SSAT Children’s Charter: A Pledge for Children

“On Wednesday 26th April 2023 school leaders across all phases and settings, along with partners and organisations joined the online launch of the SSAT Children’s Charter: A Pledge for Children.

SSAT Chief Executive, Sue Williamson, welcomed Professor Barry Carpenter, and Matthew Carpenter, Principal of Baxter College who, together, shared the rationale and context behind the creation of the charter and what our children and young people need now: our response to a reshaped, redefined 21st century childhood.

SSAT, with Professor Barry Carpenter and Matthew Carpenter, led a seminar in December 2022 ‘Thinking about Children’; where leaders from secondary, primary, special schools and universities, together with partner organisations met to consider the daily lived reality of children and young people now, post pandemic, in order to shape the detail within the Children’s Charter.  We are delighted to be able to share our charter and those six principles with you now.

Individually, we all bring our unique experiences and expertise but together we are stronger.”

A call to action

  1. Join us in making your pledge to all children and young people:

By making your pledge to our Children’s Charter, you are recognising the needs of children and young people now, and making your commitment to the 6 principles that underpin the charter.  

Sign up here

  1. Spread the word:

Share the document Children’s Charter: A Pledge for Children widely with your colleagues and networks and invite them to join us with these calls to action. 

Join us in spreading the word on social media using the hashtag #ChildrensCharter.  Don’t forget to tag us @ssat

Download a copy here

  1. Share your voice to bring the Charter to life:

We invite you to share how your school or organisation is seeking to make a difference to children and young people and the impact that your work is having. 

We will bring your voices together to share best practice, recommendations and actions to policymakers. 

Get in touch

  1. Keep up to date:

Look out for further opportunities to be involved and upcoming events we will share through email or on our website.  Be part of the response and help build momentum – together we are stronger.

Children’s Charter webpage

Implementing Engagement

Teachers are growing in familiarity and confidence in the use of the Engagement Model, which became statutory summative assessment in September 2021.

They are realising its potential for a whole range of children ‘not engaged in subject specific learning’.  As such,  pedagogy is developing that supports classroom based formative assessment , and leads into the statutory summative assessment for EHCP meetings, Annual Reviews etc .

Teachers wishing to look deeper into the potential of Engagement ,and its evidence base , may wish to look at this podcast ‘What you really need to know about Engagement’, presented by Bev Cockbill and Professor Barry Carpenter.

https://www.evidenceforlearning.net/learningshared/engagement-part-1-what-you-really-need-to-know-about-engagement/

How to Talk to Children and Young People About War | Understanding and Supporting our Refugee Children. By Dr Tina Rae

The recording of this wonderful webinar, full of practical suggestions, can be found on: https://www.evidenceforlearning.net/ dr_ tina_ rae_children_war_refugees

Check out the resources on War Child – www.childandwar.org/resources

Mental Health and Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities 

Margaret Mulholland | SEND & Inclusion Policy Specialist

Association of School and College Leaders interviews Professor Barry Carpenter , Professor of Mental Health in Education , Oxford Brookes University 

(Podcast recorded March 2022)

https://www.ascl.org.uk/podcasts/send

Anxiety; Cues, Clues & Support for Young People in School – Ask the Expert

Below is the recording of the webinar from 27th January 2022; speakers –  Professor Cathy Creswell and Helen Manley, University of Oxford . 

https://www.acamh.org/freeview/anxiety-cues-clues-support-for-young-people-in-school-ask-the-expert-recording/

Webinars on Sleep and Screen Time

The Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) are developing webinars exploring topics from the new Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum.

Two recordings of the webinars on Sleep and Screen Time are below.


Sleep – https://www.acamh.org/freeview/ask-the-expert-improving-childrens-sleep-the-role-a-teacher-can-play-recording/

Screen Time –  https://www.acamh.org/freeview/ask-expert-screen-time/


Refocusing on ADHD in Education: a new resource booklet for SENCOs

 

“This is a ‘must read’ for every teacher concerned with the education of children with ADHD. Lots of practical suggestions, and new insights. Look at page 21 on the latest thinking around ADHD in Girls!”

Professor Barry Carpenter, CBE.(Patron: ADHD Foundation)

Click here, or below to download and view

Professor Carpenter inducted as Patron of the ADHD Foundation

On a visit to the ADHD Foundation Headquarters in Liverpool earlier in October , Professor Barry Carpenter, was inducted at a Patron of the Foundation ( the Neurodiversity Charity, ) by Dr Tony Lloyd, CEO ( seen in the picture above.)

He joins other Patrons – Rory Bremner, Simon Weston, Alison Moyet and Patricia Kelly – in promoting the work of the Foundation.

In accepting this new role, Professor Carpenter said :

“It is a real honour to join the hardworking team at the ADHD Foundation, promoting the needs of neurodiverse children, whose complex needs are often not recognised and responded too.The Charity’s approach is both refreshing and groundbreaking, and their new insights and innovations, offer much from which others can learn. I , for one, look forward to going on that learning journey , encouraging others to do so, and asking them to support the important, ongoing work in whatever way they can.”


Dr Tony Lloyd , Chief Executive of the ADHD Foundation said:

Further details about the ADHD Foundation : the Neurodiversity Charity can be found at www.adhdfoundation.org.uk

“We are delighted to welcome such an internationally renowned academic and pioneering mind who is influencing our national conversation about the well-being and education of children, as a Patron of the ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity. Professor Carpenter CBE will collaborate with us as we continue to enable children to thrive in education and achieve their potential”

Further details about the ADHD Foundation : the Neurodiversity Charity can be found at www.adhdfoundation.org.uk

May be an image of 2 people and people standing

ADHD in Girls – Fintan O’Regan

There is growing interest in how ADHD may present itself in girls. As with Autism , there are gender related issues and profiles linked to the social biology of the brain.


This short overview article by Fintan O’Regan, offers some valuable insights and useful  observational starting points for the classroom teacher. 


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/special-educational-needs/types-of-sen/adhd-in-girls/amp