Teach-Primary-Issue-19.3

www.teachwire.net | 43 Once you’ve reflected on your ambitions and assessments, only now should you draft the child’s targeted outcomes by answering the question, ‘What new thing will they be able to do in 13 weeks?’ Aim high, but please do not litter ambitious outcomes with teacher-speak (e.g. digraphs , common exception words , WT3 ). Jargon makes your plans harder to understand for most families. Straightforward language is also quicker to write (and I can almost guarantee you have more than one of these plans on your to-do list). Finally, say what provision you will provide to make the outcomes a reality. If you cannot realistically provide something, don’t include it, or you risk undermining parental trust in both you and your school. A family matter If you’ve haven’t done so before, ask parents what their dreams are for their child once they’re grown up. This doesn’t have to mean a meeting; it might just be a three-minute chat at pick up time. Chat to them about the draft of your plan, too. Do they have any questions or concerns about anything you’ve put down? Just because you’ve started it, doesn’t mean it can’t alter after hearing parent views. Having a draft plan simply avoids discussions starting with a blank page. In an ideal world, your draft is perfect. In which case, everyone can start working towards the outcomes immediately. But if you need to redraft, that’s ok – it’s better to lose a few days amending the plan and have good parental engagement, than push on and alienate a crucial part of the child’s support network. Safe hands How successfully would you meet your appraisal targets if your headteacher didn’t tell you what they were? Humans perform better when they know their goals. You could even include some children in choosing their own outcomes but, either way, you should normally share goals with pupils. If you’ve used straightforward language, you might not even need to simplify the wording. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. For a young child who has autism or another need that results in hitting others, for example, you might just share a version of ‘safe hands when playing with others’. It’s also always best to ask, ‘Is it in the child’s best interests for me to discuss their outcomes with them?’. And finally… Share the plan with other staff who work with the child so you can all crack on with moving towards the outcomes. And keep driving towards that dream because, before you know it, a 20-year-old will approach you in a bar as walking, talking, living, dancing proof of how you got on. TP 1 Over-focusing on English or maths. Targets probably shouldn’t just be academic. You can prioritise social skills, flexible thinking, self-regulation, etc. 2 Adding too many targets. Three or four is normally fine. SEN plans need a laser-like focus on the top priorities. 3 Not sharing the plan with parents. This robs you of their feedback and robs them of a chance to engage in their child’s success. 4 Not having SEN targets easily available in your classroom. Make it as easy as possible for you, teaching assistants, trainee teachers and supply staff to check how you want to boost the child’s learning. Yes – that means printing the plan. 5 Tautology. This is that grisly teacher habit of adding words that add little extra meaning but that make everything harder to understand (e.g. as relevant/ appropriate/required ). 6 Too much use of ‘80 per cent of the time’. For some skills, we need pupils to do it 100 per cent of the time – for example, when it comes to using finger spaces. Youalwaysneedfingerspaces! 6 MI STAKES TO AVO I D “Start with your biggest dreams and ambitions for your pupils, rather than assessments of their attainment at present” Aaron King is a SEND advisor who now supports schools, trusts and councils to improve the lives of SEND children. He also teaches Y6 on Thursdays. resources and links pages have a useful Speech Screen pdf). Sometimes a child is working below the level at which you’d like to see them. Have the confidence to chat to teachers and support staff in younger year groups, and ask them, “What would be your top tips for closing the gap?” or, “What would you see as the next big leap?” 9000Lives.org