Category: SENCO Advice
Alastair Fielden 
22.11.17Supporting Pupils With SEND – Looking beyond the ‘label’
During my teaching degree a group of us decided to put a pamphlet together about Special Needs. We all had various reasons for our interest in SEN and wanted to inform our colleagues. With input from one of our lecturers, we drafted the content from a mix personal and general experiences. The aim was to … Continued
Alastair Fielden 14.11.17It Takes A Village To Raise A Child
Mental health in schools has been given a lot of consideration with The Prime Minister stating in January that 1,200 secondary schools were to receive Mental Health First Aid training, while Prince William raised the issue of mental health when he talked about his own experiences. The charity Young Minds states, “1 in 10 children and young … Continued
Kirsty Macfarlane 12.07.17How Can Teachers Encourage Reluctant Writers?
A recent study by the National Trust Literacy has suggested that children who write for pleasure produce class work that is seven times better than the expected level for their age group. However, the same research indicates that, while enthusiasm for writing has risen since 2015, 45% of pupils don’t actually enjoy writing in their … Continued
Alastair Fielden 13.03.17Autism Diary Week Four
The final entry in our four part Autism Diary series Read Parts One, Two and Three February 23rd, Year 7 Head of Year diary Another letter from parents today. The third this past month stating how distressed H.V.’s behaviour is at home after the bus ride from school. It seems to be further exacerbated on … Continued
Alastair Fielden 07.03.17Autism Diary Week Three
Part three in our four part Autism Diary series Read Parts One and Two May 23rd – Year 5 Parents have fought for referral for an assessment for H.V. this year, the result of which is a diagnosis of autistic spectrum condition. Despite a year of placing H.V. in two booster groups for literacy and … Continued
Alastair Fielden 01.03.17Autism Diary Week Two
Part two in our four part Autism Diary series Read Part One Tuesday 30th For some days, H.V. has been getting out of his seat and running through to the toilets across the corridor, turning on all the taps and putting his hands under the water, squealing with what seems like excitement and has to … Continued
Alastair Fielden 20.02.17Autism Diary Week One
Home Diary Sunday 22nd Mum sank into the chair at half past midnight after another exhausting night trying to get Harry to settle. It began around mid afternoon again after the outing to the park with Harry after Granny said that it was getting late and it was time to go back home to get … Continued
Alastair Fielden 17.01.17Funding for Special Educational Needs support
Edward Timpson MP has recently released some good news for groups who support SEND provision. A package, says the government, of a little under sixty million pounds. This is not only good news for councils who, the reports say, would receive a share of 40 million pounds, it is also good news for other support groups too. … Continued
Alastair Fielden 30.11.16A Week in the Life Series: Episode 4 – ‘Moving Forward’
“As you know we have almost completed our assessment process and thought it might be a good point to have a chat with you both to see if you have had a chance to read the assessment reports and discuss how things have been going…” The reassuring voice of the lead psychologist invited comment. It … Continued
Alastair Fielden 24.11.16A Week in the Life Series: Episode 3 – “A Testing Time”
With an internal sigh the SENCO considered the forms in front of her on the desk, and the possible options open to them, was it necessary to place Jack onto the next stage of the school SEN register, and if so on what basis? It seemed to be the next logical stage in the process, … Continued
