Special Education and Inclusive Learning
Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
A key part of the application process for a Teaching Assistant job is personal statement. A personal statement is a document that tells the panel who are doing the shortlisting about your motivations for wanting to become a Teaching Assistant. This guide will teach you how to write an effective personal statement for a Teaching… Continue reading Guide to Writing a Personal Statement for a Teaching Assistant Post
What is a Teaching Assistant? A teaching assistant is responsible for supporting pupils with special educational needs in the classroom. The main duties include working alongside classroom teachers to plan and implement lessons, providing one-on-one support to pupils, and helping to create a positive learning environment. This may be in a mainstream school, a special… Continue reading How to answer an interview question “What are the most important qualities of a teaching assistant?”
Developing pupil motivation using 10 evidence based strategies. Teaching Assistants (TAs) play a vital role in supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the classroom. One of the most important aspects of their work is to help these pupils develop a strong motivation to learn. This is crucial because pupils with SEN may face… Continue reading How can teachers and teaching assistants motivate pupils to learn?
Here are 10 interview questions that you may be asked when interviewing to become a teaching assistant (TA)/learning support assistant (LSA). I have also added a potential answer to a couple of the questions. Generic answers are good for ticking boxes but to really impress the interviewer you need examples from your previous experience. If… Continue reading Interview Questions and Answers for Teaching Assistants.
Free Christmas Sensory Story for PMLD/SLD pupils Slightly different from a more traditional sensory story Are You an Elf Christmas Sensory Story is one of our free "Dressing up" Sensory Stories. Throughout the story the learner will become an Elf. As with any activity the storyteller needs to be attuned to the learner's individual sensory… Continue reading A Christmas Sensory Story: Are you an Elf?
This post is based on "Leading a Team" training I delivered to colleagues in Kent special schools. It is aimed at ECTs, Teachers, and HLTAs. Anyone stepping up to lead a class in a special school becomes a leader of a team. This is usually of a team of Teaching or Learning Support Assistants (TA/LSA).… Continue reading Leading A Team For SEN Teachers/ECTs
Curious, Courageous, and Coaching Conversations in School. Leading conversations is not about power or forcing people to do as they are told. It is about gaining buy-in and building trust. When holding conversations around practice, or conflict there will be specific elements of people management but that is not leadership. As a leader you encourage… Continue reading Effective Courageous and Curious Conversations for Leaders in School.
When Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook's rebranding into Meta in October 2021 the word Metaverse spread throughout the world. To see the potential benefits and pitfalls of this for education we need to look beyond the publicity and hype. The vast majority of people are detached from the tech-rabbit hole of blockchain, crypto and AI. What… Continue reading Education and the Metaverse
This is a record of the January 2022 #SENexchange discussion of themes from this brand new free document. A beginners guide to Ableism tapestry.info/a-beginners-gu… This topic is so important. Emily Lees, an autistic speech and Language Therapist wrote the guide. This should be read by everyone who works in the field of SEN. Our write-ups… Continue reading Discussing A Beginners Guide To Ableism
How doesn't love a chance to dress up! This pirate themed sensory story is a little different to our others. I have tried to make it accessible to learners who need minimal language and repetition. I have tried to write for the earlier stages of our sensory story progression stages. Pirate Themed Sensory Story This… Continue reading Am I a Pirate? Sensory Story
Individual interaction styles can have a huge impact on learning. When working with young people with SEN there are many different strategies and approaches to engage them in learning. What is often overlooked is the adult's interaction style. This can influence not only engagement but behaviour, wellbeing and, well all outcomes really. I would like… Continue reading Develop Authentic Interaction Styles To Improve Learning
This is a record of an #SENexchange online discussion on Making Schools Listen: Amplifying Parent Voice in Education. This aligns with value 5 of the School of Joy Approach - community and coproduction. A few years ago I co-wrote a post with Claire Ryan on school/parent partnership. I wrote it from the perspective of the… Continue reading Making Schools Listen: Amplifying Parent Voice In Education
100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play: Fun Activities for Young Children with SEN by Georgina Durrant was released in June 2021. This book* builds on the success of Georgina's website The SEN Resources Blog. In the book Georgina shares 100 activities that are designed to provide inclusive learning opportunities for any child. You… Continue reading 100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play: A Book Review
I have been leading behaviour in schools for nearly 10 years now. My approach and ethos has evolved over that time. One area that I haven't changed is the idea that relationships are the key element in effective behaviour support. I know this is sometimes not enough, but if a strong trusting relationship (not friendship!)… Continue reading Relationships and Behaviour Support: A Reflection
The Town and Country Sensory Story was written for the cornerstones industrial revolution topic. This was designed to be meaningful for PMLD learners as well as their peers so they can all take something away from the shared experience of multi-sensory storytelling. If you are interested in finding out more about sensory stories have a… Continue reading Town and Country Sensory Story
It is not uncommon to see EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plans) targets linked to Social Skills, Play and Peer Interactions However these often present unique challenges to children with SEND and especially autistic children. These challenges go beyond “they don’t know how”. It is much more complex than that. When designing interventions to meet… Continue reading Peer Interactions, Social Skills, and Play: EHCP Targets
Why should you give children breaks to help them learn? This post was inspired by an overheard conversation and links two issues. Access to planned interventions and the provision of learning breaks throughout the day. A parent of an autistic child was questioning whether a school should have stopped their child from attending their sensory… Continue reading Using Breaks To Enhance Learning
Our Charles Darwin: Voyage of the Beagle multi-sensory story was Written for a Key Stage 4 class. To link with the cornerstones topic “Darwin’s Delight”. There is some quite complex vocabulary so this story fits into our stage 5 immersive storytelling band. I wrote this more for SLD pupils than PMLD but you can adapt… Continue reading Darwin: Voyage of the Beagle Multi-Sensory Story
Every child learns differently. They learn to read and write at their own pace. It’s common for kids to struggle when reading and writing at some point or another, and most find strategies to overcome it. But, if you see your child constantly struggling in reading which is making him or her lag behind their… Continue reading Understanding Dyslexia – How Teachers Can Help
Imposter syndrome is a really common issue for people in education. I started this website as a reflective blog whilst completing the NPQML leadership course, since then it has evolved into a special education teaching resources and ideas website. Over the last 5 years, over half a million people have visited. I know this is… Continue reading Imposter Syndrome in Education
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