Beyond Firefighting: Building Better SEND Provision
Good morning,
I’ve become increasingly suspicious of SEND conversations that begin with a product, programme or intervention. Not because interventions are unimportant, but because the harder questions usually sit underneath them. What are we asking adults to do? Have we trained them properly? Is the support helping pupils belong in the classroom, or quietly moving them further away from it? And once we put something in place, do we ever check whether it is actually doing what we hoped?
This week I’m joined by Amy Batalli from The Kite Academy Trust for a conversation about SEND provision, learning support assistants and the difference between firefighting and strategy.
What I loved about this conversation is that Amy does not pretend any of this is easy. Schools are dealing with higher levels of need, tighter budgets and a support staff role that has changed enormously. But rather than reaching for a silver bullet, she talks about training, alignment, feedback, implementation and belonging.
In other words, the stuff that probably matters most.
Hope you enjoy!
A link to wherever you get your podcasts…
YouTube Audio
Amy’s recommendations
TDaPE Online and On-Demand
Tickets are available for TDaPE Conference Online and here’s an overview of the wonderful sessions available…
Every ticket gives you access to the full collection of sessions, and all funds will be donated to Velindre Cancer Centre, a cause that means a great deal to many of us in the TDaPE community.
A huge thank you to everyone who shared last week’s episode. It really does help the podcast reach more thoughtful primary teachers and leaders. If there’s someone you know who cares deeply about teaching, learning or leadership, I’d be very grateful if you passed the episode on.
That’s all from me this week. I’d love to know what you made of it, so do leave a comment wherever you listen, or simply hit reply and share your thoughts.
Until next time, thanks for listening.
