Strategic Support for LEAs

Removing Barriers to Achievement

(DFES)

We provide a range of training, visioning and consultation opportunities for LEAs and schools that link directly into supporting the Governments strategy for SEN.

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There is still a massive amount of serious strategic work needed at Government, LEA, and school levels if inclusion is to become a reality in the UK. This is made very clear in these HMI reports:

House of Commons Inquiry into Special Educational needs: June 2006: Pdf File here

HMI Report 2005 (Downloadable pdf file)

Inclusion: the impact of LEA support and Outreach Services

HMI Report 2004 (Downloadable pdf file) :

Special educational needs and disability: towards
inclusive schools

Main findings:
The government’s revised inclusion framework has contributed to a growing awareness of the benefits of inclusion, and response to it has led to some improvement in practice.

The framework has had little effect as yet on the proportion of pupils with SEN in mainstream schools, or on the range of needs for which mainstream schools cater. There has been an increase in the numbers of pupils placed in pupil referral units and independent special schools.

Most mainstream schools are now committed to meeting special needs. A few are happy to admit pupils with complex needs. The admission and retention of pupils with social and behavioural difficulties continue to test the inclusion policy.

A minority of mainstream schools meet special needs very well, and others are becoming better at doing so. High expectations, effective whole-school planning seen through by committed managers, close attention on the part of skilled teachers and support staff, and rigorous evaluation remain the keys to effective practice.

Taking all the steps needed to enable pupils with SEN to participate fully in the life of the school and achieve their potential remains a significant challenge for many schools. Expectations of achievement are often neither well enough defined nor pitched high enough. Progress in learning remains slower than it should be for a significant number of pupils.

Few schools evaluate their provision for pupils with SEN systematically so that they can establish how effective the provision is and whether it represents value for money. The availability and use of data on outcomes for pupils with SEN continue to be limited.

Not enough use is made by mainstream schools of the potential for adapting the curriculum and teaching methods so that pupils have suitable opportunities to improve key skills.

The teaching seen of pupils with SEN was of varying quality, with a high
proportion of lessons having shortcomings. Support by teaching assistants can be vital, but the organisation of it can mean that pupils have insufficient opportunity to develop their skills, understanding and independence.

Despite the helpful contributions by the national strategies, the quality of work to improve the literacy of pupils with SEN remains inconsistent.

Effective partnership work between mainstream schools and special schools on curriculum and teaching is the exception rather than the rule.

Over half the schools visited had no disability access plans and, of those plans that did exist, the majority focused only on accommodation.

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SEAL Materials Are you implementing, emebedding or taking forward Primary SEAL? Are you working on SEAL in secondary? Would you welcome some additional capacity to support developments in social and emotional aspects of learning? We can provide skilled and experienced educational psychologists to provide training, consultancy, and to model processes with staff, parents, pupils and communities. Let us Come to You

DESIGN FOR CHANGE

Strategies for increasing inclusive practice within your LEA

Over the past three years ‘Inclusive Solutions’ has been working with Local Education Authorities across the UK with the aim of supporting the development of inclusive practice. This work has taken a variety of forms depending on the particular needs and priorities of the LEA at that time. We have co-designed with LEA managers a range of strategic approaches to create sustainable changes in practice at key places within SEN systems.
We are particularly keen to look at:

• Strategies that transform SEN resourcing systems in ways that allow rapid and flexible response to the needs of mainstream schools and also serve, where necessary, to reduce overall statementing rates
• Supporting the development of multi-disciplinary working (across LEA teams and across Health, Social Services and Education Departments)
• Parents’ voices – how to ensure equitable distribution of resources in the face of powerful lobbies for particular disability labels?
• Working within the tensions of a dual mainstream/special school system, transforming the special sector in support of inclusion
• Finding creative ways to provide ‘the therapies’
• Restructuring your support services in support of inclusion, the design and functioning of inclusion facilitation teams

Examples of our strategic work with LEAs and other organisations over the past two years include:-

• BIRMINGHAM LEA - Establishing an LEA ‘Leaders for Inclusion’ group and providing training and facilitation on ‘Tools for Person-Centred Planning’. Working jointly with Chris Atkinson, Chief Educational Psychologist, Birmingham LEA, over a 10 month period, we have been supporting the development of a self-selected ‘community of practice’ within staff of Birmingham’s SEN support services. The longer term aim is for this cross-service group to support eachother in the wider development of inclusive practice across the LEA. For more background on this work please feel free to contact Chris Atkinson at Chris_Atkinson@birmingham.gov.uk

• OXFORDSHIRE LEA – leading a series of visioning sessions over a six month period, towards the development of a shared understanding of ‘inclusion’ in the Oxfordshire context. The groups we worked with included: senior elected members of the County Council’s cross party working group on inclusion, senior LEA officers, teachers and others from Oxfordshire’s Early Years Service, Oxfordshire’s educational psychology team. For more background on this work contact Simon Adams, Senior Education Officer simon.adams@oxfordshire.gov.uk

• HIGHLAND REGION EDUCATION DEPARTMENT – providing ongoing training and consultation towards the development of enhanced inclusive practice and alternatives to exclusion across the region. With a particular emphasis on the use of Restorative Interventions instead of exclusion, this work is linked to the New Community Schools initiative in Highland region.
For more background on this work contact Peta Barber, Senior Educational Psychologist peta.barber@highland.gov.uk

• SOUTHWARK LEA EARLY YEARS UNIT: work ongoing over the past 2 years with the full range of early years providers within the Borough; maintained and non-maintained nurseries, playgroup managers, specialist childminders, LEA Early Years Officers, and parents of disabled children (via Southwark’s Parent Partnership Project). The aim of this work has been to build a deeper appreciation of inclusive values across early years provision and to enable providers to match their policies and practice to the Ofsted National Standards guidance on Special Needs and on Behaviour. For more background on this work contact Fiona Phillips, Early Years training manager – fiona.phillips@southwark.gov.uk

• KNOWSLEY LEA: over viewing and scoping LEA support services and structures with feedback on strengths and areas for development; support over the past 12 twelve months to establish 3 multi-agency BEST teams within the LEA including; direct training, facilitating team building days, support to clarify BEST team processes and procedures. Work with secondary SENCos on the inclusion of students with high level needs in Key Stages 3 and4. Foe more information on this work contact Maxine Froggatt, Assistant Director – maxine.froggatt.de@knowsley.gov.uk

EXAMPLES OF WORK IN PLANNING FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 2003/4

• LEWISHAM LEA (September 2003): training inputs for primary and secondary SENCos and LEA support staff on including pupils with autism in mainstream settings. Contact for this work is: Denise Capon, Senior Educational Psychologist. Denise.Capon@lewisham.gov.uk

• CONNEXIONS CUMBRIA/BARROW EAZ (Autumn 2003): Raising the Aspirations of Care Leavers: a visioning event to engage young people and their foster carers at an early age in goal setting, 'aiming higher’, and identifying the ‘roadblocks’ to their aspirations. To include follow up consultations with Connexions personal advisers. Contact for this work is: Daniel Carter, Team Leader, Barrow Connexions Centre. Daniel.Carter@connexionscumbria.co.uk

• DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY LEA (September 2003 and ongoing): Providing training inputs across the Region to Headteachers and support service staff on ‘Keys to Inclusion’ in preparation for the authority-wide adoption of Scotland’s accessibility strategy for pupils with SEN. Followed by work – ‘training the trainers’ - with local support service staff to enable them to provide ongoing developmental work on inclusive practice within the Regions schools. Contact for this work is: John McVie, SEN Manager, Dumfries and Galloway: JohnMv@dumgal.gov.uk

CASEWORK: We have engaged in high profile casework supporting pupils inclusion in a range of LEAs including Lambeth, Nottinghamshire, Bolton, South lanarkshire and Cambridgeshire

Further examples of our work can be found elsewhere on this website .

   Heading for Inclusion

'Heading for Inclusion' is a group of Headteachers and senior school leaders dedicated to the ideals of a fully inclusive mainstream education system.

Responding to Warnock

'Inclusion Works!

Headteachers and senior school leaders up and down the country are dismayed at the negative portrait that has been presented of inclusive education over the past weeks following Baroness Warnock's recent unfortunate comments.  We, of all people, are the first to admit that inclusion is not always easy; does not always provide quick fixes and needs to be properly funded.  Equally, we have daily experience of seeing how inclusion is powerfully changing the world for the next generation of young people - for the better.  Inclusion for us is ultimately about building a society in which all people are valued for who they are; where young people learn to throw away the prejudices with which we were brought up  and can work together to create a new 'inclusive' world.  Some of us are well on the way to modelling internationally renowned school environments which respond to the needs of each child - and develop them into the creative, intelligent, loving, thoughtful human beings that is their birthright.  Many of us are at various stages on the way.

Baroness Warnock is wrong when she says inclusion is not working.  We know that there are parents, children and indeed schools who are not completely happy with the current situation.  We need to remember, however, that the alternative Eugenic model of segregated education has failed many more children - through very low expectations, ghettoisation - and most seriously - an impaired ability of its receipients to engage in mainstream society when they leave.  Our system of segregated education must end! 

There are, of course, dedicated professionals with highly valuable skills in special schools.  As special schools close these people need to come and work in the new inclusive mainstream schools and bring their expertise to support all children.  There are numerous examples of mainstream schools adopting new practice to respond to the needs of a child with special needs and finding that many other children also benefit from the change.

One school, which included a child with Downs syndrome, taught all the children and staff Makaton only to find that many of the children were able to benefit from receiving information in that way.

In one school with provision for children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties the children repeatedly elected a child with an EBD statement to represent them on the school council because they knew he would not be afaid to put their views to the Headteacher.  When he first started at the school many children had been afraid of him.  Because of inclusion he put his temper and violence behind him and became a valued member of his society.

School Councils, circles of friends, peer counselling, circles of support are just some of the ways inclusion is improving the lives of children - every day.

Inclusion is  a radical agenda - we are talking about changing the whole of society.  Barones Warnock would do well to come and talk to Headteachers to see how wonderful those changes are proving to be.  We look forward to meeting with her.

nigelutton@btinternet.com
Chair of Heading for Inclusion 

Telephone 01420 84400 

Some of the folowing headteachers may be available for comment:

: head@buckingham.w-sussex.sch.uk ; headteacher@cottingley.leeds.sch.uk ; sue.billingham@hiheathn.bham.sch.uk ; head@hillbrook.wandsworth.sch.uk ; brak10@blackburn.ac.uk ; admin.lister@pop3.newham.gov.uk ; headteacher@brookside.stockport.sch.uk ; shackleton, lorenne; office@davigdor.brighton-hove.sch.uk ; head@turvesgreen-pri.bham.sch.uk ; office@wbjs.com ; daviesr.gibbsgreen.lbhf@lgfl.net ; Sue Eagle; amy.white@bedford-pct.nhs.uk ; kenny frederick; L.Gracey@blackburn.ac.uk ; diane.gunn@upton.kent.sch.uk ; headteacher@ripple.kent.sch.uk ; fao@jubilee.lambeth.sch.uk ; admin.cleves@pop3.newham.gov.uk ; kenn jupp; garnet.bryant@sarisbury-inf.hants.sch.uk ; s.j.j.keefe@btinternet.com ; kenwardh@filshamvalley.e-sussex.sch.uk ; enquiries@hartleybrook.sheffield.sch.uk ; enquiries@hampsteadschool.org.uk ; jayne.lates@hallgreen-inf.bham.sch.uk ; l.manford@normandcroft.hammersmith-fulham.sch.uk ; zelda McCollum; fmheadteacher@hotmail.com ; janmillington@billesley.bham.sch.uk ; joan@sheringdale.org ; aphillips@cottesbrooke-inf.bham.sch.uk ; mouseholekat@beeb.net ; office@stmaryspri.worcs.sch.uk ; office.westborough@kirklees-schools.org.uk ; smith, terry; rsturgess2002@yahoo.co.uk ; kathy thompson; nigel Utton; vaggers@btopenworld.com ; office@franchefirst.worcs.sch.uk ; enquiry@newoscti.bham.sch.uk ; admin@ethelred-nursery.lambeth.sch.uk ; admin.langdon@pop3.newham.gov.uk

For a fuller discussion of any of the above initiatives or to explore possible joint work with inclusive solutions telephone Colin Newton (0115 9556045) or Derek Wilson (0115 9567305) or email on inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com

ALSO CONTACT US FOR SUGGESTED READINGS AND RESOURCES RELATING TO YOUR SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR AREAS OF INTEREST IN THE FIELD OF INCLUSIVE PRACTICE

LEA Strategy for the Inclusion of pupils with Special Educational Needs : HMI 2002 can be downloaded for free from the OFSTED site. Well worth a look for anyone interested in promoting inclusion within LEAs. It details outcomes of an Inclusion Strategy as being: reduced stements reduced special school placements reduced number of pupils placed outside LEAs improved attainments of pupils with special needs improved self esteem and social relationships for pupils The work still reflects much of what we have observed as we have travelled around the UK working with LEAs.

Training the trainers   THE ACCESSIBILITY STRATEGY Proposed Training and Support Package Building Capacity for Inclusion Planning for Inclusion Staff Development and Training   This training would be aimed at developing the skills and knowledge of a locally based core group of trainers who would then in turn be able to offer accessibility training in line with recent legislative changes . The presumption toward mainstream would be explored at both the level of underpinning values and of practical implications. This work would allow trainers to offer workshop/training days, both values primers and practical guides to successful strategies for developing inclusive practice in educational settings for children and young people of all ages. These will form the building blocks/initial stages of the Regions efforts to provide training and continuous professional development for teachers and other school staff to support inclusion Our training the trainers inputs will introduce participants to a range of guiding ideas, each with their associated practical strategies Outcomes 1. Training providers create a training package/range of training packages to support the Accessibility Strategy across the Dumfries and Galloway Region 2. Increased confidence regarding developing inclusive practice in mainstream schools 3. Access to a wider range of practical strategies to impact on behaviour problems 4. deeper understanding of core values surrounding the inclusion of disabled children and those with SEN 5. Opportunity to reflect on professional attitudes and behaviour towards parents and pupils and an enhanced understanding of how change in school practice can be initiated and supported 6. Learn and reflect on a range new skills and processes to make inclusion successful 7. Trainers will have knowledge of and be able to access a range of written and other resources Books, Websites, Video materials, Planning Tools for further use in their training 8. Trainers will be supported in the development and use of a range of approaches to training delivery e.g. effective use of PowerPoint presentations, use of video in training, use of Graphic Facilitation in building consensus and shared vision in staff groups, ensuring training inputs are participative and thus model inclusive practice. Process 1. Recruit Trainers(Inclusive Solutions involvement is optional) 2. 5 day intensive training and package production with target team of Training providers 3. Trainers will require time to prepare and trial materials emerging from this work(Approx 2 days) 4. Day with Inclusive Solutions to fine tune emerging work materials/package 5. Implementation of training across region 6. Day of problem solving, evaluation and reflection with Inclusive Solutions   Email us

'Superb,moving and inspiring keynote presentation'
(SEN conference feedback, Southwark LEA, 2003)