[senco-forum] monitoring

Asingularly unhelpful reply

Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk]On Behalf Of
KngBrndn at aol.com
Sent: 14 October 2006 21:55
To: linda.lake at btinternet.com; senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk
Subject: Re: [senco-forum] monitoring - help please

If you have kept relevant and purposeful IEPs for each Action/Action+ and
statemented pupil in your school -- showing recorded progress for each child
in
achieving expected targets -- with each IEP recording level (quantity per
week) and type of relevant and purposeful intervention -- over the  past 2
yrs
with regular (3 or minimum 2 reviews per yr) OFSTED will be very  satisfied
that proper recorded monitoring has taken place in line with statutory
guidance
as clearly set out in the SEN Code of Practice (2001) (free copies from
DfES
publications).

If this has not been happening it is too late now to invent a long  term
record of detailed monitoring of all of your SEN pupils. The inspection
team will
quickly detect that your monitoring has been very short term started  about
the time you will have realised an OFSTED was looming. So my advice is --
it
is too late now -- so be honest with the inspection team and request  their
advice as to future monitoring strategies. Otherwise go to the CoP --  it is
all
in there -- and that is one very important reason why it was produced  -- to
develop a national consistent approach to good practice monitoring of
individual SEN pupils progress.

The approach that is advised in detail in the current CoP is known as
'individual education plans' (IEPs). It still disconcerts me when SENCo's at
meetings I attend with parents who are complaining that no IEPs have ever
been
produced for their child (even those with a statement and where termly IEPs
are  a
requirement within the monitoring section of the statement) and where
parents
 have no idea how their child is progressing -- and the SENCo trots out the
line  "But the CoP is not mandatory -- we can ignore the CoP").

As this false line is line often repeated on this forum -- I'm  afraid that
I
have no sympathy for those responsible for SEN children who,  when an OFSTED
or appeal tribunal is looming, cry for help for an instant  monitoring
solution that will satisfy an inspection team or a tribunal appeal  panel.
Monitoring
should not be for the benefit of inspection teams or tribunal  panels --
they
should be for the benefit of SEN children over a long term period  -- and to
keep parents fully informed of how there child is making progress  with the
extra help they are being provided with. Brendan  King

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