SEN Governors Meeting Jeannette Veira, Head of Behaviour and Attendance

1. SEN Governors Meeting Jeannette Veira, Head of Behaviour and Attendance Carol Gamble, SEN Governor Jackie Hibbert, School Development Adviser (SEN/Inclusion) Charlie Palmer, Head of Specialist Education Services May 2008

2. Contents 1. Role of Governors in Managing Exclusions Jeannette Veira (Head of Behaviour and Attendance) 2. The County Autism Forum Carole Gamble, (SEN Governor) 3. Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning and the Inclusion Development Programme (Jackie Hibbert, School Development Adviser) 4. Meetings to Help Schools Monitor SEN Support Charlie Palmer, (Head of Specialist Education Services) 5. Time to discuss local issues

3. Role of Governors in Managing Exclusions Jeannette Veira (Head of Behaviour and Attendance)

4. The Role of Governors in Managing Exclusions Aim: To ensure that school governors are fully aware of their responsibilities when children are excluded from school for disciplinary offences. Key Catergories: • The Strategic • The Critical Friend • Ensuring Accountability

5. Ensuring Accountability The Governing Body must decide whether the headteacher’s decision was justified or whether it is appropriate to re-instate the pupil. This role must be discharged by a Discipline Committee: • Committee Chair • Clerk should be appointed • Qurom for meetings (3) • Committee (3 or 5 governors)

6. Procedure at the Discipline Committee Meeting • Chair opens meeting and explains procedure • Opportunity for excluded pupil to attend the meeting if appropriate • Chair explains facts and allows each party to put their case • A local authority officer may be present to offer technical advice, but has no role in the decision making • The Committee should inform the parent/carer, the headteacher and the local authority of its decision in writing, within one day of the hearing, stating the reasons

7. Special Educational Needs School governing bodies have a legal duty to ensure that the necessary educational provision is made for any pupil who has special educational needs (SEN). Unless there are exceptional circumstances, schools should not permanently exclude pupils with special educational needs, whether or not they have a statement. If it seems likely that a pupil with special educational needs is in danger of being excluded, the school should examine the support in place and do everything possible to keep the pupil in school, such as: • Seeking advice from the local authority and other professional advice and support • Asking the local authority to carry out a statutory assessment or reassessment • Arranging an early annual review if the child has a statement of special educational needs

8. Special Educational Needs Before deciding whether to exclude a pupil, governors should: • Ensure that an appropriate investigation has been carried out • Consider all the evidence available, taking into account the school’s behaviour and equal opportunities policies and, if applicable, the Race Relations and Disability Discrimination Acts • Talk to the pupil to allow them to give their version of events • Check whether the incident may have been provoked, for example by bullying or by racial or sexual harassment • Ensure that other alternatives have been considered

9. 2. The County Autism Forum Carole Gamble, (SEN Governor)

10. Leicestershire County Autism ForumMulti agency Forum Childrens servicesRepresentatives from Educational Psychology Autism OutreachSocial Care Schools – primary, secondary, special schools, governorrepresentationVoluntary SectorParent & Carer Council – Chair plus PCC Family support workerRepresentative from Leicestershire Autistic Society HealthSpeech & language TherapistCAMHS

11. Role of the Group: Meet termly • Helping to shape the development of provision for pupils and families with ASD within Children’s Services through debate and discussion • Promoting partnership between LA and voluntary sector • Identifying best practice and promoting it • To seek clarification on policy and practice in relation to ASD provision and support • Forum for consultation concerning ASD and SEN policy • Raising awareness of ASD needs and issues

12. “The role of the group is advisory, it should not vote or pass resolutions but should debate, question, seek clarification, request information, sponsor development work.”

13. Criteria for membership • Voluntary Agencies • Practical involvement with support to families of children with ASD. • Management responsibility for agencies offering provision to children with ASD and their families. • An ability to represent the views of a range of parents/carers of children with ASD. • An ability to represent the perspective of children and young people with ASD.

14. Criteria for membership • Professionals • Direct contact with children and young people with an autistic spectrum disorder and their families • Management responsibility for services that offer advice and support to families and children with ASD • Management responsibility for school provision for children with ASD • An ability to act as representative for groups of schools or other agencies offering provision to children with ASD and their families. • Responsibility for co-ordination and formulation of services that provide for children with ASD and their families.

15. Topics Covered New SEN Criteria - ASD procedures & provision Area Special Schools - Provision for ASD pupils- environmental factors i.e avoiding sensory overload Transition Issues - Changes between school stages - Transition of LSA’s into new settings Diagnostic Pathway

16. Topics Covered Funding - e.g. Delegation - Short breaks / respite issues for parent/carers - Behaviour management for parents – ADHD 1-2-3 Magic Course Training and raising awareness for - Parents & carers - teachers - school staff - Social Care staff Service Updates – All agencies contribute

17. SEN Governor Role • Forum requested that SEN Governor Representative raise awareness to other SEN Governors that there is representation on the County Forum • Governor Representative fed back governor issues • Governor perspective

18. How can SEN Governors raise issues at the Forum? Carole Gamble Long Field High School Frisby on the Wreake (C of E) Primary School

19. 3. Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning and the Inclusion Development Programme Jackie Hibbert, (School Development Adviser)

20. The Inclusion Development Programme (IDP) 4 year programme of training for all school staff. Year 1: Dyslexia & Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) Year 2: Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Year 3: Behaviour, Social and Emotional Difficulties (BESD) Year 4: Learning and Cognition Needs (Used to be called Moderate Learning Difficulties)

21. IDP – The Training • Foundation Level Knowledge (FLK), aimed to get all staff to that standard. • Self-evaluation • Background • Identifying Barriers • Overcoming Barriers • Pointers to further training and materials

22. How will it roll out? • October ½ day training for Headteachers (or their representative) who will then organise training in their own school. • Central training for Local Authority staff working in schools. • Playgroups and Childminders will also receive training packs via Area SENCOs and EY Team.

23. IDP: Web-based Learning • The majority of the materials are already on the web: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/features/inclusion/sen/idp (Materials are differentiated for Secondary and Primary, but both accessed through the above link)

24. Audit Commission Self-Evaluation Tool • Helps schools judge value for money for SEN • Launched 12th May on audit commission website • http://sen-aen.audit-commission.gov.uk • Web-based – you answer a questionnaire and it creates an action plan for the school • Good opportunity for SEN governor and SENCo to work together

25. SEAL update • PRIMARY SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) • 2008-9 SEAL/Behaviour for learning partnerships open to all schools and free. Schools self-nominate. • Targeted support to schools needing additional help to implement SEAL.

26. SSEAL update • Secondary SEAL – not a subject based teaching package; most effective when used by all staff. • 2008-9 second year of roll-out to at least 45% of schools.

27. Bercow Review • The interim report from John Bercow on support for children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs is now available on the web. Final report in July. • Broader than education. • Increased importance given to Family support.

28. 4. Meetings to Help Schools Monitor SEN Support Charlie Palmer, (Head of Specialist Education Services)

29. Monitoring SEN Provision in Schools • Previously, an inspectorial system • Visits, observation, report…? • Now • Links to SDA process • Supported self review • Three year planning cycle

30. Good to Great for SEN Meetings • 5 alternative half days around the county • Head, SENCO and SEN Governor • Offered annually in April • Each school advised to attend once in 2 or 3 years

31. Good to Great for SEN Aims: • to review effectiveness of provision • hear examples of best practice • plan the further development of provision

32. 5. Time to discuss local issues Issues for future meetings: • Spring 2009 • Summer 2009