The SENDcast

This week we welcome Lana Grant to the show. Lana is a specialist advisor and advocate for people with autism and their families. COVID has changed many things and children have been out of formal education for many months. There is talk of catch up lessons, extra homework etc but how does this look for our most vulnerable pupils? Is it time for a new way of teaching and learning? The curriculum introduced in 2014 is not fit for purpose, particularly for our SEN/neurodiverse children. The future of schooling is uncertain in the current time with the pandemic still amongst us. We need to act now to ensure that we are not caught out as we were in March. We need a living curriculum that doesn't measure success and worse failure on if you pass a phonics assessment in year 1 etc.

This week on the show Fintan O'Regan returns to discuss good mental health and the power of mood. Fin is one of the leading behaviour and learning specialists in the UK. He is currently an SEN and Behaviour Consultant for the Schools Network and an associate lecturer for Leicester University, the National Association of Special Needs, Tribal Education and the Institute of Education. Contact Fintan: https://www.fintanoregan.com/ For more podcast episodes from the SENDcast click below… https://www.thesendcast.com/sendcast-episodes/

In this week's podcast Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Sarah Jane Critchley to discuss the Recovery Curriculum, designed to help heal the trauma of COVID 19. This is the second part of this episode, so if you missed the previous episode, please go listen to that one first. In a post-COVID world, many children in our schools will have experienced a number of losses and the schools they are returning to are not the same as the places they left. They have lost routine, structure, friendship, opportunity and freedom. How can listening to them and their parents help their academic as well as emotional recovery? Useful Links: Recovery Curriculum Think Piece by Professor Barry Carpenter and Matthew Carpenter - https://barrycarpentereducation.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/recovery-curriculum-loss-and-life-for-our-children-and-schools-post-pandemic.pdf Tina Rae. A Toolbox of Wellbeing - Helpful strategies & activities for children, teens, their carers & teachers. Hinton House, 2020. http://hintonpublishers.com/isbn_template.php?isbn=978-19-12112-55-5&x=65&y=39 Happiness Box – Beverley Cockbill - https://www.evidenceforlearning.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Rationale-for-the-Happiness-Box-Bev-Cockbill-Recovery-Curriculum-LearningShared-Ep-7.pdf Books Beyond Words – Coping with coronavirus https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/coping-with-coronavirus Mental health Journals for 4 stages KS1/2 KS2/3, KS3/4 and KS 4/5 from Butterfly Print UK https://www.butterflyprint.co.uk/product-category/mental-health/mental-health-journals/ How to contact Sarah-Jane: Twitter: @SarahJaneCritch Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahjanecritchley/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/differentjoy/

In this week's podcast Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Sarah Jane Critchley to discuss the Recovery Curriculum, designed to help heal the trauma of COVID 19. We ran a little longer than normal, so this show has been split into two parts, but don't worry the second part will be available as soon as you've finished this one. In a post-COVID world, many children in our schools will have experienced a number of losses and the schools they are returning to are not the same as the places they left. They have lost routine, structure, friendship, opportunity and freedom. How can listening to them and their parents help their academic as well as emotional recovery? Useful Links: Recovery Curriculum Think Piece by Professor Barry Carpenter and Matthew Carpenter - https://barrycarpentereducation.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/recovery-curriculum-loss-and-life-for-our-children-and-schools-post-pandemic.pdf Tina Rae. A Toolbox of Wellbeing - Helpful strategies & activities for children, teens, their carers & teachers. Hinton House, 2020. http://hintonpublishers.com/isbn_template.php?isbn=978-19-12112-55-5&x=65&y=39 Happiness Box – Beverley Cockbill - https://www.evidenceforlearning.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Rationale-for-the-Happiness-Box-Bev-Cockbill-Recovery-Curriculum-LearningShared-Ep-7.pdf Books Beyond Words – Coping with coronavirus https://booksbeyondwords.co.uk/coping-with-coronavirus Mental health Journals for 4 stages KS1/2 KS2/3, KS3/4 and KS 4/5 from Butterfly Print UK https://www.butterflyprint.co.uk/product-category/mental-health/mental-health-journals/ How to contact Sarah-Jane: Twitter: @SarahJaneCritch Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahjanecritchley/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/differentjoy/

In this episode we will address some of the concerns but also consider some of positives that returning to school will have for children and young people and Fintan O'Regan is joining us to discuss. Fin is one of the leading behaviour and learning specialists in the UK. He is currently an SEN and Behaviour Consultant for the Schools Network and an associate lecturer for Leicester University, the National Association of Special Needs, Tribal Education and the Institute of Education. Contact Fintan: https://www.fintanoregan.com/ For more podcast episodes from the SENDcast click below… https://www.thesendcast.com/sendcast-episodes/

In this week's podcast, Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Angharad Welch to discuss Speech and Language in children with Down Syndrome. Angharad Welch is a Speech and Language Therapist who runs Find the Key Speech and Language Therapy. Angharad has worked with a number of organisations including NASEN and ourselves at B Squared, she also speaks at various events. Children and young people with Down syndrome have a variety of traits that can effect speech and language, including working memory, hearing, speech-motor difficulties as well as slow vocabulary acquisition and speech-motor effects. Useful Links Down Syndrome International https://www.down-syndrome.org/en-gb/ Down Syndrome Association https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/ Contact Angharad Welch Website – www.findthekeyslt.co.uk Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/findthekeyslt Email – findthekeyslt@hotmail.com Twitter – @FindthekeySLT For more podcast episodes from the SENDcast click below… https://www.thesendcast.com/sendcast-episodes/

In this week's podcast Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Carol Allen and John Galloway to discuss CPD for Inclusion. Apart from this obviously amazing podcast, we are discussing where can teachers go to access the information and support they need in order to improve their inclusive practice. Carol is an education advisor for ICT and Inclusion in particular supporting the London Grid For Learning and Hartlepool LA. She was named one of the top ten educators for 2018 in the field of educational technology. This was down to all her amazing work on inclusion. John is a specialist in the use of technology to improve educational opportunities for children and young people with special educational needs. He spends the majority of his time working with Tower Hamlets LA, but also does lots of working as a writer, consultant and trainer. Teaching is one of the professions that is always changing and there is always a need to continue to learn and develop. As well as CPD directed by schools, many teachers will find their own ways to learn and keep up to date with the latest changes and information. There needs to be a lot more CPD around SEND for all teachers, not just for SENCOs and those working in special schools. With pressures on time and money, it is not easy to achieve. In the podcast we discuss ways teachers can access CPD around SEND, including informal training like Teachmeets. We also discuss the impact COVID will have on CPD going forward and how schools will need to adapt. Useful Links TES SEN Show - https://www.tessenshow.co.uk/ Training for Education - https://www.trainingforeducation.com/ Teachmeets - http://teachmeet.pbworks.com/w/page/19975349/FrontPage To TeachMeet or not? - https://thirdspacelearning.com/blog/teachmeet-not-teachmeet-networking-essential-good-teaching-practice/ Carol Allen on Twitter - @caroljallen John Galloway on Twitter - @Johngalloway

In this week's podcast, Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Angharad Welch who is giving us an introduction to Augmentative and Alternative Communication, more commonly referred to as its acronym AAC. When people think about AAC they often think of high tech solutions, but there is lots of low-tech options which can be very effective. Angharad Welch is a Speech and Language Therapist who runs Find the Key Speech and Language Therapy. Angharad has worked with a number of organisations including NASEN and ourselves at B Squared, she also speaks at various events. Angharad Welch is a Speech and Language Therapist who runs Find the Key Speech and Language Therapy. Angharad has worked with a number of organisations including NASEN and ourselves at B Squared, she also speaks at various events. Useful Links PrAACtial AAC - https://praacticalaac.org/ Contact Angharad Welch Website – www.findthekeyslt.co.uk Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/findthekeyslt Email – findthekeyslt@hotmail.com Twitter – @FindthekeySLT For more podcast episodes from the SENDcast click below… https://www.thesendcast.com/sendcast-episodes/

In this week's podcast Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Angharad Welch to discuss communication friendly environments, also referred to language rich environment or communication friendly spaces. Angharad Welch isa Speech and Language Therapist who runs Find the Key Speech and Language Therapy. Angharad has worked with a number of organisations including NASEN and ourselves at B Squared, she also speaks at various events. A communication friendly environment is something that supports all pupils, but especially for pupils struggling with speech, language or communication needs. It is not always big changes, but by making these changes you are removing some of the barriers that prevent or limit children's development. When we are talking about a communication friendly environment, it isn't just what is in the classroom, it is how we structure the day and the opportunities we give children. Useful Links Communication Trust www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk Elklan Training 'Communication Friendly Settings' https://www.elklan.co.uk/information/commissioners-schools/communication-friendly-settings Contact Angharad Welch Website – www.findthekeyslt.co.uk Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/findthekeyslt Email – findthekeyslt@hotmail.com Twitter – @FindthekeySLT For more podcast episodes from the SENDcast click below… https://www.thesendcast.com/sendcast-episodes/

In this week's podcast Dale Pickles from B Squared is joined by Carol Allen and John Galloway to discuss education technology and how to do it for low cost or no cost. Carol is an education advisor for ICT and Inclusion in particular supporting the London Grid For Learning and Hartlepool LA. She was named one of the top ten educators for 2018 in the field of educational technology. This was down to all her amazing work on inclusion. John is a specialist in the use of technology to improve educational opportunities for children and young people with special educational needs. He spends the majority of his time working with Tower Hamlets LA, but also does lots of working as a writer, consultant and trainer. Technology is amazing, but also expensive which means schools don't always have a lot of tech. The first step when thinking about using technology is to understand what you have. This sounds simple, but it isn't always. You might be able to list all the equipment you have and all the software/apps you have, but do you know what they are all capable of? Software like Microsoft Office has been continually developed over the last 20 years. Office 365 has lots of amazing features around accessibility, including speech to text and text to speech. There are new features every year. Microsoft aren't alone, Google and lots of other companies are doing the same. In the podcast we discuss how you can use tech better, understand what you have and find out how to get more out what you have. There are also lots of free tools out there to help. Useful Links Clicker - https://www.cricksoft.com/uk/clicker/8 Microsoft Accessibility Information - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/office?activetab=pivot_1:primaryr2 Google Accessibility Information - https://www.google.co.uk/accessibility/ Carol Allen on Twitter - @caroljallen John Galloway on Twitter - @Johngalloway