Over the past couple of months I have been working with the Down's Syndrome Association to develop an information campaign about the inclusion of pupils who have Down's syndrome in education. This week sees the start of a fifteen week information campaign, covering a wide range of topics that research and people who have Down's syndrome have told us is important to the successful inclusion of pupils who have Down's syndrome. The first week's content is live with the theme 'Back to school' 

Over the coming weeks a range of topics will be discussed, and there will also be some events you can attend too. I will keep posting here so you can access the resources quickly and easily but you can sign up for email updates too. What is really exciting is that I will be able to share some short videos here made by and with young people who have Down's syndrome talking about education (including my daughter) so you can hear about what is important to them from their own words. I honestly cannot wait to share these with you. One of the best bits of my role for the DSA is being able to meet with these young people and to chat to them about their experiences of education. 

In the meantime, here are some top tips for educators who might be welcoming a pupil who has Down's syndrome to their classroom in the next couple of weeks:

• Read the pupil’s Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and any professional reports, making a note of anything you need to ask the parents or your colleagues/SENCO about.
• Consider the terminology you use when discussing or writing about your new pupil who has Down’s syndrome (see the DSA's terminology guide) and share information about this with your colleagues.
• Ensure that you have had a really good handover meeting with previous staff/SENCO before the start of term (or as soon as possible in the new term).
• Familiarise yourself with any specialised ICT/tech/requirements for worksheets, resources etc to support your planning for the pupil’s learning in your classroom.
• Meet with the child’s Learning Support Assistants and agree how you will work together, ensuring that there is sufficient time for you to plan the curriculum and your teaching, and for them to produce differentiated resources to support this.
• Arrange a check in meeting with the family fairly soon into the term; give it a couple of weeks to get to know their child first and then you will have something to talk about. 
• Think about how you will share information about inclusive practice and why this is important with your colleagues, including non-teaching staff. Inclusion is the role of everyone in the school not just the class teacher or SENCO.
• Start to get familiar with the International Guidelines on the education of learners with Down Syndrome  
• Check out what other resources are available from the Down’s Syndrome Association that will help you welcome the pupil to your classroom.