As an experienced teacher and SENDCo, I have worked in primary and secondary schools in Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. I have a particular interest in the implementation of SEND provision in mainstream schools and developed my research during the pandemic lockdowns to write my book 'Inclusive Education at the Crossroads: exploring effective special education in Global contexts,' with my co-author Professor Garry Hornby. I have since written short related papers for international publications. I'm also a great supporter of Special Needs Jungle which I follow keenly. I belong to the SEND Policy Research Forum, and the Division of International Special Education & Services (Dises). I am now continuing some independent research exploring the causes behind the growing rise in the number of children presenting with SEND and would welcome the views of other researchers on this subject.
Potential forum
Introducing myself and my interest in SEND
Recent Comments
Thank you very much for the interesting discussion material coming out of this meeting I wish I had been at the meeting. Just as a preliminary comment, before reading all the material, I would like to say something about why many SENDCos have been kept in a middle leadership rather than a senior leadership position in schools.
Firstly, many SENDCos are promoted internally or hired without having trained and qualified with a level 7 NASENCO award so are assumed to be 'training' on the job. The other main reason which I talk about in my book 'Inclusive Education at the Crossroads' is that there is an inevitable conflict of interest between the role of the SENDCo and the senior leadership team when it comes to allocating a school's notional funding for the provision of SEND. They also experience a conflict of interest with Multi-Academy Trust leadership teams, whose job is to distribute high needs funding in its schools for the support of its students with high levels of SEND on statutory support.
The SENDCo role is essentially designed to protect the best interests of the individual students involved and oversee the appropriate use of the funding for whom it is intended. This goes for both pupils on SEND support as well as those with EHCPs. Unfortunately, there is no oversight by Ofsted, or other supervisory body, to ensure that this funding is implemented as specified by specialists on a child's EHCP or prior to a child receiving one. Sometimes, MAT leaders are happy to allow these requirements to remain vague in EHCPs, in order not to have to be bound by any specific statutory advice.
The issue of unprotected funding, and allocation of staff resources, is at the heart of the conflict between SENDCos and the senior leadership team, and also the tension between them and parents. Until all funding is properly ring-fenced for support measures to be implemented as intended, and appropriately staffed, all these relationships will not work in harmony with one another, and will continue to cause endless frustration.
Thank you so much for this interesting insight into PANS and PANDAS. Do you think the causes are related to a disorder of the immune system and therefore linked to neurological development? The question now in my mind is whether those who have experienced sudden onset of symptoms post vaccination may also be because they are susceptible in a similar way as those children who have suffered PANS or PANDAS following an infection? Is there any research on this?
Visiting homes and tutoring SEN students who mainly refuse to attend school due to lack of support at school and SENCO refusing to believe they have SEN need. Surely, whatever their SEN need should be supported? Been an eye opener to the inconsistencies and inefficiencies of SEN in secondary schools. As a result, there are a lot if frustrated parents, who cannot attain school places more fitting for their child, ie a lot of LEAs pushing students into mainstream which is not the right place for some students with autism with extreme high anxiety.
Hi Heidi,
I have a lot of sympathy with this view and believe it is much more widely felt than commonly discussed. Your type of experience is one we aim to open up discussion about and reflect on extensively in chapters 6 and 7 of our book Inclusive Education at the Crossroads: Exploring Effective Special provision in Global Contexts by Gordon-Gould and Hornby. It is important that as a society we confront the real issues facing the effective provision of special needs today.
All the best.
Philippa