Understanding School Types for Achieving Excellence

1. Section 1 The Local Authority Types of school ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

2. The Local Authority • Traditionally areas are under the control of the Local Authority who ensure SEND needs are met and provide advice and oversight as well as having significant other responsibilities • However the rise of Academies, which have a greater degree of independence from Local Authority control and Free Schools, with even more independence have somewhat diminished their role ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

3. Types of schools • Most state schools have to follow the national curriculum. The most common ones are: • community schools, controlled by the local council and not influenced by business or religious groups • foundation schools and voluntary schools, which have more freedom to change the way they do things than community schools • academies, run by a governing body, independent from the local council - they can follow a different curriculum • grammar schools, run by the council, a foundation body or a trust - they select all or most of their pupils based on academic ability and there is often an exam to get in ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

4. Special Schools • Special schools • Special schools with pupils aged 11 and older can specialise in 1 of the 4 areas of special educational needs: • communication and interaction • cognition and learning • social, emotional and mental health • sensory and physical needs • Schools can further specialise within these categories to reflect the special needs they help with: Autistic spectrum disorders, visual impairment, or speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) for example. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

5. Other types of schools Faith schools Faith schools have to follow the national curriculum, but they can choose what they teach in religious studies.Faith schools may have different admissions criteria and staffing policies to state schools, although anyone can apply for a place. Faith academies Faith academies don’t have to teach the national curriculum and have their own admissions processes. Free schools Free schools are funded by the government but aren’t run by the local council. They have more control over how they do things. They’re ‘all-ability’ schools, so can’t use academic selection processes like a grammar school. They can: set their own pay and conditions for staff, change the length of school terms and the school day, They don’t have to follow the national curriculum. Free schools are run on a not-for-profit basis and can be set up by groups like: charities, universities, independent schools, community and faith groups, teachers, parents, businesses ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

6. Other types of schools Academies Academies are publicly funded independent schools. They don’t have to follow the national curriculum and can set their own term times. They still have to follow the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions as other state schools.Academies get money direct from the government, not the local council. They’re run by an academy trust which employs the staff. Some academies have sponsors such as businesses, universities, other schools, faith groups or voluntary groups. Sponsors are responsible for improving the performance of their schools. Private schools Private schools (also known as ‘independent schools’) charge fees to attend instead of being funded by the government. Pupils don’t have to follow the national curriculum. All private schools must be registered with the government and are inspected regularly. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

7. Section 2 • Identification of SEND • SEND Code of Practice 2014 ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

8. Identification of SEND • Frequently in infant or junior school (especially for learning or speech and language difficulties) but can be at any stage • Will initially be done by the school but may later involve outside agencies • May be through failure to acquire skills at the normal rate or through failure to grasp learning methods • Can also, especially for sensory and physical needs, be from the medical profession ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

9. Identification of SEND (cont.) • As with Infant/ Junior School identification needs to be as early as possible. • This can be through: Liaison with Feeder School, Identification through SATS/ psychometric tests/ current EHCP reviews, parental contact, initial testing in the new school (this is also true with new students). ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

10. Identification to IEP • Identification at any stage may lead to an Individual Education Plan (IEP), or a Pupil Portrait, written by the SENCo in conjunction with the parents, with advice from outside agencies (if involved) and child (if old enough) • Format varies widely from school to school • Must be regularly reviewed • May lead to an Inclusion Partnership Agreement • May eventually lead to an Education Health Care Plan (formerly Statement) ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

11. How SEND was defined in England until September 2014 • Statement – the highest level of need and subject to legal guidelines – approximately 2.8% of pupils nationally • School Action Plus – will need support for their needs within the school over a long period of time and may need support from outside experts • School Action - needs primarily met within the school ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

12. Former categories of need (until September 2014) • Cognition and learning – SpLD, MLD, SLD and PMLD • Communication and interaction – SLCN and ASD • Behaviour, emotional and social – BESD • Sensory and /or physical – VI, HI, MSI and PD ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

13. New Code of Practice – September 2014 • Updates! Change! Progression? • SEND categories remain 4: Communication and interaction; Cognition and learning; Social, mental and emotional health; Sensory and/or physical. • BESD disappears as a specific category reflecting concern regarding its overuse. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

14. New Code of Practice – September 2014 • Statements disappear and become Education Health Care Plans (EHC) • Heavy emphasis on involvement of parents and students • Heavy emphasis on role of classroom teacher and their responsibility for SEND • Graduated 4-stage approach: Assess; Plan; Do; Review. (This is increasingly reflected in other aspects of English education). ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

15. What is SEND in a mainstream school? • A pupil may have an Education Health Care Plan or be given “SEN support” • They will have an Individual Education Plan, a Pupil Portrait or something similar • They must have intervention that is “additional to or different from” others in the school • The interventions may be individual or in small groups • The focus should be on “narrowing the gap” ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

16. Special Schools • Educate those children with the most severe and/or complex needs • Will deal with students of a particular type, e.g. MLD, SEMH, etc. • Will have all or most of their pupils statemented • Will receive more funding per pupil than mainstream school in order to meet their pupils’ needs • Will act as a source of advice and outreach for mainstream schools ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

17. For SEND pupils in England : • the majority of SEND pupils are educated within the mainstream environment; • most other pupils with SEND are educated within mainstream special schools; • there are greater numbers of boys defined as having SEND than girls; • there are some ethnic differences but these appear to be small. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

18. Data • Types of provision. • Age/ gender • Numbers of SEND over time. • Types of need. • Governmental view ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

19. The type of provision – January 2014 within England ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

20. Percentage of pupils with SEN – age and gender - 2014 ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

21. Proportion of pupils on SEN register over time=2016 ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

22. SEND primary type of need-2016 ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

23. The government’s view on data: • Moderate learning difficulty was the most common type of need; • Autistic spectrum disorder was the most common need for those with a statement or EHC plan; • SEN remains more prevalent in boys; • Older age groups are more likely to have statement of SEN/ EHC plan • Likelihood of having SEN support peaks around age 9 and 10 • Pupils with SEN are much more likely to be eligible for free school meals • Black pupils, Gypsy/Roma & Travellers of Irish heritage have seen the largest drop in rates of SEN support ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

24. Differences at KS4 (2014)5 GCSEs including English and Maths • Ethnicity: generally Chinese origin students with SEND achieve best • Statements by need: Students with Visual Impairment achieve best • Statements by gender: boys achieved better than girls • FSM students achieve less well than others, whether with SEND or not • Children in care with SEND less likely to achieve this than other SEND students ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

25. Inclusion • How is this achieved? • Role of SENCo • LSA’s ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

26. How is Inclusion in mainstream achieved? • By support, usually from Learning Support Assistants (LSA’s in other school’s). • By differentiation within the classroom • By withdrawal and intervention programmes • By support from outside agencies • Co-ordinated by a SENCo ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

27. The role of the SENCo • The SEND co-ordinator: • Leads, manages and deploys LSAs within a school; • Has a legal responsibility (under the Head Teacher) for ensuring that SEND needs are met • Is responsible for keeping up to date with current good practice and legislation • Will act as a source of advice for school colleagues and frequently for parents • Will be a qualified teacher, usually with additional qualifications • Will usually teach, either a subject or SEND programmes • May also be responsible for EAL, CiC and CP. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

28. Effective Deployment of LSA’s • The DISS project (Deployment and Impact of Support Staff Project) • Largest ever study over 3 years of the impact of support staff • “Recent research has suggested that LSA’s have low or very low impact for high cost” • . . . little or no impact on pupil attainment • BUT high impact on teacher stress and workload! ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

29. LSA’s when deployed Interaction by Pupil level of SEN Teacher LSA Non-SEN 55% 27% School Action 24% 32% School Action Plus and Statement 21% 41% ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

30. Learning Support Assistants… • Sit, listen, filter . . . dilute?? • Spend 37% of their time in a lesson listening to the teacher teach! • Support becomes alternative rather than additional! • Simply supporting does not “narrow the gap”! ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

31. So what is practical and possible? LSAs can: • Prepare vocabulary lists for specific pupils • Develop visual vocabulary • Produce differentiated work • Prepare work for more able pupils whilst teacher works with SEND students • Adapt lesson plans • Read up on future lessons • Work on questioning for upcoming topics . . . ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

32. Feeling brave? LSAs at Crofton: • What is the need of the student? • Does the student benefit from LSA in the class? • If not withdraw LSA (with parents agreement). • Can free up LSA’s for additional intervention: Spelling/ Reading/ Writing/ Numeracy. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

33. Differentiation • Closed exercises • Games • Colours • Stepped questions • Word banks/scaffolds • Worksheets rather than board work • Attention grabbing ideas • Simplified language – not content ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

34. Break • Discuss with those next to you any points raised. • If you have further questions on the last section there will be an opportunity to ask. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

35. Learning Difficulties • What are the categories of Learning Need/ Difficulty? ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

36. Learning Difficulties • AD(H)D • ASD • Dyslexia • Dyspraxia • SEMH • General Learning Difficulties • Expressive or Receptive Language Difficulties • Hearing or Visual Impairment • Physical Impairment ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

37. AD(H)D • Poor on-task behaviour • Difficulty in controlling words and behaviour • Difficulty in regulating levels of physical activity • Difficulty in responding to authority • Inattention, lethargy, withdrawn • Impulsive, volatile, aggressive, insensitive to consequences ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

38. ASD • Poor thinking and comprehension skills • Concrete imaging, poor abstraction • Easily overwhelmed by ritual change • Ritualised behaviour • Anxious when uncertain, tired, stressed or overloaded • Difficulty changing tasks • Unable to understand social rules • Do not understand jokes, irony or metaphor ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

39. Dyslexia • Occurs across the ability range • Cannot be “cured” – strategies need to be learnt • May have very short visual memory • Sequencing and ordering problems • Spelling, number rules and tables problems • Organisational difficulties - tasks and writing • Mears-Irlen syndrome • Forgetting question/task within lessons ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

40. Dyspraxia • Affects whole body movement, dressing, co-ordination, handwriting, eating etc. • Difficulty controlling their body as it interacts with the physical and social environment • Sitting still or lining up is uncomfortable • May be found alongside language difficulties ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

41. SEMH • Difficult, challenging and bizarre behaviour • Intense behaviour – not easily distracted or stopped • Strong negative impact on those around them • Difficulty in making, maintaining and repairing relationships • May be withdrawn and depressed ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

42. General Learning Difficulties • Lower levels of achievement than peers • Poor reading/writing and presentation skills • Difficulty in concentrating and understanding problems • Difficulties present across the board i.e. they are NOT specific ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

43. Language Difficulties • Poor understanding of spoken or written language at literal or inferential levels • Egocentric speech • Omitted words • Telegraphic speech • Word order confusion • Baby talk • Poor understanding of jokes, irony etc. • Difficulties with social and conversational rules, e.g. turn taking, listening ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

44. Physical and Sensory Difficulties • Continual strain in accessing the curriculum • May have periods of non-attendance which increases pressure • Need to be aware of pupil’s seating position • Denial of difficulties – a wish to be “normal” • Calm, quiet classrooms essential • Clear board writing in appropriate colours ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

45. Interventions/ support in school Access arrangements. Why have interventions in school? ELSA Outside agencies Types of interventions ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

46. Access Arrangements • How do we make sure examinations are fair for all? • What if you’re bright but find writing difficult? • What if you can do the Maths but run out of time? • How do you get the right provision to ensure fair access? – Applying for Access Arrangements. • Process – Measure needs compared to other students. If you fall below Average (85 – 115) you can be entitles to certain arrangements. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

47. Access Arrangements (Cont.) • These may include: • Word Processor (illegible handwriting). • Extra time. • Reader. • Prompt. • Alternative Venue. • Extra time. • Rest breaks. ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

48. Why interventions? • Because by definition a child on the Special Educational Needs register must receive something “additional to or different from” others • Because it works – Rose report; ”What works for pupils with literacy difficulties?” – Brooks; “What works for children with mathematical difficulties?” - Dowker • Because it is right to strive to improve the abilities of those with SEND • Because SEND (like intelligence) is not permanently fixed for all ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

49. Emotional Literacy in Schools • Many schools will employ an ELSA – Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (very common in this area as originated in Southampton and then Hampshire, developed and supported by Educational Psychologists • Usually a TA who has received additional training but could occasionally be a counsellor who chooses to work as an ELSA • An ELSA: may work with individuals or groups; will address issues that may impact on academic attainment; may liaise with parents or outside agencies; adopt a nurturing approach; apply psychological knowledge of children’s social and emotional development to areas of need; will evaluate their impact with a qualitative approach ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE

50. Outside Agencies • Educational Psychologist • Psychiatric support • Speech and Language Therapist • Occupational Therapist • Physiotherapist • Teacher Advisers • Local authority advice ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE