Seeing school through the lens of your learners
After highlighting Empathy Week in the last SEND Update, I was reminded about some of the most impactful training I undertook during my 30 years within the classroom. Early on in my career I attended a course at Nottingham University which focussed on teaching science to SEN learners.
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Funding Crisis in Special sector has potential to compromise operational safety
Pauline Holbrook, Head of SEND, SSAT reflects upon the key issues raised during the webinar on 14 September 2022. Funding or rather the lack of it was clearly the major concern for those on the webinar. All agreed that teaching
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Leadership lessons from HM Queen Elizabeth II
The death of Queen Elizabeth II last week has caused many of us to stop and reflect, as we tend to do at the end of an era. She was not only the only monarch that we have known, but for many of us the only monarch our parents remember. As several commentators put it, she was not just a queen, she was the Queen.
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Don’t overlook the need of learners with SEND to grieve too
In this blog Pauline Holbrook, our Head of SEND reflects on how we might support our learners with SEND understand death and their grief and that of others.
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Getting (back) to grips with data
“Data-driven school improvement” was all the rage in the 2010s. School leaders, advisers and inspectors all used RAISEonline, Fischer Family Trust and the Ofsted data dashboard as the touchstone for their work. Fortunately, we gradually became savvier and more looked more at “data-informed school improvement”. And then came the pandemic.
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Using the SSAT Framework for Exceptional Education for strategic planning
As thoughts now turn to planning for the next school year, you may find SSAT’S Framework for Exceeptional Education helpful in identifying development priorities. The framework is a self-review and planning tool, which can be used in its entirety or a strand at a time, depending on whether you want to take a broader view or focus on a particular aspect of your practice.
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Opportunities and relationships
Our third Summer Series event focused on one question: What makes the difference for a child or young person who is disadvantaged, vulnerable or in crisis?
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Key Stage Two SATs – Time for change?
Key Stage Two Statutory Testing has taken place this month for Year Six pupils across England. SSAT Senior Education Lead and Head of the Primary Network, Laura Burton, reflects upon the assessments from the perspective as educator and parent, considering the impact our current accountability system has on the whole school community.
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The Queen’s Speech
The state opening of parliament on Tuesday included references to reforms to the education will help every child fulfil their potential wherever they live, raising standards and improving the quality of schools and higher education. The purpose of the bill is to: Level up opportunity by delivering a stronger and more highly performing school system that works for every child, regardless of where they live and is part of the governments levelling up agenda.
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