We started Term 3 with an INSET Day with our other Local Alliance schools. We heard from Cassie Young who regularly speaks at conferences across the country and abroad, and has recently written for publications on SEND, inclusive practice and curriculum access. She has a wealth of experience in schools at all levels and is wholly committed to inclusion of all pupils, believing that all children should receive the best education through high expectations and being a champion for all, whatever their starting point. It was good to hear from someone who is on the same page as us. Cassie spoke about how SEND currently looks across the country, the unique responsibilities of Heads, SENCOs and teachers and the fundamentals that underpin good SEND provision in schools. We had the opportunity to reflect on and discuss what was shared with other professionals across our Alliance. It is always good to hear what others are doing and to share good practice.

The targets that we wrote into our WESEND Action Plan have been reviewed by David Bartram OBE. David led SEND in London schools for over 15 years. He was a member of the Department for Education's SEND Review steering group and an expert adviser to the Timpson Review on school exclusions. David has worked directly with over seven hundred school leadership teams across the UK to improve SEND provision. He is also a trustee of the KPMG Foundation that seeks to bring about system changes to unlock the potential of the most disadvantaged children in the UK. David made suggestions about how to follow through effectively with our targets and signposted us to relevant research and resources to support this work. The targets our now written into our School Improvement Plan. We have started to work on these targets and look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have for our children with SEND.

Inclusion Consultations will continue on a Thursday afternoon and can be booked through Mr Tippett or Mrs Foster via Dojo.  Remember no concern is too big or too small.  We have discussed concerns in the areas of SEND, Mental Health, Wellbeing and other general concerns.  If you can't make a Thursday afternoon we can be flexible.

Pupil plans will be reviewed in the first week of next term. We will also begin some work on 'Scaffolding' to support all learners to access their learning and make better progress.

The last thing I want to mention is an organisation called Amaze. 

Amaze is a charity that gives information, advice and support to families with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex

Your child or young person does not need to have a formal diagnosis to get support from Amaze though some of their services have rules about who is eligible. 

Here is a link to a video that will tell you more:  Amaze

Their website can be found here