Bid to cut SEN exclusions

Schools are to get new guidelines aimed at cutting the exclusions of children with special educational needs.
Children with SEN are more than eight times as likely to be excluded from school then other pupils, according to government figures.
Schools secretary Ed Balls also announced a review of the supply of teachers who are trained to meet the needs of children with severe learning difficulties, and a plan to test new ways of assessing children with SEN.
Balls commended the role of teaching assistants in supporting children with SEN. He said, "The vast majority of parents are happy with the support they receive and pleased with the school their child attends, and teaching assistants play a crucial role in helping some children with SEN".
But he said more expert teachers were needed.
On exclusions, Balls said new government guidance on behaviour would make it a priority to tackle exclusions of SEN pupils.
Read the DCSF announcement

TAs can "stigmatise" SEN children

Teaching assistants should not work exclusively on a 1:1 basis with pupils, according to researchers. Although some children might need some 1:1 support, it's better for them if they are supported as part of a group.

Studies also underline the importance of teachers and teaching assistants to have allocated planning time together.

Studies on the impact of teaching assistants working with pupils with SEN in mainstream schools give mixed messages, but half the studies said too much reliance on teaching assistant support can hinder children's interaction with other pupils and teachers, and may lead to them feeling stigmatised.

TAs need to be skilled at encouraging children to interact with others, but also to be sensitive about times when a pupil needs to make up their own mind about what to do, say academics. Other studies said TAs can have a positive impact on pupils with SEN by helping them engage in school work, and if they have been trained, in communicating with other children.

In general research shows that teaching assistants have made a big, positive difference to children's learning both directly and through their support for teachers.Trained TAs working in the classroom help pupils with literacy and language problems make significant gains in learning.

Teaching assistants also have an impact on the way teachers work. Their presence allows teachers to introduce more creative and practical activities than they could otherwise, and to spend more time working with groups and individuals.
Having another adult in the classroom makes teachers feel supported and less stressed. Knowing that children are getting more attention and support makes teachers' job more satisfying.

Team teaching in which TAs support small groups in whole class activities promote a more inclusive ethos. TAs can also mediate between teachers and parents, encouraging parents to get more involved in their child's schooling. But schools need to take care that teachers also maintain good contacts with parents.

Academics at Manchester university and London's Institute of Education reviewed all the research studies on the impact of teaching assistants, and their implications for government policy and for practice in schools.

They say

• the largely positive impact of TAs needs to be encouraged through a stronger framework for training, and a career structure capable of motivating teaching assistants.

• Teacher training needs to include training on working collaboratively with teaching assistants.

• Pupils with special needs learn and participate more easily if 1:1 support is kept to a minimum.

• Teachers and TAs should work as a team to plan support for individual pupils, but teachers should use TAs across the whole class rather than assign them exclusively to individual children.

• TAs are most effective in schools where they are part of the staff team which values their contribution to decision making, and where the different complementary roles of teachers and TAs are clearly understood and respected.

The impact of adult support staff on pupils and mainstream schools
Alison Alborz and others. Department for Children, Schools and Families 2009.

Poor memory blights one in ten children

A bad memory could be causing underachievement for almost half a million primary school children,say researchers.

A team from Durham University found that in 10 per cent of the 3,000 children they studied, poor working memory was responsible for seriously affecting their learning.

In many cases, teachers described these children as being inattentive or less intelligent.

A working memory is the ability to hold information in your head and manipulate it.

It would be used regularly at school, for example when adding numbers together in your head, or when writing down sentences already said by a teacher.

The problem is thought to be genetic, and can affect long-term academic success.

As a result of the study researchers have produced a checklist which can be used by teachers to identify whether children are experiencing memory problems.

"Steep rise" in autism

Experts on autism believe that there has been a steep rise in the number of children affected by the condition.

Some 12,000 primary school children were studied over three years by a team at Cambridge University, acknowledged for its world class Autism Research Centre. They estimate that one in 58 children is now affected by autism.

Autism and related conditions can make it difficult for children to make friends or lead them to display obsessive behaviour.

The as yet unpublished findings have now been used to call for improved education provision for autistic children.

Dr Simon Baron Cohen, who led the research, said: “We are urging Gordon Brown to provide a world class education for all children with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome… even autism units equipped with sensory rooms in mainstream primary and secondary schools.”