co-author Hannah Moloney responds to the findings
What if we focused on the strengths of our SEN students? In part two of his series focusing on the state of our SEN system, Daniel Sobel asks what would happen if we shifted our mindset and attitude – from thinking of the barriers of SEN to considering the strengths and skills that SEN can give students
SEND & Covid: Supporting students in the months to come The return to school last month may have been particularly challenging for our students with SEND. Garry Freeman reminds us of the basic principles of supporting students’ underlying needs – which will be more crucial than ever in the months to come
Supporting autistic children to return to school post-lockdown The return to school after lockdown 3.0 could be challenging for students with autism. Drawing on experiences and lessons learned from the first national lockdown, Dr Pooky Knightsmith advises on how we can best support them
SENCOs under siege The Covid-19 pandemic has heaped much more pressure on an already stretched SEND system. In part one of a new series on the state of our SEND system, Daniel Sobel considers the key problems and outlines how we must move forward...
Remote education: Supporting learners with SEND (and their families) Reports from Ofsted and the National SENCO Workforce team have raised concerns about how SEND pupils are faring during remote education. Dr Helen Curran explores the findings and offers her tips and strategies for supporting those with SEND during Covid-19 and beyond
Moving beyond the label: Needs not diagnosis... For many parents and too many professionals, the diagnosis is seen as a magic answer and the solution to a child’s difficulties – but it is not. Sara Alston discusses the risks involving diagnostic labels and looks at how we must provide SEN support based on need 1 comment
Seven tried and tested strategies for working with autistic students The autism resource provision led by Kate Goodwin and her team achieved national recognition at the Nasen Awards 2020. Here, she discusses their approaches and offers seven strategies that mainstream schools might adopt to support autistic learners
Case study: Pastoral excellence at Kennington Park Academy Kennington Park Academy supports excluded pupils aged five to 11. Laura McPhee finds out more about the school's ethos and approaches, including its excellent pastoral and PSHE work
Persistent absence: What can schools do? One in 10 pupils are considered to fall into the category of being persistently absent, meaning they miss 10 per cent or more of school sessions. So why do these pupils continue to stay away and what can schools do about it?
