Keep up to-date with the latest news and events.
Foxes Academy achieved an overall grade of Outstanding in their recent Ofsted report (July). The report highlights many things including, staff training, the support available to learners and the preparation for employment and careers.
Partnerships with employers are excellent and productive, assisting learners to enjoy highly effective work experience or work placements. The real working environment of the Foxes Hotel enhances the experiences of learners very successfully.
Enfield Borough Council achieved an overall grade of Good in their recent Ofsted report (July). The report highlights their use of job coaches to help their learners with supported internships:
Job coaches work closely together to review the progress that learners make and to identify emerging needs. As a result, they adapt each learner’s programme to include new topics where appropriate. For example, tutors have incorporated activities related to personal hygiene and dress codes into off-the-job training to further enhance learners’ understanding of requirements in the workplace.
Visit our Employers and employability page for resources to help you support learners, including our free online course The Right Place created in partnership with Mencap.
In this space we'll highlight continual professional development opportunities that may be of interest.
Free Techability webinars from Natspec:
- 15th November, Introduction to switches Learn how to practically set up switches to make choices or interact; for those using switches for the first time. Expect a range of techniques for switching with input for computers, tablets and wireless connectors.
- 20th December, Assistive Technology: A starter kit Assistive Technologists will outline their “essentials.” Anticipate a range of options for creating a basic kit for assessment, access and teaching. Showing that Assistive Technology does not have to be time consuming or expensive.
Are you providing the best support for learners with dyslexia, autism and hearing impairments?
We offer a range of courses to help practitioners and managers within the Further Education (FE) sector, and those responsible for post-16 learner programmes, increase their awareness and improve support for learners with dyslexia, autism and hearing impairments. Our full day training courses, have been designed to equip you with the knowledge and confidence to adapt your communication, teaching strategies and environments to enable your learners to achieve their full potential.
Book now for courses in Birmingham in November
8th, Dyslexia awareness course
26th, Autism taster session
30th, Hearing impairment taster session
For more dates and venues, see our complete course offer.
And don't forget the professional development opportunities available on Foundation Online Learning. Do take a look at the Foundation's wide range of courses, many of them relevant to those supporting learners with SEND, together with our bespoke SEND offer
Are you looking for specific training? As part of a mapping exercise of SEND CPD training and qualifications available from the Education and Training Foundation and a wide range of other organisations we have produced a SEND CPD Framework. The information is provided to raise awareness to the SEND workforce of the variety CPD opportunities available. The inclusion of information from other organisations does not indicate a recommendation by the Education and Training Foundation of this offer.
We cannot guarantee the quality of any events not organised by or on behalf of the Foundation.
Funding Opportunity
The Education Endowment Foundation have announced funding to support projects focused specifically on improving outcomes for pupils (3-18 years old) with special education needs or disabilities (SEND). For projects working with 16-18 year olds, they can only fund activity focused on students without English or Maths GCSE at 4 or above. Further details see the website.
Revisits to local areas with a Written Statement of Action (WSoA) for SEND
The Department for Education has announced a programme of revisits to those local areas which were asked to produce a WSoA following their SEND inspections. The revisits programme is due to start in December 2018 and will run alongside the current programme of local area SEND inspections, which is in place until 2021. The revisits do not represent a re-inspection of SEN provision. Inspectors from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will only revisit those areas which were asked to produce a WSoA and the focus of the visit will be on the progress made since the original inspection. Revisits will allow Ofsted and the CQC to assess the progress which local areas have made against each of the actions in their WSoA. They will also provide additional reassurance to families on the progress local services are making, identify where further work is needed, and enable local areas to demonstrate the improvements they have made to SEND services and in delivering better outcomes for children and young people.
Local areas will usually be revisited within 18 months of their WSoA having been accepted as fit for purpose by Ofsted and CQC. The local area will receive 10 days’ notification of the revisit, which will last between 2-4 days, depending on the number of actions in the WSoA. A report will be published on the Ofsted and CQC websites, usually 33 days after the inspectors have finished the revisit. It will set out whether the local area has made sufficient progress against each area of the WSoA.
Where a local area is considered to have made sufficient progress against its WSoA, monitoring visits from the DfE and NHS England will cease. DfE and NHS England will determine on a case by case basis the next steps for any local areas that have made insufficient progress. This may include the Secretary of State using his powers of intervention.
The methodology for the revisits can be found on the Ofsted website and will be included in the local area SEND inspection handbook in Spring 2019.
ETF are holding two SEND network meetings bringing together local authority and further education SEND professional to problem-solve and ensure that young people with SEND have the best possible outcomes. These solution focussed network meetings will use an action learning approach to identify challenges and work through solutions. The first network meeting is being held on the 5 December 2018, Wigan (10:30-15:30) to book your place email: support@ndti.org.uk
Council for disabled children, as part of our role as Strategic Reform Partner to the DfE, are hosting a series of regional action learning set (ALS) workshops focused on identifying solutions to challenges affecting social care. Building on the insights generated through these workshops, they have identified key themes on which they will be establishing national multi-agency Accelerated Working Groups (AWGs).
- Information sharing and consent (9.45am-1.30pm, 19th November, NCVO London)
- The role of a Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO) (morning of 27th November, NCVO London)
- Joint commissioning/joint arrangements (afternoon 27th November, NCVO London)
If you would like to attend the sessions, email Thamara (tmoncada@ncb.org.uk) and record your details here (where there is more information).
How equipped you are to support SEND learners? Find out with our self-assessment tool created for teachers who work with SEND learners on mainstream programmes or in discrete or specialised provision. Please note to access the tool you will need to register on the Foundation Online Learning site.