Quality First Teaching for All SENJIT 21 st May 2013

Quality First Teaching for ALL A Top Priority for Schools! Context and Background

The special educational needs and disability review – A statement is not enough However, we also recognise that as many as half of all pupils identified for School Action would not be identified as having special educational needs if schools focused on improving teaching and learning for all, with individual goals for improvement. Ofsted, September 2010

The special educational needs and disability review – A statement is not enough At School Action level, the additional provision was often making up for poor whole class teaching or pastoral support.

The special educational needs and disability review – A statement is not enough Inspectors saw schools that identified pupils as having special educational needs when, in fact, their needs were no different from those of most other pupils. They were underachieving but this was sometimes simply because the school’s mainstream teaching provision was not good enough, and expectations of the pupils were too low.

The special educational needs and disability review – A statement is not enough... some pupils are being wrongly identified as having special educational needs and that relatively expensive additional provision is being used to make up for poor day-to-day teaching and pastoral support. This can dilute the focus on overall school improvement and divert attention from those who do need a range of specialist support.

The special educational needs and disability review – A statement is not enough The characteristics of the best lessons were: –Teachers’ thorough and detailed knowledge of the children and young people –Teachers’ thorough knowledge and understanding of teaching strategies and techniques, including assessment for learning –Teachers’ thorough knowledge about the subject or areas of learning being taught –Teachers’ understanding of how learning difficulties can affect children and young people’s learning. These were the essential tools for good-quality teaching with any group of children or young people.

The special educational needs and disability review – A statement is not enough... further changes to the system should focus on: Improving teaching and pastoral support early on so that additional provision is not needed later Ensuring that schools do not identify pupils as having special educational needs when they simply need better teaching.

The Green Paper Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability... our proposals in this Green Paper will mean that: teachers and other staff in schools and colleges are well trained and confident to: identify and overcome a range of barriers to learning; manage challenging behaviour; address bullying; and intervene early when problems emerge; teachers feel able to identify effectively what a child needs to help them to learn and to plan support to help every child progress well, reflecting the specific needs of children with SEN and those who may just be struggling with learning and need school-based catch-up support which is normally available.

The Green Paper Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability International evidence shows that the most important factor in effective school systems is the quality of teachers and teaching. Teachers who have specialist knowledge and experience in working with young people with SEN are often well placed to develop the skills of other colleagues.

Progress and Next Steps (May 2012) School Action and School Action Plus (and early years equivalents) will be replaced with a single category of SEN SEN Code of Practice will be revised to give clear guidance on identifying children who have SEN and on the operation of the new single category of SEN.

Fact Sheet –Changes to School Action and School Action Plus It will also, challenge schools to improve the quality of teaching and learning for all pupils, rather than inappropriately and inaccurately labelling some pupils as having SEN. We want to ensure that pupils are identified as having SEN only where it is appropriate and action to meet the full range of their needs goes beyond what can be achieved by adapting mainstream teaching

Indicative Draft: The (0-25) Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 5.2 “All teachers are teachers of children with special educational needs” 5.6 Additional SEN Support in schools, early years and colleges Educational settings must ensure that children and young people who receive Additional SEN Support have an identified SEN and that their progress has not been hampered by weak teaching or poor attendance.

Indicative Draft: The (0-25) Special Educational Needs Code of Practice Many of the children who are not progressing as expected, or are falling behind their peers can be supported, and have their needs met, through normal teaching and learning strategies, modification to teaching approaches and to classroom organisation, or through provision of ancillary equipment and aids.

Indicative Draft: The (0-25) Special Educational Needs Code of Practice To ensure children and young people with SEN receive the right levels of support and intervention to help them to achieve good outcomes, schools and colleges should create a sharper focus on helping teachers to differentiate between: Those children and young people who need support to catch up with their peers; and Those children and young people who need a more tailored approach to address a specific SEN that is impacting on their ability to learn.

Ofsted Inspection of Maintained Schools and Academies from 1 st September 2012

Overall Effectiveness Outstanding The school’s practice consistently reflects the highest expectations of staff and the highest aspirations for pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Pupils whose cognitive ability is such that their literacy skills are likely to be limited make excellent progress appropriate to their age and capabilities

Achievement of pupils at the school Inadequate Pupils overall, or particular groups of pupils, are consistently making less than expected progress given their starting points. Disabled pupils and/or those who have special educational needs and/or those for whom the pupil premium provides support, are underachieving. There are wide gaps in the attainment and/or the learning and progress of different groups.

Quality of Teaching Inspectors should consider the extent to which the ‘Teachers’ Standards’ are being met.

Teachers’ Standards September 2012 Adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils Know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively Have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these Demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development Have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with EAL; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.

The Sutton Trust Improving the impact of teachers on pupil achievement in the UK – interim findings (Sept. 2011) Teacher impacts The difference between a very effective teacher and a poorly performing teacher is large. For example during one year with a very effective maths teacher, pupils gain 40% more in their learning than they would with a poorly performing maths teacher.

The Sutton Trust Improving the impact of teachers on pupil achievement in the UK – interim findings (Sept. 2011) The effects of high-quality teaching are especially significant for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds: over a school year, these pupils gain 1.5 years’ worth of learning with very effective teachers, compared with 0.5 years with poorly performing teachers. In other words, for poor pupils the difference between a good teacher and a bad teacher is a whole year’s learning.