[senit] Re: Who is providing you with support in ICT and Inclusion?

Can I agree with Judith re the hole in mainstream provision for those of

Hello again

Thank you to everyone who has added to the debate on support for teachers 
who are using (or want to use) ICT with their students who have special 
needs.
I was particularly interested to hear from those working in mainstream 
schools because that is where I always worked.  Sally has hit the nail on 
the head when she describes her situation.  Mainstream teachers/SENCOs are 
isolated and need to be able to ask someone about solutions that will help 
their particular students.  My experience was that teachers wanted support 
when a student was joining their class, preferably in advance of the student 
appearing.  There were so many other things to do in the school day that 
they did not perceive the need to keep up to date with theoretical ICT/SEN, 
but they certainly needed practical help when they became responsible for a 
student with very individual needs.  And they wanted it in their school. 
That's where an advisory service came in.
We have lost a lot of the face-to-face support that used to be available and 
it has been replaced by online resources.  Look at the success of SENIT and 
other online communities.  No wonder the purse-holders like them  - they are 
cheap to run and based on our willingness to help one another for free (and 
long may we continue to do so). Becta's Inclusion website 
http://inclusion.ngfl.gov.uk was set up to give online support when needed. 
I have been involved with it from the start but I see it as only one part of 
what we should be available to teachers in the mainstream classroom.
My personal opinion is that we need a national advisory service that can 
provide support to teachers who need it.  It's not just about providing the 
equipment and training people on it.  It's about what those students are 
going to access with it and how well it is being used.  I know that this is 
happening locally/regionally in places but it's patchy.  Why should a 
student in one area have less support than a student somewhere else?

Regards
Lesley Rahamin

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sally Barton" <sally at congo.f9.co.uk>
To: <senit at lists.becta.org.uk>
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 10:21 PM
Subject: Re: [senit] Re: Who is providing you with support in thefieldofICT 
and Inclusion?

> Can I agree with Judith re the hole in mainstream provision for those of 
> us who only have one or two students with extra difficulties.  General 
> training is provided re students with general learning difficulties or 
> minor needs but nothing more.
>
> I have recently been teaching a student with cerebral palsy - I have some 
> personal experience and am into ICT so have sorted something out for him 
> but as far as a I am aware NONE of his teachers received ANY training!!
>
> Apart from conversations with the senco co-ordinator, who is very busy, I 
> wouldn't have a clue where to go to get training .....
>
> (I also had to email the exam board myself to overturn an internal 
> decision by our exams office which was detrimental to the student!)
>