The leadership of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs

Janet Thompson HMI

National adviser - disability and special educational needs

May 2013

The leadership and management of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs

This session deals with aspects of leadership and management of provision, and evaluation of outcomes for disabled pupils and those with special education needs including how these are covered in the inspection schedule.

 

Local offer

local authorities - required to publish a

local offer of services for the wide spectrum of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs.

To give families clear, accessible information about what support is available locally from their local authority, schools and health services, and how to access more specialist support if their child’s needs are not being met.

Local offer

Universal provision within a school

Quality and effectiveness

Universal adaptations (includes adapted curriculum AP

etc)

Specialists within

schools

Access to outreach / services

Specialist provision ST and LT

Highly specialist

Networks/sharing expertiseJoint commissioning

Local offer

Ofsted looks beyond what to the quality and effectiveness of what is being offered and how this is demonstrated by the achievement of pupils

Inspection is primarily about evaluating how well individual pupils benefit from their school. It is important to test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential.

Raising standards, improving lives

Task 1

Video clip of a SENCo interview with an inspector

Identify the main aspects of the management of provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs that are covered in this clip.

Are there any key aspects missing?

Discuss these in twos or threes and be prepared to feedback key points.

 The Special Educational Needs and Disability Review (Ofsted, 2010)

The identification of special educational needs

Around half the schools and early years provision visited used low attainment and relatively slow progress as their principal indicators of a special educational need. Having identified pupils with special educational needs in this way, some providers saw this as a reason for continued low attainment or slow progress. While the providers visited generally wanted to have access to the right support to help children and young people achieve more, in too many cases there was a culture of excuses.

In just over half the providers visited, staff had good or outstanding expertise in special educational needs which meant that their assessment of needs was more secure. The best staff were also clear about their limitations and how to gain access to higher-level specialists when needed. The best practice distinguished clearly between pupils who were underachieving because of weaknesses in provision and those whose particular special educational needs were hampering their learning.

Best Practice

Strong teaching and learning

Accurate assessment and identification

Well-designed curriculum

Close tracking and rigorous monitoring of progress with intervention quickly put in place

A thorough evaluation of the impact of additional provision (including staff & alternative provision)

Clear routes to gain specialist support

AMBITION

Does good assessment make a difference?

Where assessment was good or outstanding, the achievement of just under two thirds of children and young people was good or outstanding.

Where assessment was satisfactory or inadequate, achievement was good or outstanding for just over a quarter of children and young people.

However, even where assessment was accurate, timely, and identified the appropriate additional support, this did not guarantee that the support would be of good quality.

Assessment and identification - common features of good practice:

careful analysis of progress and development

accurate evaluation of the quality of academic and pastoral provision for all pupils

staff who could identify frequently found learning difficulties

assessments accessible for children, young people, parents and families

trust in previous assessments, built upon in a formative way.

The Evaluation schedule expects:

accurate information about pupils’ attainment and progress that they make

the identification of pupils who are making less than expected progress and/or are unlikely on current performance to make expected or higher attainment

arrangements to be in place for these pupils to increase their progress and raise their attainment

regular and accurate monitoring of the progress that these pupils are made

 

The Evaluation schedule expects:

rigorous moderation of the assessment of pupils’ attainment levels and target setting

effective support arrangements to show that the rate of progress has increased and the ‘gap’ is narrowing

regular review of the quality of support arrangements with respect to pupils’ outcomes, and changes made where they are not effective.

 

The Evaluation schedule expects: a curriculum that is broad, balanced and meets

the needs, interests of pupils, and promotes high levels of achievement, good behaviour and successful progression to the next stage of education, training or employment. (Note the prominence of reading, writing and mathematics in the schedule)

successful strategies for working with parents to the benefit of pupils, including those who find working with school difficult.

 

Assessment & identification

When a student is achieving below the level expected for their age or making slower progress than anticipated, analyse the effectiveness of generic teaching and systems for support before deciding a student has special educational needs. Look to improving general provision to meet a wider range of needs rather than always increasing additional provision.

How well does your school meet the expectations?

Do you know all pupils’ attainments accurately?

Is there close tracking and monitoring of attainment and progress?

Do you know who are attaining below the expected  levels for their age? Do you know which pupils are not making expected progress?

How well do you monitor the effectiveness of the support for pupils performing below expected levels for their age and less than expected progress? Has these pupils’ progress accelerated?

Do you take into account of the quality of provision when identifying pupils with special educational needs?

Is information about the quality of special educational needs provision is obtained from lesson observation? How is this information used to improve provision?

Is the above information provided effectively to the senior leadership team and to Governors?

 

Achievement

Achievement

High aspirations and a focus on enabling children and young people to be as independent as possible led most reliably to the best achievement. (SEND Review, Ofsted (2010)

Best Practice

Achievement

Requirements for high aspiration:

know accurately pupils’ attainment levels

know what is aspirational yet realistic progress

use close tracking to monitor progress

review provision if pupils are not on track

consider rigorously the role of the quality of provision to the progress made

challenge your own expectations

Evaluating achievement

When judging achievement, inspectors must have regard for pupils’ starting points, age and the progress that the lowest attaining pupils are making.

Inspectors must take account of the learning and progress of different groups of pupils currently on the roll of the school, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

Evidence gathered by inspectors during the course of the inspection may include case studies of individual pupils, particularly the lowest attaining pupils.

In primary schools and some secondary schools, inspectors will listen to pupils read in order to assess their standard and rates of progress in reading with a particular focus on weaker readers.

For those groups of pupils whose cognitive ability is such that their attainment is unlikely ever to rise above ‘low’, the judgement on achievement should be based on an evaluation of the pupils’ learning and progress relative to their starting points at particular ages, and any assessment measures held by the school. Evaluations should not take account of their attainment compared with national benchmarks.

Information should be available about pupils’ progress in the last three years, including looked after children, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

The evidence gathered should include:

the proportion meeting and exceeding expected progress from different starting points compared with national figures*

use of data below National Curriculum Level 1, including the national data analysis**

any analysis of robust progress data presented by the school, including information provided by external organisations.

*Expected progress is defined by the government as two National Curriculum levels of progress between Key Stages 1 and 2 and three National Curriculum levels of progress between Key Stages 2 and 4.

**Expected progress for pupils attaining below Level 1 of the National Curriculum at the end of Key Stages 1 or 2 is explained in Subsidiary Guidance.

Task 2 RAISE on line activity

Look at the RAISE on line extracts (they are from different schools).

Work with a partner and identify some key questions you would want to investigate if this was your school.

This green flag suggests that attainment shown by capped average point scores demonstrates that pupils are SIG+ for attainment.. Inspectors must look at expectations for all pupils compared with this figure and not compared with other SEN with statements (which is how the flag is identified) . It is not appropriate in inspection to compare SEN with SEN based on national data. In this school the pupils have sensory impairments not cognitive impairments and therefore the expectations should be in line with all pupils nationally.

Look at this again and compare with for all pupils nationally.

Subsidiary Guidance Available national data should be used as part of the evaluation of

progress made by pupils attaining below level 1 of the National Curriculum at the end of Key Stage 1 or 2.

This data should be used alongside any additional analyses of progress undertaken by the school.

These analyses should be considered alongside the broader range of evidence of learning and progress obtained during the inspection.

National data are available within the Transition Matrices as part of RAISE online and in the Progression Material 2010-11

The starting point for evaluation is that expected progress is the median level for pupils’ age and starting point in the Progression Material.

Care is required when considering data relating to small groups of pupils.

Outstanding achievement

Taking account of their starting points, the proportion of pupils making and exceeding expected progress is high compared with national figures.

Pupils make rapid and sustained progress across many subjects, including English and mathematics, and learn exceptionally well.

Pupils read widely and often across all subjects.

Pupils develop and apply a wide range of skills to great effect, in reading, writing, communication and mathematics. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education, training or employment

Pupils, including those in the sixth form and those in early Years Foundation Stage, acquire knowledge quickly and develop their understanding rapidly in a wide range of different subjects across the curriculum. Pupils read widely and often across all subjects.

The learning, quality of work and progress of groups of pupils, particularly those who are disabled, those who have special educational needs and those for whom the pupil premium provides support, show that they achieve exceptionally well.

The standards of attainment of almost all groups of pupils are likely to be at least in line with national averages with many pupils attaining above this. In exceptional circumstances, an outstanding grade can be awarded where standards of attainment of any group of pupils are below those of all pupils nationally, but the gap is closing rapidly, as shown by trends in a range of attainment indicators. This may include attainment in writing.

Outstanding achievement

Ambition

Establish high aspirations and a focus on enabling students to be as independent as possible to secure the best achievement.

Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning

Adjust the pace of lessons to reflect how children and young people are learning.

Understand the need to teach new concepts well and make sure that SEND students receive high-quality teaching at key times during a sequence of lessons.

Monitor the effectiveness of other adults’ work to ensure all students make good progress.

TAs – Institute of Education research

TA: When you’re working I’ll explain.Matthew are you writing the names down?Have you put isosceles on there?Right. Can you write there isosceles triangle?OK boys. Right, Sian.Sit up, sit up.

T: What do you think a whole number might be?Jim: it might be something that hasn’t got any left, hasn’t got like halves in it.T: OK that’s a good idea. What about Ros’ group? What do you think?Ros: We think it might be a fraction that goes into.T So you think it’s a number that can be multiplied by itself? Fantastic. Ok, Amy – you had an idea?

Amy: We thought that one, two, three...That could ...Ruka: If it had no zero at the end, like a thousand...T: Aaah fantastic. Oh I see you are thinking of a whole number without the W. So that sort of hole. So you think it’s a number that looks like it might have a hole in it, like a zero, like an eight, like a six. Yes? Very interesting.

Teaching and learning

Collaboration

Careful groupings

Staff have sufficient expertise

Staff know the difference between being busy and learning

….helping a student through the activity so they get it right versus enabling students to work out problems for themselves

Task 3

Video clip of a secondary science lesson

Identify the strengths and weaknesses in this lesson extract

Discuss these in twos or threes and be prepared to feedback key points.

The quality of teaching

Observing learning

When inspectors observe teaching, they observe pupils’ learning.

Good teaching, which includes high levels of expertise and subject knowledge, with the expectation that pupils will achieve well, enables pupils to acquire knowledge, deepen their understanding, and develop and consolidate skills.

Inspectors must consider whether:

work is challenging enough for all pupils and meets their individual needs

pupils’ responses demonstrate sufficient gains in their knowledge, skills and understanding, including in literacy and mathematics

teachers monitor pupils’ progress in lessons and use the information well to adapt their teaching

teachers use questioning and discussion to assess the effectiveness of their teaching and promote pupils’ learning

pupils understand well how to improve their work.

Not all aspects of learning, for example pupils’ engagement, interest, concentration, determination, resilience and independence, will be seen in a single observation.

Quality of teaching in the schoolThese descriptors should not be used as a checklist. They must be applied adopting a ‘best fit’ approach which relies on the professional judgement of the inspection team.

Outstanding teaching

Much of the teaching in all key stages and most subjects is outstanding and never less than consistently good. As a result, almost all pupils currently on roll in the school, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those for whom the pupil premium provides support, are making rapid and sustained progress.

All teachers have consistently high expectations of all pupils. They plan and teach lessons that enable pupils to learn exceptionally well across the curriculum.

Teachers systematically and effectively check pupils’ understanding throughout lessons, anticipating where they may need to intervene and doing so with notable impact on the quality of learning.

The teaching of reading, writing, communication and mathematics is highly effective and cohesively planned and implemented across the curriculum.

Teachers and other adults generate high levels of engagement and commitment to learning across the whole school.

Consistently high quality marking and constructive feedback from teachers ensure that pupils make rapid gains.

Teachers use well-judged and often inspirational teaching strategies, including setting appropriate homework that, together with sharply focused and timely support and intervention, match individual needs accurately. Consequently, pupils learn exceptionally well across the curriculum.

Teaching and learning

Ensure teachers have a thorough and detailed knowledge of all students’ abilities and needs and that students look to the teacher for their main learning and to the support staff for informed support.

Relevant curriculum

Interventions including AP are carefully timed within the curriculum

If lessons are missed, arrangements are made for good-quality additional tuition and there is no reliance on students to ‘catch up’ without being taught.

Attending the alternative provision placement does not involve ‘missing’ lessons but is part of a timetable constructed around the group or individuals.

Leadership and management

Leadership and management

Leadership and management Monitoring

Look at provision as well as students

Of a particular group?

In a particular class?

Of one subject or across subjects?sampling

students

Monitoring

Close tracking and rigorous monitoring of progress with intervention quickly put in place

Any differences in subjects are effectively challenged. Any dip in progress, when teaching known to be meeting needs and is of good quality, quickly triggers further effective assessment including involving parents and carers.

This in turn should lead to carefully matched intervention being put in place quickly.

Evaluation

A thorough evaluation of the impact of additional provision

Thorough and objective evaluation is carried out on the effectiveness of additional provision, including additional staff, in helping to improve students’ progress. Make adjustments to any provision accordingly.

…all provision should be based on careful analysis of need, close monitoring of each individual’s progress and a shared perception of desired outcomes.

Behaviour and safety

Behaviour and safety

Behaviour and safety

‘Don’t stick it, stop it!’

Mencap (2007)

The results of a national survey of disabled pupils:

 8 out of 10 (82%) are bullied

8 out of 10 (79%) are scared to go out in because they are frightened that they will be bullied

6 out of 10 (58%) have been physically harmed by bullies

4 out of 10 (36%) said that it didn’t stop after they told someone about it

Task 4 How does your school find out if bullying of disabled

pupils and those with special educational needs is taking place?

How effective is the school at preventing and tackling discriminatory and derogatory language regarding disability and special educational needs?

Do you gather the views of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs about their experiences of others’ behaviour and attitudes towards them?

How do you tackle e bullying involving these pupils?

How do you know how effective your school is?

 

Do you know :

if there is disproportionate representation of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in the any of the following ?

Poor attendees

Fixed or permanent exclusion

The use of on-site withdrawal rooms

Bullying and incident records

Do you know :

if there is rigorous tracking of the behaviour and progress of those who have identified behavioural, emotional or social difficulties?

If there is convincing improvement in their behaviour and in their attitude to learning?

if the quality and appropriateness of their provision has been thoroughly considered when identifying these pupils as having behavioural, emotional or social difficulties?

Best Practice

Strong teaching and learning

Accurate assessment and identification

Well-designed curriculum

Close tracking and rigorous monitoring of progress with intervention quickly put in place

A thorough evaluation of the impact of additional provision (including alternative provision)

Clear routes to gain specialist support

AMBITION

Inspection is primarily about evaluating how well individual pupils benefit from their school. It is important to test the school’s response to individual needs by observing how well it helps all pupils to make progress and fulfil their potential.

Raising standards, improving lives