TEY_10_1_2020

Teachearlyyears.com 13 When we’re working with the same children every day, we can find ourselves questioning whether there is a valid concern. For example, if a child has a speech and language delay, you may be able to decode their attempts at language because they’re familiar to you, but others may struggle to understand. To establish concerns, you should request that the SENCo completes an observation so that you can engage in a professional dialogue around accurate judgements of the development. Do key people know who to go to when they have concerns? Is there a setting procedure for requesting a SENCo observation? Working collaboratively with parents can be both rewarding and challenging. It’s imperative that we value the skills and knowledge of the parent and that we’re aware that we see only a small insight into their experience. Like us, parents are often doing their very best for their child, and we should seek to build a parent’s confidence and knowledge. Parents can feel anxious for their child, and often they just need to know that we love them (professionally) as much as they do. Always begin with positive feedback, and if you need to share sensitive information, match it with solutions or ways forward. A second opinion When we think about capturing the ‘voice’ of the child we often think about the spoken word. But the child’s voice is about the ways in which we advocate for the child and convey their rights and entitlements. It’s common for us to work with children with limited communication or those who are non-verbal. We should develop processes to meaningfully capture the child’s voice, for example, by making use of a communication passport or one-page profile (examples available on eyfs4me.com ). During a team meeting, map out all the ways in which we can actively capture and advocate the child’s voice. Kerry is based in London and works as an independent consultant and trainer. Read more from her at eyfs4me.com 5 7 6 The child’s voice Parent partnerships PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Key people have a crucial role in SEN support and should recognise all the things they’re already doing… l When we think about SEN support as a combination of high quality universal teaching with targeted and specialist support, we begin to see that we’re already carrying out many strategies. It’s more often about developing skills in differentiation as opposed to having to learn something entirely new. l Developing a SEND toolkit enables key people to return to strategies they have previously used to benefit other children. Keep note of the effective strategies you have used.