[senco-forum] EPs working with secondary schools (longish)

Sorry to hear about your troubles with the EP.  Does your LA have a
definite model of how EPs and schools should work together?

I think I have mentioned before that my LA adopted a consultative model
about six years ago.  Schools (I was in a primary school, but it applied
to secondary as well) are allocated a number of EP sessions per term,
depending on known need - ie number of children with statements and at
SA+.  The EP discusses with the Senco who needs to be considered during
each visit and what that consideration should encompass: classroom
observation; consultation with child, classteacher and parent; full
cognitive assessment.  This is done by phone prior to a visit, so that the
whole of the time for which the EP is in school can be used to best
advantage.  The EP discusses recommendations with the Senco and undertakes
to refer on to medical services, where necessary; a written report is
received by the school and the whole year is reviewed towards the end of
the summer term.  This has worked really well.

If your LA has something similar in place, then perhaps not all of its EPs
are following it!

I hope that this is of some use,

Regards

Jean

Dear all, or some of you, especially those of you in the secondary  phase
>
> I would be interested to hear of ways in which you work with your EPs. I
> ask
> because of an ongoing and stodgy relationship I have with one of mine. The
> perception of the key person in this school is very reactionary and
> traditional.  EP put in room, student "sent" for assessment, next please,
> leave and write
>  report. Now I know there is a place for individual assessment, on a
> pseudo
> clinical basis, but where is the richness?
>
>
> This email and request results from a recent visit to said school when a
> youngster was discussed (not one who was due to be "sent") who has had a
> fixed
> term exclusion, who threatened his mother during a meeting with the dep
> head,
> who bangs his head against the wall, who cuts himself, who has daubed the
> toilet  wall with his own excrement writing the word "help", who is said
> to have a
>  "friendship" with a public lavatory attendant, who is known to the
> police,
> who  is 13 years old.
>
> the discussion led to a request for "an assessment" of what?, I asked and
> the expectation was of a skills/cognitive assessment.
>
> I suggested that this was not high on the list of things to do with this
> pupil and that what might be done was.....
>
> And i presented lots of suggestions.
>
> I am not looking for comments on this individual case, but for ways  in
> which
> you have worked with your EP above and beyond individual case work. I
> have
> worked with many secondary schools in a far more creative, preventative,
> consultative way, but thought it would be good to hear from you forum
> people so
> that I can use this for future discussion with the school as ways of
> working at
> this level.
>
> Any thoughts from primary colleagues and others would be welcome.
>
> Or maybe the expectation is that we do work in isolation, carry out an
> assessment, say that spelling is below average and that despite the
> smearing at
> least they can spell "help".
>
> Help
>
> Martin - and I think I have used up all of my words til  Easter
>
>
>
>
>
>
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