[senco-forum] New Senco

oooer Brian - lovely stuff
I am in the happy position that we have a strong Pastoral system - 4 Houses and Heads of House - which deals with behaviour - at least I refuse to have much to do with behaviour unless I see it as a special need..............I make the rules really and help out if called upon to call in outside services etc - if they're just naughty in one or two classes because the teacher can't deal with them - then they're not mine. If it seems to have a deeper basis and they are a trouble all over the place - then I'll help out too but the major responsibility for behaviour is with the heads of house. 
We also have a behaviour system - green, amber and red reports - which I helped set up and wrote the report cards for it - and that has targets on and is monitored closely.
As you say, Brian, we have enough to deal with trying to get the kids to be functionally literate and then deal with the demands of a very academic (in my school) curriculum. 
I am finding that I deal more with 1:1 work e.g. anger management, self esteem, anxiety issues etc. 
I am about to go to Oxford for a 2 day course (OCTC) so that I can be more effective and not just a listener ( we have a school counsellor to do that). 
I thought at one time that the role of senco might even disappear and be taken over by admin people and senior TAs but then a light dawned - there are so few E.P.s and their time is so limited - I can do some of the work which I would call them in to do. 
Our outreach service is also very limited and so there is a need for work with children who do have real issues in their lives which manifest themselves in the classroom as bad behaviour. 
That's the way my role is heading as I see it. 
My LEA has just re-vamped their SEN funding system - a set amount will come in every year which includes statements - and if we have exceptional needs we have to apply for it - and despite what others say, IEPs are used less by me than formerly - still for statements and most at SA+ - I tend to write more information for staff about learning preferences, what works for this or that child etc rather than little targets which are often covered any way by departments as they do a lot of target setting these days and a child can only deal with so much, I think I've waffled a bit - holidays after all -
hope you're all enjoying a well earned rest
After all the above, I love my job and am so happy to be doing it. I am so privileged to be in the position that I am - and when the children stop making me laugh, which they do constantly,  and stop cheering me up every day with their little faces round my office door in the morning - then I'll give up and grow roses.
Janice Wray Secondary SENCO, Herts

> From: hepburnbrian at hotmail.com> To: senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk> Subject: RE: [senco-forum] New Senco> Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2007 20:28:59 +0000> > > > .My initial task is to bring behaviour and learning under> >one umbrella and to increase inclusion in the classroom. Shoiuld be a > >doddle.> > Great email address, Kev. Cheap, though. I trust Shelagh is impressed.> > You've got to bring learning and behaviour together, eh? I hope someone has > told your pastoral system.> > I reckon you'll have enough to do teaching kids to read. If they become > literate, they've got a chance of meeting the KS3 curriculum half way. At > that point, they may start believing lessons have something to do with them > and start to behave. Then again, they might not.> > If SMT (SLT? I'm out of touch) want you to pick up naughty kids who can read > already, tell SMT to naff off.> > Someone must have asked you at interview what the job of a SENCO entailed. > Whatever you answered impressed them enough to give you the job. So do that.> > >From an LA point of view, I'd want you to send me the dates of your Annual > Reviews on time. Return the AR paperwork promptly and give me some darn good > reasons why I shoudn't strip the hours of support from you.> > Learning and behaviour? I bet they've got this chapel they'd like you to > paint at the same time.> > Happy Easter> > Brian> > _________________________________________________________________> Solve the Conspiracy and win fantastic prizes. > http://www.theconspiracygame.co.uk/> > 
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