Commissioning: SEND provision in schools
Anne Heavey, national director, Whole School SEND
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
School leaders and council commissioners must ensure they meet the changing needs of children with SEND, says Anne Heavey.
Thanks to Covid-19, the autumn term presents new challenges for those working with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Some pupils with SEND, especially those identified at the SEN Support level, may have been out of school since March. Others may have had access to school, but not received their full entitlement of support as schools and councils have responded to and managed the Covid-19 response in the summer.
Some families have reported excellent support from their schools, with high-quality and suitably differentiated work sent home, others have not had this experience. This period seems to have amplified existing strengths and weaknesses in provision – where relationships and understanding of an individual child’s needs have been strong, the support experienced by the family has also been positive, where these elements were lacking previously, and weaknesses have been exacerbated.
Securing a strong start for pupils with SEND will require schools to pay additional attention to the five following areas.
Transition planning
Transition planning has always been a crucial part of SEND provision. For pupils arriving new to a school or setting, or meeting a new teacher, the process is all the more vital now given the disruption Covid-19 has caused. Pupils will be arriving at their new secondary school not having received statutory assessment data. Many will welcome this blank slate, but receiving schools will need to factor in significant extra time to get to know their pupils, their achievements and the impact of Covid-19 on their learning and wellbeing. There have been lots of heartening examples of remote transition days, and virtual meet and greet zoom meetings with new form tutors for year 6 pupils arriving in year 7. Ensuring that transition arrangements are in place for pupils identified with SEND should be a key priority for school leaders.
Identification of need
Identification of need will also require reconsideration in September. Many of the usual means of gathering evidence to inform assessment of need have been removed or disrupted. Lesson observations, attendance data, exclusion data, attainment and progress data have all been affected. Looking at work completed during this period to inform identification may also be challenging given the inequalities around accessing learning from home and the lack of expectations around the quality of work sent home. Council SEND teams should work with their Senco to share best practice around early and timely identification in these circumstances, so that pupils with additional needs do not miss out on the support they need.
High-quality teaching
High-quality teaching has always been the foundation of excellent SEND provision. Many newly qualified teachers will not have completed their final placements and may have missed out on opportunities to develop their inclusive practice. Re-establishing expectations around the quality of teaching provided for pupils with SEND should also be a priority for school leaders and Sencos. Disseminating the recent Education Endowment Foundation publication Special Educational Needs in Mainstream Schools throughout the teaching body offers a place to start, as well as rearticulating expectations in the light of any adaptations made to the curriculum, classroom layouts and routines. The stronger whole school provision is at responding to need, the more resource will be available to support pupils that require more targeted support.
Deployment of the Senco
These first three points rely on the Senco having the time, status and resources to support transition, revised-identification processes and supports the development of high-quality teaching for pupils with SEND. Now is an ideal time to reflect on the deployment of the Senco and their team. Do they have the capacity and status to focus on these areas? New in-post Sencos will also require enhanced induction to the role, ensuring they have the time to participate in local networks and having strong support from other senior leaders will be crucial. For Sencos not on the senior leadership team or with limited release time, now is an important moment to review these elements, to ensure the Senco has the standing to lead strategically.
Strengthening family partnerships
As stated, the lockdown period amplified many existing relationships, positive and negative. School leaders, Sencos and teachers should focus on listening to families and children about their experiences. It would be wrong to assume everything has been negative or that every child has been traumatised. Where there are lessons to be learnt, these should be sought out and reflected on, and where things have worked well, preserving these elements should be a priority.
No one expected 2020 to turn out like it has. However, the return to school this autumn offers an opportunity to reflect on and refine our SEND provision so that all pupils thrive and achieve as we find our new normal in the year ahead.