What is the real cost to our pupils and how can we manage it?

During the first lockdown, schools up and down the country were providing remote learning in many different ways. We were sensitive to the fact that meeting the needs of all pupils was a very tough gig. SENDCos  that I have recently chatted to highlighted the difficulties in providing scaffolding and accessible work that could still make children feel included and to ensure they progressed and didn’t cause anxiety or concern while they worked at home. Now we find ourselves in very different circumstances and one that I believe could potentially be much more damaging to our most vulnerable learners.

I firmly believe that the first lockdown isn’t going to be the main cause for gaps in learning or issues around mental health, but this current climate will be. Pupils with anxiety, SEMH (Social, emotional, mental health), ASC,  attachment disorders and a plethora of other additional needs,  usually expertly managed by class teachers, support staff, SENDCos , families and other agencies working together to nurture and educate are now in situations in which this support network is not available in the same way, or at all. Due to isolating adults, burst bubbles, or decisions to move staff around to ensure there are adults to teach classes, the upheaval and effect on these pupils can be immense.  In the current climate, in which school leaders have been asked to ensure schools remain open seemingly at whatever the cost, it is absolutely vital, more than ever before that we are putting in structures and mechanisms to ensure that the long term effects are minimised for all our pupils, and a priority for those pupils with SEND. 

We know that consistency, routine and structures in the day are the key to low arousal, low anxiety and the safe haven that our pupils have become accustomed to in order to go about their day in relative normality. With this removed we could face the long term effects of serious SEMH issues, exacerbated by an unknown timescale in terms of returning to the ‘Old normal,’

So what ?

School leaders and particularly SENDCos need to think very strategically in the way in which they can support pupils with SEND right now. Despite the DFE’s very caring ‘Any redeployments should not be at the expense of supporting pupils with SEND’. Rather than waiting for the outcomes and effect on pupils, there are some good practices that we could all be doing now, to help support our most vulnerable pupils. As usual, the strategies and ideas below can be used as a whole school approach and will, I hope, be beneficial to all.

Information sharing of new staff

Some decent supply agencies will send through a picture and small biography of the teacher coming to cover the class. This is usually used for safeguarding purposes, but could easily be used to share with pupils that need that reassurance and to familiarise themselves with the adult who will be leading the lessons.

Pupil Passports

Likewise, ensuring the practitioner knows as much about the class as possible, is also good practice. Previously, we had pupil passports for any children that had a particular need, trigger or care plan. These are also known as one page profiles and give a simple crib sheet of information. This helped in a few different ways. Firstly, it gave the teacher an overview of the class need, it allowed them to plan strategies they may need to incorporate in the lesson and it gave key information for contact people or emergency procedures for care. A file for each class is kept in the office and given to the cover teacher on arrival. The SENDCo or member of SLT would give time to talk though and look at the file before talking through the structures of the day and the contact points for the adult.

Some good examples and templates can be found here…

https://www.sendgateway.org.uk/resources.pupil-passports.html

https://www.driveryouthtrust.com/from-one-page-profiles-to-pupil-passports-the-route-to-successful-inclusion-in-the-classroom/

A word of warning – Pupil Passports can be highly sensitive or confidential in nature. Asking the pupil if they are happy to share the information or having a version that contains enough information to support for a short period of time but does not expose too much, seems to work just as well. Also, ensuring they are not left on desks or in classrooms is vital and ensuring at all points that the pupil is happy to share the information ensures a continuation of trust and respect between all involved. 

Social Stories

Social stories are really simple to make and hugely effective. They were originally designed to support communication and social cues for children with ASC, social difficulties and developmental delay. They are particularly used for changes in routines or big changes like school transition. They are a simple set of communications that explain what or why something has happened or changes coming up. They can be really simply illustrated using things like ‘The Noun Project’ (https://thenounproject.com)  Communication in Print (Widgit) , or there are some prepared social stories, found here:

https://www.abaresources.com/social-stories/

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/communication/communication-tools/social-stories-and-comic-strip-coversations

We use them to correct or manage some behaviours, and have created some transition booklets for identified children, they can be used throughout the day and sent to parents who can use them with their children too. We used them effectively for our new Reception starters in Sept, when they were unable to attend the school for taster sessions. They introduced the building, the staff and the different learning environments and allowed parents to share throughout the summer, in readiness for the first day. 

 

Emotional check ins

We will be spending the next week or so, putting together a list of other available adults in the school that the pupils are familiar with as a point of contact either within their bubble, or with the ability to contact remotely, to ensure that our pupils can still access an emotional check in at different points in the day, directed by their personalised plans or APDR.

Not ‘over resourcing’ when you are away from the class

It is really easy to throw every type of resource into the mix to support when in a panic and wanting to be as helpful as possible. Often, less is more. For example, if a child is confident in using a number line, multiplication square, Numicon, or dienes apparatus alongside their personalised resources in maths, then just stick with those. Supplying them with unfamiliar items, even with the best intentions, could raise anxiety for both the student and the person teaching the class. There is a danger that they could be used incorrectly, and when you are finally all back into normal lessons and timetabling, you may need to deal with misconceptions or children feeling like they have failed to meet the expectations of the lesson.

….and finally…

Use your local cluster groups, SENCo Forums, trusts and social networks to ask for support and advice. More than ever, this is the time to ask questions, seek advice and work together collaboratively. There is no shame in asking for help, this is new, for everyone.