1.5 Thinking Beyond the Pupils’ Attainment
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It is important to avoid making assumptions about what your pupils can or cannot do.
Many pupils will be gifted in other ways, and it is your responsibility to recognise their strengths as well as their difficulties.
Dyslexic pupils can find spelling and reading difficult but can be incredibly gifted in the arts. Students progress through the acknowledgement of their strengths, and these should be identified whenever possible.
For Example, if a dyslexic child is asked to summarise a piece of text in class, they could do so by using a mind map or by drawing a picture, and then verbally describing what they have read and drawn.
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Varying Sensory Needs of SEN Students
One thing that you should come to understand, especially if you are new to this field, is that each student’s sensory needs are different. What does this mean exactly? It depends on the child and his or her varying needs.
For example, some autistic children will exemplify intense rocking or other repetitive movements that many people can find distracting. However, they make these movements because they find them soothing, and they put them at ease from discomfort or anxiety.
Additionally, certain sounds that may seem fine to us can cause distress for somebody with enhanced sensory difficulties. Understanding this can help you to create or adjust their surroundings to bring them more comfort and safety, because these motions can often be signs of the student’s discomfort within the environment or because of personal issues. It is important to communicate with the student about how they are feeling.
Ensuring Students’ Safety
Every school in the UK has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) to deal with child protection concerns. If you notice something that could mean a child is being abused or is in any danger in or out of school, you have a duty of care to report it to the DSL. If a child tells you something of concern, you cannot promise confidentiality if the child is in danger or may harm others.
The Department for Education has published statutory guidance for schools and colleges: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022. This states: “Every school and college should have a designated safeguarding lead who will provide support to staff to carry out their safeguarding duties and who will liaise closely with other services such as local authority children’s social care. The designated safeguarding lead (and any deputies) are most likely to have a complete safeguarding picture and be the most appropriate person to advise on the response to safeguarding concerns.”
All schools, at all levels from the head of the school to the teaching assistants, are accountable for each SEN pupil’s education by keeping them safe and meeting all their safety, educational and social needs.
One of the simplest things that a workplace with SEN programmes and pupils can do is to monitor the parents’ understanding of their child’s situation. If the parents are aware of their child’s potential and progress, a good institution will work with the parents to bring about the best learning experience for the student. If the parents are not fully adept at understanding their child’s needs, a good institution will take the time to educate the parents on what they can do at home to further the educational impact on the student.
The law states that schools must be proactive in their curriculum and extra-curricular activities and must show how the pupil has made progress.So, as a SEN educator, the best thing you can do is to be an advocate for your pupils’ education. This means that you should take the time to consider and evaluate where each of your students is in their lives, and how you can work with them, their parents and your institution to help the students reach their highest potential and feel and be treated like a valued member of society. Taking on this approach will make you an exemplary member of the SEN workforce.
Assignment
Introduction to Special Educational Needs
Time: 30+ minutes
This task will get you to think about Special Educational Needs.
Make your way through this worksheet and see how well you do.
Download the worksheet below and complete.
Conclusion
Working in special educational needs can be rewarding, but it also has its challenges. You may be working with a modified curriculum, and the students that you teach will be of varying abilities and have their own unique challenges.
It is important to ensure that your pupils have the opportunity to develop their talents in a wide range of areas. By doing so, you will be able to help them reach their full potential and achieve success.
In Module 2, we discuss the history and evolution of SEN.
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