[senco-forum] New Senco

From: WrayJanice Wray <jwwray14 at hotmail.com>

Good stuff, Janice, if depressing. Anger management, self esteem, anxiety. 
Trendy, liberal nonsense.

No, it's no good. There don't seem to be enough of the right people about to 
wind up, so I'll stop this before I start.

I am genuinely ambivalent about behaviour as a special need. Yes, I know 
it's in the code of practice, but, as a friend of mine used to say, it says 
Weetabix on the side of the bus, but it doesn't mean the driver eats it. ( 
Even I'm not sure what relevance that has)

Yes, behaviour is a barrier to learning, but how far is it limiting 
potential? How much delay is it causing? Do we worry about the delay or the 
behaviour? If the kids are achieving Level 4 in a comp, how does the kid 
have a special educational need, as opposed to a special social/medical 
need?

I have no answers and I probably don't even have the right questions. Does 
anyone remember the pilot episode to Starsky and Hutch? They climb out of a 
swimming pool (don't ask) and have a conversation about how they've been 
distracted and have taken their eyes off the ball. That's how I feel about 
behaviour.

Yes, the CAMHS kids, the bewildered and the traumatised are probably 
(possibly) "ours." But that leaves a lot of others to distract us.

Did I say Happy Easter, last time? It's turned into 1 for my dog, who found 
a Thornton's egg in her reach. I think she even accepted the subsequent 
tummy pains as a price worth paying. £12.99!!!!!

Brian

>From: WrayJanice Wray <jwwray14 at hotmail.com>
>To: brian hepburn <hepburnbrian at hotmail.com>, 
><senco-forum at lists.becta.org.uk>
>Subject: RE: [senco-forum] New Senco
>Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 10:45:38 +0000
>
>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> > 
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