Pathway Strategy – Reducing exclusions
The aim of developing a Pathways Strategy is driven by needing to reduce suspension and exclusion of all children and young people regardless of ability, behaviour or background.
This will be part of the Dudley SEND Sufficiency and Alternative Provision strategy and is also linked to the findings of the Ofsted Thematic review.
Our approach started with a variety of stakeholder meetings and market engagement sessions with settings to complete the picture of what is needed. As a result, we now have an agreed focus of what Inclusion means that has been shared with our schools:
- Fostering a sense of belonging.
- Increasing academic engagement and outcomes.
- Reducing exclusion from education.
- Supporting personal growth and development.
- Improving mental health and wellbeing.
- Enhancing social and emotional capabilities.
- Providing equality of opportunity.
- Consistent use of inclusive language.
The Strategy sits across 4 tiers
- Tier 1 – Universal expectations from schools – risk register / early identification of need / relationships and communication of behaviour policies / Assess, Plan, Do Review (APDR ) cycle/ Trauma informed practice / use of OAIP, CIPS, SEND team
- Tier 2 – Preventative – early support through the use of the council’s Inclusive Pathways team that has proven to reduce suspensions and ultimately exclusions, particularly in primary schools.
- Tier 3 – Launch of Pathway Learning Centres (PLCs) - targeted support of CYP using school estate to provide a different curriculum model that also supports the transition of children returning to school following suspension / exclusion across all key stages 1 to 4.
- Tier 4 – Specialist external Alternative Provision – bespoke provision for CYP should the PLC not be the best educational provision – limited in number and will need to be quality assured.
Across the Strategy there will be a panel that will assess should a CYP need a specific tier in discussion with the school where the CYP is on roll and educated. There will also be an assessment centre for behaviour that will look wider into the barriers to learning.
Schools now meet with the Inclusion and AP Lead on a termly bases at both Secondary and Primary/Special as an inclusion network to discuss and provide training around the Tier 1 universal offer.
We anticipate that strategy and implementation plan will be finalised in the New Year.
Dudley SEND Network Conference 2024
More than 100 delegates attended the council’s inaugural SEND network conference last month.
Held at Himley Hall, the event was open to SEND leaders including Trust leads, head teachers and Special Education and Disability Coordinators (SENCOs).
The day entailed two key note speakers, Gary Aubin, author of The Lone SENDCo and Dale Pickles, Managing Director of B Squared Ltd and the host of the award-winning SENDcastpodcast.
There were also were four workshops that delegates could attend:
- Sassy Sensory Surprises - Classroom adaptations to meet sensory needs
- Barnardo’s - How can Trauma Informed Practice support inclusion of Neurodiverse conditions in mainstream schools?
- Dudley Council’s Learning Support Service - Dyslexia
- SEND Advanced Practitioner, Jodie Colbourne - Celebrating Every Milestone!
The day also featured Local Offer live – a marketplace exhibiting a range of local and national services for SEND. The day has been marked as a success with attendees saying:
“It was a great day. I really enjoyed the structure of it and the pace was good. It was carefully planned and I loved the idea of the market stall type of information. It was great to be able to speak to different people. Thank you”
“Excellent opportunity to network. Shows increased awareness and support from the LA”
“Great opportunity to network with other SEND professionals and to see what support is available”
We will of course be collating feedback from all of those individuals who attended in order to further improve our next conference which is due to be held in 12 months time (with potential for a smaller event focussing on Teenagers and Transition in the Spring to be communicated).
In addition, last month we launched our online SEND Network space; a central hub for resources, collaboration, and support.
Designed specifically for SENCOs, our SharePoint platform offers numerous benefits to enhance SENCOs role and effectiveness. Here, they can access a comprehensive library of up-to-date materials, including policies, best practices, and practical tools as well as connect with fellow SENCOs to share insights, strategies, and experiences through our interactive forums and collaborative spaces.
As part of the network professionals will be kept informed with the latest news and developments in the field of special educational needs. Our SharePoint the go-to resource for continuous professional development, ensuring SENCOs have the support and information you need to succeed.
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