Pupil Voice in Review Meetings is a really important element. In this clip, taken from the Complex Needs training materials, ( http://www.complexneeds.org.uk), Sophia attends and contributes to her review meeting.
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PUTTING CHILDREN FIRST – A NEW MANIFESTO
Manifesto for the Early Years – Putting children first – Click to open as a .PDF -
Brain Changes Suggest Autism Starts In The Womb
Brain Changes Suggest Autism Starts In The Womb
This blog post by John Hamilton discusses research from the New England Journal of Medicine suggesting the changes organisation of the cortex are more prevalent in children with Autism. It also contains a range of links to resources about Autism.
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For colleagues in Ireland – National Conference on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
For colleagues in Ireland – National Conference on Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. -
Mental Health Standards for Schools.
Mental Health Standards for Schools.
The focus in the new Code of Practice ( Special Educational Needs ), on ‘ Social, Mental and Emotional Health’, will bring a new challenge to schools , but a timely one. At long last teachers have a mandate to do something constructive in the area of Mental Health, and create a curriculum and pedagogy around Emotional Well Being.Even the Office of National statistics has reported that for every 5 children on a school’s SEN Register, 3 will experience some mental health issue. In the area of Autism it is 6 in every 10 pupils.With this clear mandate from the DfE we can move forward to help our pupils and students with Mental Health needs. The new Mental Health Standards, published by Butterfly Print,(butterflyprint.co.uk), offers excellent guidance on how to do this is a coherent and systemic way.This company also produces Mental Health journals which would work really well in giving focussed support to children with these needs in schools settings.I highly recommend these materials. -
Children in Foster Care.
Children in Foster Care.
Successive Governments have expressed concern about the academic attainments of ” Looked -after children”. The Rees Centre at the University of Oxford , has been founded to research the role of Foster Carers. Their latest publication, ” Effective parent and chid fostering; and International Literature Review” , brings together a wealth of information in this field, that give a solid foundation for the consideration of key issue based on international research findings. Keep an eye on the work of the Rees Centre, ( under the Directorship of Professor Judy Sebba,) rees.centre@education.ox.ac.uk. -
Teachers need to be vigilant in monitoring children born prematurely.
Teachers need to be vigilant in monitoring children born prematurely.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-26452827This news clip from BBC Scotland highlights the importance of understanding how premature birth can impact on a child’s learning , and effective schooling.Dr Nashwa Matta attended the Conference on this topic in London , in 2013, organised by the National Forum for Neuroscience in Special Education.Upon her return to her post in Scotland she took the initiative to organise her own Conference to stimulate thought and debate across Professional groups on this rapidly emerging topic.Maybe others could follow her lead?Reports and resources on educating the prematurely born child can be found on this website using the ‘prematurity’ tag -
How do you help children love school?
I am increasingly impressed by the deep and thoughtful materials produced by Community Playthings. This child centred , teacher – friendly publication has the wonderful title of ” The Irresistible Classroom.”
I can highly recommend it for the refreshing approach it takes , one that will resonate with many Early Years teachers/ practitioners.
Complimentary copies are available.
Below is more information from their promotional material
The irresistible classroom
New training resource for primary teachers
When I was a child the classroom was a place I wanted to escape from! Yet school can be something children anticipate eagerly each day. We’ve been visiting schools and talking to teachers who have created truly irresistible learning environments.The result is The irresistible classroom, a training resource to help teachers prepare classrooms that captivate children with their potential for discovery. The booklet starts by considering how children learn in Reception and Key Stage 1. It goes on to discuss how a classroom might be arranged to stimulate that learning. Lastly we reflect on how the room’s aesthetic message affects the child’s motivation.
It’s an inspiring topic, and I’m eager to share it.
Request your complimentary copy of The irresistible classroom
Martin
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New Report on the Impact of Early Support
In these times of cutbacks in Special Needs services, we need to remember the value of Early Intervention for families of very young children with SEN. The Early Support programme is something that we can rightly be proud of in this Country , and has been widely praised by Early Childhood Interventionists and Academics internationally.
This timely report by Dr Ana Teresa Brito reminds of the value of this programme for families.
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Alcohol harm – Calling all Secondary Teachers…
In your PSHE lessons , when teaching about Alcohol Awareness could you please think about going beyond ‘ personal responsibility’, and ” know your own limits”? Too many young . sexually active young people are unaware of the harm they can cause an unborn child . They may not even know they are pregnant during those first 12 weeks when all of the cell migration and foetus formation is taking place . Obviously this is an issue particularly for girls , but increasingly recent studies are showing that young men who consistently binge drink may cause a reduction in their capacity to father a healthy baby.Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders amongst children continue to rise in the UK, and are phenomena that is not only perplexing the Education system , but our Society as a whole. We cannot control what our young people do , but we can encourage them to think of the lifelong implications for their unborn child. Would any of them really want to create a child with lifelong disabilities just for the sake of a binge drinking session? Many are not aware that this could be a consequence , and so are not even considering the issue and making a positive choice.An excellent resource on ‘Fetal Alcohol Harm” has been produced by NHS Scotland. It is a designed as training materials for staff, but much of the material could be used as a stimulus for discussions with students in school.If you want a young person with FASD to tell you what it is really like to live with this condition , I suggest you look up Morgan Fawcett on youtube.
Barry Carpenter Education 