Fw: [senco-forum] Training for all teachers

Hi Astryngia
The reason I support Shiela in her view that the CoP should be included in  
an SEN syllabus for all teachers is, that to exclude it would be like excluding 
 the Bible from a Christian teaching syllabus because there were "too many  
words". The CoP is an excellent framework for understanding all aspects of SEN. 
 It was put together after wide consultation and has been once revised and is 
 standing the test of time. It is not, of course, a perfect document, and it 
is  getting to the time for further revision. But, all of your concerns about  
children and parents' vulnerabilities would be catered for if the guidance  
in the CoP were followed in practice. What worries me is your dismissal of the  
CoP as being "crushingly boring". That is the same as saying SEN is a boring  
subject. Your analysis is, in my view, overly simplistic. I'll repeat -- all  
that is needed is an understanding of the outline contents of the CoP -- in  
itself representing an outline syllabus for an SEN course.

What worries me even more, is the number of SENCo's, senior school  
management, SEN officers, SEN governors, EP's etc., that  I come across who  have never 
heard of the SEN CoP (or seem not to have) and have certainly  never read or 
referred to it, never mind having not obtained their own free  copy for ready 
reference. I well remember an EP at a critical review  meeting proudly 
boasting that he had never looked at a copy of the CoP --  and "acted according to 
his own instincts at all times". In fact he merely  did as his line manager and 
the senior SEN LEA officer told him to do -- so he  had no reason (in his own 
mind) to bother with the statutory guidance written to  ensure a national 
consistency of SEN good practice.

Many questions from SENCo's crop up on this site that can be checked quite  
easily by reference to the CoP. To be helpful, I often answer these  by quoting 
the relevant paragraphs of the CoP -- but it does cross my mind  -- how many 
SENCo's/teachers, etc., are not in the habit of checking the  CoP when they 
are in doubt about what to do in particular circumstances? The  answer to their 
dillema's is invariably contained in the CoP if it is  a matter of substance 
and best practice.

Brendan 