The SENCO Manual Part III - Education Bureau · mini-project in the Mini-conference and Celebration...

Part IIISharing from Principals and Presentation Posters and Case Studies from SENCOs

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Part III

Part III provides good practices from primary and secondary schools. It consistsof three sections:

Section 1Two principals shared their experiences in deploying SENCOs in the Mini-conference and Celebration of Achievement for SENCOs in June 2018*.

Section 2Each SENCO presented a poster* to showcase his/her school-based mini-project at the above event. Twelve presentation posters are featured in thissection.

Section 3Ten case studies with SENCOs putting the tools into practical use andsharing their reflections and top tips are featured. The topics include PersonCentred Approaches, provision mapping and management, training andcontinuing professional development (CPD) for teachers and teachingassistant, and Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH).

* The gist of the PowerPoint files presented by the principals and some of theposters from SENCOs were translated from Chinese into English.

Section 1Sharing from Principals

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1.1 Words from a Primary School Principal

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In gist, the primary school principal shared his views onthe roles and responsibilities of SENCOs, with theemphasis that SENCOs could bridge the gap and facilitatebetter collaboration among stakeholders (i.e. students,functional groups of the school, parents, etc.) andparadigm shift in SEN support. He pointed out thatSENCOs could make use of the practical toolkits (forexample the One Page Profile, the Inclusion TeachingChecklist and Lesson Study) to further support thestudents with SEN.

The SENCO training could foster SENCOs’ personalgrowths and also allow them to make strong connectionswith other SENCOs in the field, thus establishing a tighterpeer support network.

The school took the initiative to adopt new approachesand enhance the quality of the existing ones, with a viewto cultivate a more accepting school culture, developmutual respect among students and provide in-classsupport for students with SEN at the junior primary stage.


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1.2 Words from a Secondary School Principal


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In gist, the secondary school principal shared that theSENCO successfully brought positive changes in variousaspects.

Regarding learning and teaching, the SENCO providedprofessional supports to teachers both in class and afterclass, utilizing the practical tools effectively and enhancingcommunication with subject teachers.

Regarding professional development, the SENCO extendedthe scope to cover twice-exceptional students, collaborationbetween the educational psychologist and functional groupsof the school, and in-depth professional exchanges withindividual teachers.

At student support level, career and life planning elementswere included in Saturday remedial classes built uponinteresting activities and the quality of the examinationremedial classes were also enhanced. In addition, occasionalouting activities were held to let students with SEN unleashtheir full potential and boost their confidence.

At parent level, the Person Centred Approaches wereadopted and the arrangement of the parent day waselucidated.

At school level, how the SENCO established a workingrelationship with the middle management and collaboratedwith various functional groups was featured. Through theaforesaid quality measures, it was hoped that students withSEN would be included in everyday learning and be preparedto integrate into the society.


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Section 2Presentation Posters from SENCOs


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Each SENCO presented a poster to showcase his/her school-basedmini-project in the Mini-conference and Celebration of Achievementfor SENCOs in June 2018. Twelve selected presentation posterssummarizing the mini-projects that SENCOs conducted are featuredin this section. The two most popular topics were the implementationof Person Centred Approaches and Lesson Study.

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2.1 Poster 1

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2.2 Poster 2

Presentation Posters from SENCOs One Page Profile

Presentation Posters from SENCOs Person Centred Approaches

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2.3 Poster 3


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2.4 Poster 4


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2.5 Poster 5


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2.6 Poster 6

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2.7 Poster 7

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Presentation Posters from SENCOs Training and CPD for Teachers:

Leading Change and Improving High Quality Teaching (HQT)

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2.10 Poster 10

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Training and CPD for Teachers: Leading Change and Improving High Quality Teaching (HQT)

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2.12 Poster 12



Section 3Case Studies from SENCOs


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3.1 Case 1

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided primary school. In my school, we always supportstudents with SEN through a 3-tier Intervention Model. We seldom involve theviews and experiences of students with SEN. The inclusive culture in my schoolis developing. I hope to introduce and implement the Person CentredApproaches by introducing the One Page Profile in order to cultivate positive andinclusive culture at school. Then our students with SEN will be more engaged intheir school lives.

The tool(s) I used One Page Profile (Practical Toolkit 5.1)

ImplementationFirstly, as a SENCO, I tried out the One Page Profile with students who wereprovided with an IEP. Next, I invited teachers to conduct interviews with studentswith SEN by using the One Page Profile. Then, teachers invited students with SENto launch a follow-up mini-project which aimed to build their confidence.

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The details were as follows:

Feb-Jun

SENCOtryout

SENCO conducted interviews with students with SENwho were provided with IEP, and

shared the One Page Profiles of those students withtheir teachers and parents in the IEP meetings.

Sep–Oct

Teachertraining

SENCO introduced the principles and application of theOne Page Profile in the teacher training, and

shared difficult cases through demonstration videos.

Nov-Dec

Teachers1st tryout

Each teacher interviewed one to two students with SENby using the One Page Profile.

Jan-Feb

Sharing ofOne PageProfile

SENCO collected all the One Page Profiles from teachers. The profiles were shared among class teachers and

subject teachers in order to know more about students’needs and interests.

Mar-May

Teachers2nd tryout

Each teacher invited one student with SEN to take part ina follow-up mini-project which aimed to buildconfidence of the student with SEN.

Jun TeacherSharingMeeting

SENCO invited some teachers to share successful caseswith others during the teacher meeting in order topraise them.

Reflections WSA is very important, since SENCO alone cannot cater for all of the needs of

students with SEN. On the contrary, teachers can try to apply the PersonCentred Approaches and help students with SEN build confidence in academicaspects or through activities at school.

Case Studies from SENCOs Person Centred Approaches

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Positive feedbacks from students with SEN:• they were being listened to and respected by the teachers;• teachers made friends with them and built better relationship;• teachers helped them based on their needs mentioned in the One Page

Profile, such as strengthening phonics skills to enhance spelling, buildingconfidence in doing homework, etc.;

• teachers praised them when they had small achievements; and• teachers helped them join school activities, e.g. uniform teams, football

team or tutorial classes.

Positive feedbacks from parents of children with SEN:• they knew and understood more about their children when teachers shared

One Page Profile with them;• they felt being respected as teachers listen to them and their children;• they felt touched and appreciated teachers who had helped their children

based on their needs mentioned in the One Page Profile, even the teacherswere busy.

Positive feedbacks from teachers:• they knew and understood more about their students;• they could do more and provide help to their students although they did

not have enough time;• they talked with parents based on the One Page Profile, not only students’

academic report.

My next stepsFor the next school year, I will implement and optimize the application of the OnePage Profile in school. Apart from supporting students with SEN through the 3-tier Intervention Model, I will do more on planning and arranging supports tomeet the needs of students with SEN. Then they would be more engaged in theirschool lives.

Top TipsWSA is very important. Teachers’ participation under WSA can enhance the qualityof student support, as SENCO alone cannot cater for all the needs of studentswith SEN. It can help teachers conduct better interviews with students with SENpatiently, concretely and respectfully.


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3.2 Case 2

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided secondary school. My school is a through-train schoolwith the aim of catering for students with special educational needs (SEN), fromPrimary(P) 1 to Secondary(S) 6. Through a series of supporting approachesdesigned by both primary and secondary teachers, we hope to providecontinuous and adequate training for the students.

At the same time, we will adhere to our school mission, from the student-centered perspective, to respect the uniqueness of every single student as wellas maximizing their full potential so as to establish a caring campus.

What concerns us most is how to maximize the personal potential of studentswith SEN to help them build up a sense of success at school. In this connection,we have adopted the Person Centred Approaches to help them to formulate theirpersonal career planning, to develop their talents and to set their own goals.Through various supporting strategies, students will be able to achieve their fullpotential in different designed activities. As a result, they can build up a higherlevel of self-confidence and enjoy their campus life, as well as having higherinterest in learning.

The tool(s) I used Transition Thinkpad (Practical Toolkit 13.1) One Page Profile (Practical Toolkit 5.1) 4 + 1 Questions (Practical Toolkit 5.3) 5 Steps Listening Conversation

(Practical Toolkit 12.5)

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ImplementationIn order to reach the above objectives, we have implemented the Person CentredApproaches. Through various tools and implementing WSA, students’ learningmotivation was aroused with the use of activities. Furthermore, they were able toformulate personal career planning goal.

Grades Goals Focus Method Teachers

Involved

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P6-S1 Career planning for junior forms (Activities)

Understandtheir needs

SENCOs in primary andsecondary schools usedthe Transition Thinkpadto achieve a smoothtransition, throughwhich the characteristicsof the students, theirlearning difficulties andthe used supportingstrategies wereunderstood. Based onthe information fromprimary school, wedesigned supportingstrategies to cater fortheir needs.

PrimarySchoolSENCO,PanelHead,SubjectTeacher

TransitionForm


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Involved

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S1-S2 Careerplanningfor juniorforms(Activities)

Maximizepotential

Secondary SENCO madeappointments with studentsduring free lessons andcompleted a One Page Profile,in which the strengths andweaknesses of the studentscan be understood. Withregard to their strengths,they were recommended tojoin suitable school clubs,activities and competitions tomaximize their full potential.To offset their weaknesses,subject teachers were invitedto come up with practicalsolutions to overcome theirlearning difficulties.

AllTeachers

OnePageProfile

S2-S3 Suitableactivities

Through taking part in schoolactivities and competitions,students gave play to theirtalents, thus building up self-confidence and fostering asense of success.

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Involved

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S3-S4 Careerplanningfor seniorforms(learning)

Jobscontent

Through One PageProfile, with regard tostudents’ interests, weformulated school-basedcareer counselingprogram to allowstudents to understandtheir strengths andcareer paths, so thatthey could set up theirstudies and career goals.Career Counseling Teamalso arranged somevisits to relatedinstitutions so thatstudents couldunderstand differentprograms.

5 Steps ListeningConversation wasadopted wheninteracting with parentsto explore possiblecareer paths for theirchildren.

SocialWorkers,CareerCounselingTeam,Parents

One PageProfile,ListeningConversa-tion


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Involved

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S4-S5 Learningstrategy

Through interaction withclass teachers and subjectteachers, SENCO couldunderstand the learningdifficulties of the studentswith SEN and then made anappointment with thestudents concerned duringfree lessons. During theinteraction with thestudents, SENCO used 4 + 1Questions Strategy tounderstand their learningdifficulties and learningmodes. Then, some suitablelearning methods wererecommended to thestudents.

All Teachers 4 + 1Questions

S5-S6 Employmentcounselling

Students understood theirpersonal talent, their studiesand career paths so thatthey could formulate theirlong-term goals.

Classteacher,CareerCounselingTeams

One PageProfile

ReflectionsThrough One Page Profile, students could reach their goals from the followingthree aspects:

Students were able to explore their strengths and values through activities ofthe career planning programs designed by school social workers which Ijointly conducted with the Career and Life Planning Team. Students acquiredbetter knowledge of their study options and career paths.


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Teachers knew more about the educational needs and strengths of thestudents with SEN, so that they were able to cater for their specialeducational needs and provide relevant study suggestions.

Parents had a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of theirchildren, as well as school’s supporting strategies. As a result, home-schoolcooperation was formed.

My next stepsIt is suggested that students should be divided into different groups and theirOne Page Profiles should be followed up by SENCO, SEN teacher and schoolsocial worker respectively. Their personal development should be taken care ofby the same teachers throughout their 6-year study journey so that they canreceive full attention from their teachers.

Top Tips Work with your colleagues. Collegial collaboration, support and communication were required in every

learning stage, so as to help the students with SEN effectively and toimplement the policy of the WSA to IE.


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3.3 Case 3

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided primary school. Provision Map Proforma is one of thetools I found very helpful in the SENCO toolkits. My school has many differentkinds of trainings for students with SEN which are conducted by teachers, socialworkers, teaching assistants or staff from non-government organizations(NGOs). We used to record the performance of students after training andevaluate outcomes with the records. However, the records only showed the year-end-performance of the students, they did not show the progress orimprovement of the students. Provision Map Proforma provides me with aholistic picture of the effectiveness of trainings and most importantly, it showsthe progress of the students.

The tool(s) I used Provision Map Proforma (Practical Toolkit 7.2 & 7.3)

ImplementationI started to use the new tool with the members of the student support team.Teachers used to record the performances of students by year-end and we usedthe records to review the effectiveness of training. I changed the format of therecording sheet and explained to the teachers about the use of Provision MapProforma.

Teachers have to record the baseline of each student at the beginning of thetraining, using various methods for different types of training and SEN. Fordyslexic students, teacher used a pre-test and post-test format to find thebaseline and assess the actual outcome. For students with emotional andbehavioral problems, teachers observed students’ behavior, such as playingtemper or misbehavior, in the first training session, then compared the behaviorwith each session. For students with ASD, teachers recorded progress of eachstudent after each training session for parent to follow up, and we evaluated theprogress of the student by observation and feedbacks from parents and classteachers. 368


Teachers used the RAG (red, amber, green) system to visualize the learningprogress of each student, so that SENCO has a clearer picture of the students’progress to facilitate discussion. The student support team discussed theeffectiveness of each training group and the progress of each student with theinformation provided on the Provision Map Proforma. We reviewed the trainingby using the proforma and used it as a reference to plan for trainings in the nextyear.

ReflectionsThe information provided by Provision Map Proforma gave reflections on theembedment of skills and knowledge students learned.

Teachers who tried the Provision Map Proforma found it easy to use andmeaningful. When the student support team used this proforma to review theeffectiveness of each training group, teachers found it easier and clearer to viewthe progress of students. With the information shown on Provision Map Proforma,teachers could also have a better view of student’s progress and the quality oftraining provided by the NGOs. It helped evaluate and monitor the quality oftraining provided by NGOs.

I amended the proforma we were using instead of creating a new one. This madethe changes smooth, because teachers would feel burdened by heavy paper work.

Having a clear and visual representation of the progress of students in training isgood. However, I found the measurement of outcomes did not provide enoughqualitative information. The skills students learned in training should begeneralised into the classroom, not only in training groups. Therefore, theevaluation on students’ progress should include the performance of students inclass or daily school life.

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My next steps After implementing the Provision Map Proforma with members of the student

support team for the first year, I planned to broaden its usage. In the secondyear, all the SEN training groups will have to use the Provision Map Proformato submit their year-end record. Therefore, teachers will have to considerhow to establish the students’ baseline performances, the expectedoutcomes and the actual outcomes after training.

Good communication among training teachers, class teachers, and parents isessential. It is important to help students transfer the knowledge and skillslearned in a group to a class or daily life. Sufficient communication betweenthe three parties is encouraged. For the Theory of Mind training for studentswith ASD, student progress will be provided to parents by SENCO after eachtraining session. Therefore, parents can give more support on theenhancement of the trained skills. Training teacher has to consider thestudents’ performance in class and outside the training, as well as for theactual outcome. The Provision Map Proforma can provide a morecomprehensive picture of the student progress.

Top Tips Embed the Provision Map Proforma into the existing school-based student

record form and evaluation form instead of creating something new.

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3.4 Case 4

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided secondary school. There are around 70 students withSEN in our school, including those with SpLD (60 %), AD/HD (35 %), ASD (7%), SLI(30%), ID (6 %), HI (4 %) and MI (less than 1%) in our school. We implementaround 20 individual education plans (IEPs), mainly for students with ID, MI andco-morbid difficulties.

For better transition from primary school to secondary school, students with SENin form one and form two are given priority in the implementation of IEPs.Besides, my school attaches importance to the life planning for students withSEN in S3 and S4. We strive to maintain and develop the healthy cognitive,physical, psychological, emotional and social development of the students withSEN. As a SENCO, I have been assigned and empowered by the principal, whogives me full support, to have the specific role on the resources managementand the planning of the supportive strategies under the WSA.

I am responsible for many SEN-related duties, such as: Collecting different data and information for analyzing the needs of students

with SEN; Planning the supportive strategies and professional services; bridging the communication amongst different professionals and

stakeholders for students’ benefits; Balancing different demands from various parties; Evaluating the effectiveness of strategies implemented and services provided; Conducting professional development and support for all school staff; and Strengthening external liaison with organizations, authorities and the

community outside school, etc.

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The tool(s) I used Provision Map Suggested Headings (Practical Toolkit 7.1) Provision Map Proforma (Practical Toolkit 7.2 & 7.3)

ImplementationRefer to the two tools, the following headings were adopted in my school-basedProvision Map Proforma:1. Name of intervention2. Content details of intervention3. Intervention tier (1/2/3)4. Baseline start-point5. Expected outcomes6. Session length7. No. of session per week8. Group size9. No. of groups10. Staff involved in planning and delivery11. How knowledge and skills will be embedded12. Actual outcomes / impact / progress (qualitative and quantitative)13. Red Amber Green (RAG) of success14. Costs (time, manpower, venue and money) per student and in total

We would like to use the Whole School Provision Map Proforma to evaluate theeffectiveness of the intervention and to track the provision and progress forindividual students. To begin with, I identified a member of the Student SupportTeam, who has completed the structured training courses on supportingstudents with SEN pitched at Basic, Advanced and Thematic levels and hasexperience in teaching students with SEN, to be my partner in trying out theproforma.

We made use of the relevant documents and the One Page Profiles as anoverview of the needs of students with SEN and set the priority in the provision.

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We conducted evaluation on the effectiveness of the interventions or strategiesfor both individual students (e.g. speech therapy and classes for students withSpLD) and the WSA (e.g. inclusive education) during and after the provision ofthe services. It provided important information in a more cost-effective way forfuture planning.

In order to collect students’ voice and to promote inclusive culture, weimplemented the One Page Profile with all the students. All teachers wereinvolved in the implementation. Additional attention has been given to thestudents with SEN individually by social workers, counsellors and severalvoluntary teachers. According to the data collected and analyzed, we providedsome potentially suitable services to the targeted students according to theirneeds.

The means our school has adopted in collecting qualitative and quantitative datafor evaluation are listed below: Pre and post-interventions questionnaire (based on the purposes and

expected outcomes of the interventions) Student’s individual comments and self-reflections Teachers’ observations (e.g. class observations) on the service providers and

receivers (including students, parents and teachers) during theimplementation of interventions

Service providers’ and professionals’ observation, comments and evaluationon the students with SEN

Teachers’ comments on students’ daily performance in class and outside theclass (both quantitative and qualitative data)• Attendance and punctuality (days of absence or being late)• Punctuality on submission of homework (e.g. checking the handbook and

homework bag)• Tidiness of students’ school bags• Bringing proper materials for the lessons

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• Learning attitudes and attentiveness in the class (e.g. frequency ofinattentive behaviors, tendency of following teacher’s instructions andcollaboration with other students)

• Relationship and communication with classmates and teachers• Attendance and performance in extra-curriculum activities• Professionals’ comments and evaluation• Student’s self-evaluation• Parents’ observations and comments• Academic performance (e.g. dictation, quiz, test and exam scores)• Visual aids for recording the progress (e.g. photos and video recordings)

The graduated approach “Access-Plan-Do-Review” has been adopted tosupervise and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions periodically (e.g. pre-test, post-test and during the process of the intervention) via formal conferences,such as IEP meetings, cross-disciplinary conferences, as well as throughinformal contacts, such as phone calls and WhatsApp, with different parties.

Reflections I have better understanding of the students’ needs and interests. The

expectations of parents are vital to cost-effective interventions andstrategies.

Periodical evaluations and timely adjustments could prevent misallocation ofresources.

Greater involvement and better communication with different parties duringplanning, implementation and evaluation really helps in facilitating bettercooperation and gains better results.

Resource deployment (including grant and human resources), time andschool culture are crucial and determining factors in the design of theProvision Map Proforma.

Continuing professional development enhances the capacity of the teachingteam and facilitates the implementation of education in school.

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My next steps To equip and empower education practitioners in a continuous and strategic

way to facilitate the provision of education, suitable accommodations andsupport to students with SEN.

To strengthen the collaboration amongst different parties and professions toimprove the effectiveness of interventions.

To reallocate resources based on the needs of students in specific aspects(e.g. speech therapy) and investigate different types of interventions toenhance the results.

Top Tips Keep your eyes, ears and heart open to absorb, learn and communicate with

others to engage everyone at school in the provision of support. Get someone to work with you to start from small, think bigger, do deeper

and go further. Then spread it out as ripples from the bottom of your heart! Before taking actions, picture what you would expect to see.

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3.5 Case 5

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided primary school. The school operates 30 classes andenrols around 90 students with SEN, including those with ASD, AD/HD, SpLD, HI,SLI and ID. I decided to implement the Inclusion Teaching Checklist in classroomwhich I learnt from the SENCO training since some of the teachers were notconfident of catering for the needs of students with SEN.

The tool(s) I used Inclusion Teaching Checklist (Teacher) (Practical Toolkit 9.3)

ImplementationTo implement the checklist, I sought advice from the Principal at the verybeginning. Then a discussion with the Vice Principal and the Curriculum Headwas conducted. Finally, a discussion was carried out among all the teachers inthe meeting. All the teachers were invited to read through the Inclusion TeachingChecklist, and to choose the most suitable items for the students with SEN. Theselected checklist items were put into the learning circle lesson observation formfor teachers to use.

The learning circle observations were conducted around 2 times a week andlasted for 8 weeks. All teachers were involved since they either taught Chinese,English, Mathematics or General Studies. Every teacher would be using thelearning circle observation form with the Inclusion Teaching Checklist to see iftheir teaching could help the students with SEN. Among the 54 teachers &SENCO, the composition of learning circle was as follows: 16 teachers teachingChinese, 16 teachers teaching English, 14 teachers teaching Mathematics and 8teachers teaching General Studies.

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Development (CPD) for Teachers: Leading Change and Improving High Quality Teaching

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All the learning circles completed the lesson observation within the 8 weeks, andthe teachers who observed the lessons completed the observation forms. Theobservation records were submitted to the curriculum head by the end of the 1stterm. We noted that many items on the Inclusion Teaching Checklist have beenimplemented.

Then, we selected the ten most popular items from the Inclusion TeachingChecklist as the foci of the lesson observation:

Whole Class:1. Support in place for students who can’t ‘hold things in their heads’ – Post-it

notes, planners, individual whiteboards, study jotters, etc.2. New or difficult vocabulary written up, pre-taught, displayed and revisited.3. Use alternatives to questions to invite a response, e.g. making suggestions

from which students can choose, ‘speculating’ making personal contributionfrom own experience.

4. Questions used to ensure the rest of the class is listening, e.g. ‘Does anyonehave a question for Katie?’ ‘Who thinks the same as Jo?’, ‘Who thinksdifferently?’

5. Questions used to ensure the rest of the class is listening, e.g. ‘This one isfor a quick response’, ‘This one needs several minutes to think about’, ‘Thisone I want you to work at for ten minutes in pairs’ etc.

Independent and group work:6. Supported with visual cues where needed several minutes to think about’,

‘This one I want you to work at for ten minutes in pairs’, etc.7. Students help and support each other with ideas; they give one another the

space to think and respond to questions.8. Materials and resources for tasks are easily available and accessible.9. Buddying, use of ICT etc. are available to give access to tasks without having

to read written instructions.10. Appropriate learning behaviours are noticed and praised or rewarded.

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ReflectionsThe observation by the teachers may be subjective according to their point ofviews since it was noted that some checklist items were checked by teacher A,while they were not checked by teacher B. Moreover, different checklist itemsmay be applied to a particular subject while they may not be applicable to othersubjects.

To better utilization of the checklist, it is suggested that before the lessonobservation, the teacher who is going to teach the lesson give a briefexplanation on how he/she is going to use different means to cater for theneeds of the students with SEN, so that the observations by different teacherswill remain consistent; or the teachers discuss and choose together whichchecklist item(s) they will focus on during the lessons.

On the other hand, subject teachers (Chinese, English, Mathematics and GeneralStudies) may discuss about which checklist items will be more suitable for therespective subjects they teach so that these items can remind the teachers to bemore aware of catering for the needs of the students with SEN during the lessons.

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My next steps1. Invite the teachers to give feedback on the use of the Inclusion Teaching

Checklist.2. Interview the students with SEN to ask them what kind of support they would

benefit more from in different subjects.3. Review the lesson observation form and see which checklist items should be

kept and which may be suitable for a particular subject.4. Renew the lesson observation form with the teachers for future use.

Top Tips Think big, start small. Feeling the connection with personal presence, that’s when you know you

never walk alone.

Vision of success and intended ripple of impact

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3.6 Case 6

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided secondary school. The reason why we introduceLesson Study in school is that most of students’ daily learning occurs in theclassroom. If we focus more on tier-1 support – quality teaching in theclassroom, all students (including students with SEN) can be benefited from it. Infact, learning diversity is a big issue we are facing because we have differenttypes of students. Apart from students with SEN, we also have newly arrivedchildren from the Mainland; those resume schooling; and of course ordinarystudents with different abilities. Thus, catering for learning diversity is a majorconcern in my school.

The tool(s) I used One Page Profile (Practical Toolkit 5.1)

(To know more about the needs of students with SEN) Inclusion Teaching Checklist (Teacher) (Practical Toolkit 9.3)

(For two purposes, first, before observing the lesson, choose several items tofocus on and discuss with teachers, the items should relate to the schooldevelopment plan; second, the items should be used for evaluation withteachers and appreciation of their efforts after observing the lesson)

Implementation1. Before introducing Lesson Study in school: Conducted staff development activities twice:

- Firstly, we consolidated some tools and strategies in teaching studentswith SEN for catering for learning diversity in different occasions, includingschool visit, public seminar (Learning & Teaching Expo), different SEN-related courses and school sharing sessions, and shared in the staffdevelopment day every year to build a good foundation on inclusiveteaching strategies for all teaching staff.

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- Secondly, I introduced the role and duties of SENCO and shared what Ilearnt from the SENCO training and the core tools that I applied in school,for example, One Page Profile, Lesson Study, etc. I explained my actionplan about lesson study in the school year to help all the teachersunderstand what Lesson Study is and to get them prepared.

Invited some target teachers involved in Lesson Study to join the studentsupport team.

Told teachers about the detailed implementation plan of Lesson Study whichwould be tried out in formal and informal ways in the next few years.

Understood the learning needs of the students by using One Page Profiles. Started the Lesson Study in classes with a wider range of learning diversity

first and focused on catering for learning diversity of all students, instead offocusing on students with SEN only.

2. The process of implementing Lesson Study Prepared the Inclusion Teaching Checklist and students’ One Page Profiles,

discussed with the teacher about the learning needs of students andexplored the appropriate teaching strategies.

Went through the lesson plan with the teacher by using the InclusionTeaching Checklist. We selected some core items in the checklist for tryingout in the lesson.

Conducted the lesson observation by using the Inclusion Teaching Checklist. Conducted a post-observation meeting, SENCO expressed appreciation of

teachers using the inclusion teaching strategies in lesson. Most teacherswere not aware that they had already carried out some inclusion strategies.As a SENCO, I encouraged the teachers and said “You have already done a lot!You can do it!”

Invited teachers involved in the Lesson Study to share the good practices andexperiences in their subject meetings.

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Reflections Lesson Study will be more effective if: Compatible with the school development plan; Try something easy first, get success and go for something harder; Focus on catering for learning diversity of all the students, instead of the

learning of students with SEN only. It can reduce the resistance fromteachers;

Share formally and informally on what SENCO implemented in school withyour colleagues;

Listen to colleagues’ views and consider their views while planning; and Welcome other teachers to the open lesson conducted by SENCO

demonstrating the inclusion teaching strategies.

My next steps I will continue to focus on quality first teaching, so I will start the Lesson

Study in different key learning areas (KLAs) to broaden the impact of LessonStudy on some target teachers and in different subjects.

I will invite teachers to share their experiences in subject meetings and staffdevelopment activities.

Top Tips Think big, start small; step by step, one by one. Work with your colleagues, not just asking them to follow without your

participation

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3.7 Case 7

BackgroundTeaching is the most important duty of all teachers. Teachers who have goodteaching skills and communication skills often affect students' learning capacity.As a SENCO, he/she should be more sensitive to the needs of students withspecial educational needs, so he/she could assist colleagues by reminding orsharing related inclusive teaching skills.

In my school, SENCO is a new position implemented since the 2015/16 schoolyear. My experience of being a SENCO is still not rich. I am a SENCO of an aidedsecondary school. As a SENCO, I find it difficult to organize school-basedprofessional development activities alone. Therefore, I tried to use LearningWalks as professional development activities for teachers.

The tool(s) I used Learning Walks Notepad (Practical Toolkit 9.7) Inclusion Teaching Checklist (Teacher) (Practical Toolkit 9.3)

ImplementationLesson observations have been conducted by subjects in my school every year.Besides, the principal attended the lesson observation cycle of different subjects.As a SENCO, I embedded the Learning Walks into the school based lessonobservation schedule, in order to reduce the pressure on colleagues. Beforeimplementing the Learning Walks, I selected some core items from the InclusionTeaching Checklist as the foci of the lesson observation.

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Initially, I entered the classrooms together with the principal when he wasconducting the lesson observations in order to promote the early stage of theLearning Walks. After establishing the lesson observation routine, it slowlyexpanded to include different combinations of teachers. The Learning Walkscould be developed in accordance with the principal's lesson observationschedule. Many teaching staff from different committees and subjects wereinvolved, for example, the assistant principals, SENCO, curriculum developmentleader, department heads, class teachers and subject teachers. They participatedin the Learning Walks to understand the students' learning situation throughwalking into different classrooms. The Learning Walks built a professionaldialogue in sharing some good practices among each other, and enhanced theatmosphere of sharing.

During the Learning Walks, SENCO recorded what teaching and communicationskills the teachers had used to cater for the needs of students with SEN whenthey were facing learning difficulties in the lesson. In the post-Learning Walksmeeting, we shared practical and effective pedagogy with other groups ofcolleagues.

Reflections It is a good and practical way to enhance the quality first teaching. Colleagues did not feel pressured because the Learning Walks had been

embedded into the school schedule. The middle management team recognized that SENCO had contributed to

improving the quality of teaching and learning and providing assistance toother teachers.

Most of the teachers who were being observed also felt good. They paidmore attention to effective pedagogy for students with SEN, and built a morecaring team atmosphere.

Through the Learning Walks, SENCO participated in the lesson observationsto empower what other teachers did well in the lesson and enhanced theirprofessional development. It was more positive than just focusing on theirteaching skills or reviewing the Inclusion Teaching Checklist.

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My next steps I will share the record of the good classroom teaching skills and

communication skills with all colleagues after completing the Learning Walks.The key message for teachers who were not involved in the Learning Walk isthat they have the opportunity to understand and learn together.

I will collaborate with the educational psychologist on relevant teaching andcommunication skills, conduct professional development activities, andincorporate effective and inclusive pedagogies for students with speciallearning needs.

As a SENCO, I usually try out some practical skills to cater for the learningneeds of students with SEN, and I will open up my classrooms for teacherswho are interested in learning more about them and provide them withassistance.

Top Tips In line with the school’s existing development plans and needs Starting from a teacher who has the same vision with you Taking on the professional development mentality Reducing the pressure is an important consideration

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The SENCO Manual Case Studies from SENCOs Teaching Assistants

3.8 Case 8

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided secondary school. My school has been implementingthe WSA to IE. Catering for learning diversity is one of the foci of the schooldevelopment plan. Over 15 teaching assistants (TAs) have been employed withthe Learning Support Grant (LSG) and the funding from other projects to caterfor the needs of students with SEN. TAs are the core frontline staff supportingstudents with SEN. However, most TAs lack the basic knowledge and experiencein teaching and supporting these students, especially those who are not themembers of the student support team. Thus, conducting training for TAs is theone of the items in my action plan this year.

The tool(s) I used Inclusion Teaching Checklist (Teacher) (Practical Toolkit 9.3) School-based training materials (combined with pamphlets from Special

Education Resource Centre, my note from different training and myexperience)

ImplementationMy main goals of the TA training programme included fostering TAs’ confidencein supporting students with SEN, and promoting the implementation of WSA to IE.I had good communication with the principal and other team leaders andsolicited their support to launch the training. Two sessions of training for TAswere conducted and seven TAs from non-student support team were recruited.

The pre-survey and individual interviews were conducted to listen to theirconcerns and views before the training. Almost 60% of them had littleunderstanding about the supportive strategies. Among the nine types of SEN,TAs faced more difficulties in supporting students with AD/HD and ASD.

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In the two sessions of training, I collaborated with the school social worker andcounselors to conduct the training. The core elements of the training included: School-based IE policy, including the work allocation in implementing IE; Distribution of students with different SEN types and tiers of support; Major characteristic of the nine types of SEN, especially SpLD, AD/HD and

ASD; Implementation of the Inclusion Teaching Checklist; Experience sharing on handling difficult cases; and Evidence-based and effective inclusive teaching strategies and

communication skills, for example:• giving appropriate and explicit instructions;• providing specific praise statements;• giving positive feedbacks;• questioning skills;• visual aid and visual organizers; and• scaffolding

The post-survey was conducted a few weeks after the training. The percentageof understanding on the supportive strategies and the confidence in supportingthe students with SEN increased. Most of the TAs revealed that they had a betterunderstanding about the characteristics of the students with SEN and thedifficulties they were facing. They also tried to apply what they learnt in dailypractices.

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Reflections My vision of success: Ripple of impact on training TAs:

Collecting qualitative and quantitative data for the evaluation of theeffectiveness of the training is important.

Training TAs is the beginning of the journey. SEN related work cannot becarried on without an enthusiastic attitude and high motivation. I hope thejunior TAs can be inspired and motivated by the training sessions.

In the two sessions of training, the school-based IE policy, rationale behindthe policy and the vision were introduced. I shared with them the planning,implementation, review and enhancement of the supportive measures forstudents with SEN.

The major purpose of the training was to boost the intrinsic motivation ofTAs to learn and try new strategies, and make their work in supporting thestudents with SEN meaningful to them. In this way, they would not give upeasily or shed their responsibilities when they face challenges along theirjourney.

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My next steps Collaborate with the Professional Development Committee to conduct

training for TAs and new staff on a regular basis in the future. I will be a peer tutor of TAs. I will provide more professional views and

support for the TAs. I will listen to their views and share some micro-skillsand experiences through an informal channel.

Top Tips Align your TAs duties with your team’s vision. Providing professional development for non-student support team members

is good for facilitating the implementation of WSA to IE. Keep good communication with the principal and other team leaders can

help solicit their support to launch the training.

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The SENCO Manual Case Studies from SENCOs Social, Emotional, Mental Health (SEMH)

and/or Mental Illness (MI)

3.9 Case 9

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided primary school. By following the school motto - “Withfaith, with hope and with love”, my school aims to promote IE by adopting theWSA with the principle - “Give up no one, nurture everyone”.

As a SENCO, I learnt about the Person Centred Approaches and relevant toolsfrom the SENCO professional development activities, which was conducted bythe UK training expert Ms. Angela Scott. It is very useful. I agree with the beliefthat everyone has his/her potential. This is why the role of teachers is veryimportant that their guidance can help students with SEN understand theirstrengths and accept their weaknesses. Students can experience the joy ofsuccess through the process, hence gaining self-confidence, self-discipline andself-reliance.

The tool(s) I used Iceberg(Practical Toolkit 4.1) Co-occurrence (Practical Toolkit 4.3) One Page Profile (Practical Toolkit 5.1) Control Plan (Practical Toolkit 11.1) Person Centred Calming Planner (Practical Toolkit 11.2 & 11.3) Actioning Happiness (Practical Toolkit 14.1) Locus of Control (Practical Toolkit 14.4) RCSA Rainbow Scaling Tool (Practical Toolkit 14.5)

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ImplementationFirstly, in order to be well prepared, we have translated the tools mentioned intoChinese. Then, I led the members of the student support team to use One PageProfile for communicating with a few of our students and their parents. This toolallowed us to understand the students in depth and even parents to haveexcellent communication with their kids. This experience showed the essentialityof the Person Centred Approaches. We benefitted from listening to the students’voice, and they could let teachers know more about their needs.

My school is providing many pull-out programmes, after-school learning andsupport programmes and intensive remedial teaching programmes for studentswith different types of SEN.

We utilized these tools in different situations in order to assess students’conditions and understand their strengths and weaknesses. We set achievementgoals with the students and teachers according to the data collected. During theprocess, we guided the students by using these tools to understand theirprogress and let the teachers know more about the needs of the students.

In the process of engaging the students in discussions or other activities,students were willing to express their views in a sincere manner and they wishedthe teachers and parents could spend more time listening to their thoughts.

ReflectionThrough this experience, I realize the importance of humanism. During thecommunication with students, teachers and parents, I found that there are manyadvantages in adequate and effective communication among the stakeholders,which are listed below:

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Enable teachers to have better understanding of the difficulties the studentsare facing and look after the individual needs of students, especially in theclassrooms;

Enable parents to have better understanding of the difficulties the Childrenare facing and try to solve the problem together;

Enhance the self-awareness of own strengths and weaknesses of studentswith SEN. It assists students to set reasonable goals and to achieve them.The students are reinforced by joyful experience of success so that theycould achieve more next time.

My next stepsWhen we have accumulated adequate experience, I will share the SEMH toolkitwith more colleagues so that more students could be benefited.

Top Tips Understand the concept of the Person Centered Approaches and the relevant

tools before using them. Regular discussion on the utilization and adjustment of the tools is also

essential in order to use the tools effectively. The Person Centered tools are not an one-off documentation. We need to

discuss and follow up with students and parents from time to time andupdate the One Page Profile with students regularly, in order to better graspstudents’ learning progress and personal needs.

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3.10 Case 10

BackgroundI am a SENCO of an aided secondary school. My school is a secondary boy schoolwith an approved boarding section subvented by the government and offering abasic seaman training. My school operates 12 classes, two classes at each yearlevel from S1 to S6. Most students in school have weak family support and lowsocio-economic status.

The tool(s) I used Good Day Bad Day (Practical Toolkit 5.2) Control Plan (Practical Toolkit 11.1) Person Centred Calming Planner (Practical Toolkit 11.2 & 11.3) Actioning Happiness (Practical Toolkit 14.1) Behaviour for Learning & Classroom Resilience Planner (Practical Toolkit 14.2) Happiness Planner (Practical Toolkit 14.3) Locus of Control (Practical Toolkit 14.4)

ImplementationEarly identification is the most important step for catering for the needs ofstudents with mental illness. S1 to S3 students are my target students. Key stepsto screen out the target students are as follows:

Step 1:We selected some Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) tools from the SENCOtoolkit as mentioned above to find out students who have negative emotionsfrom the whole class.

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Step 2:While conducting the screening process, I used these tools to guide all thestudents to be aware of their emotions (“These things make me anxious / calm”),to try to express their emotions and to find some solutions listed on the tools.According to their responses, we found that some students were suffering fromdifferent kinds of emotional and physical problems, such as loss, stress, anxiety,behavioural difficulties, and disturbed sleep. I even found some bullying cases intheir responses.

Step 3:We selected some needy cases for further follow up after individual meeting withteachers from the Student Support Team. Among these cases, a S3 student wasselected to be a target to work with. The student showed his worry about hisdaily life and behavior being affected by negative emotion. He was willing tocommunicate and wanted to improve the relationship with his parents. Afterobtaining the parental consent, we began to work with him with the captionedtools to understand his thoughts and to relieve his negative emotion.

ReflectionsBy using SEMH tools, such as the Person Centred Calming Planner and Good DayBad Day, we can collect a lot of information and listen to students’ voice. We alsoneed to set-up an efficient system for document filing and archiving due to alarge amount of information collected.

Also, instead of using the complete set of SEMH tools, I found that the selectionof SEMH tool should be student-oriented. In the above case, the S3 student,choosing two tools was a right decision.

In fact, SEMH toolkit is a new thing to my school. In my school, a variety offormal (e.g. social worker program, emotion seminar, student support service)and informal systems (e.g. teacher observation) are already well established, sothe basic support for students with emotional problems and mental illness is inplace. SEMH tools provide an alternative way for screening and supportingstudents’ needs on top of the current systems.

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In the above case, I applied two simple tools for screening students withnegative emotion from the whole class effectively. It promoted teachers’ in-depth understanding of the development of student and encouraged them toseek professional assistance if necessary.

My next stepsI begin my promotion of SEMH tools to my colleagues with small steps. Themembers of student support team are my main target, since they are well-equipped and have better understanding of the diverse needs of the students,thus more prepared to work with me.

Top Tips More communication with students to build a good relationship. Get to know a student’s daily life, peer relationship in particular. Keep close contact with the parents and class teachers. Encourage students to seek help from teachers if they have concerns in

mental health. Create a harmonious atmosphere; be peaceful and empathetic in handling

emotions and resolving problem. Recognise the significance of social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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