Heat maps, a language toolkit and surveys shared
Head Teacher Forum, held as a virtual meeting on 10th December 2020, focused on children with Special Educational Needs, those at risk of exclusion, closing the language gap and membership of Strategic Education Partnership sub-groups and the Strategic Board, going forward.
School leaders were asked to reflect on their own SEN cohort after seeing heat maps showing which schools had most children at SEN support or with an EHC plan. The maps, using data from the January 2020 Schools Census and Get Information about Schools, were produced by Claire Fletcher from the Strategy and Performance team. More detailed work in this area will be available soon as a data pack on the website Document Centre.
Results of a survey of pupils with SEND revealed how they had felt during lockdown, and how they feel now they are back in school or college. Rachel Medhurst, the LA Local Offer Officer, also asked head teachers to share a survey link with parents and carers of children and young people with SEND, which ends on 21st December 2020. Bexley LA Annual Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – Survey for parents and carers 2020 | Bexley Local Offer
School leaders were shown a draft weekly return spreadsheet, developed by the Inclusion sub-group to support pupils at risk of exclusion, and the rationale for using this was shared. With information given by schools earlier in the process, services will be able to offer more timely support to children and families.
The Chair and Lead Officer of the Education Performance and Achievement sub-group gave more details about a cross-phase language toolkit they have been developing in their sub-group. It was received positively by head teachers and it is likely to be shared with schools in the second half of the Spring term.
Head teachers also learnt about the process that would be followed in January 2021 to renew and refresh membership of the Strategic Education Partnership sub-groups and Strategic Board.
