I am a teacher (secondary) AMA

[Piggywaspushed]

The atmosphere has become toxic on MN in the last few days with insults and generalisations being flung and teachers becoming increasingly defensive , aggressive probably and anxious certainly.

I am using this board to reach out and answer in a calm non AIBU way any questions you might have about what I and my colleagues are doing, how I am feeling, what my concerns and fears are, what my hopes are, perhaps to share a fuller understanding.

I work in a very large state secondary and DH in a large private secondary so can also answer questions about the two sectors.

Just as a rider, any aggressive posts or questions I will just sail on by : I don't want an argument. I had no sleep last night as it is!

Ask away...

Another question, SEN related, prompted by your post above.
Do you read the full EHCP of every child you teach that has one? How do you remember the specific needs of each child with an EHCP so that adjustments are in place and they are not forgotten?

Not usually, no : the SENCo would present specific details and targets are set and reviewed for each subject. Sometimes the reason for an EHCP is not particularly related to my subject.

I have read EHCPs for some children in the past, but not all. I think a primary teacher who spends all day with the same children would, however.

the SENCo team are very good at reminding us of the needs and adjustments and they hold regular reviews , of course, with each child and family. After this we often get emails with updates which are good reminders.

The bigger problem is those with SEN but not EHCPs. There tends to be lots of these students and it is more difficult to keep on top of and monitor. Since EHCPs are so hard to get, especially at secondary age, this group is growing.

Piggy that's interesting you mention those without EHCPs. Ds is on SEN support but it feels like support is quite limited at school and when I've asked for more help from the Senco it's always been refused. I've often wondered how many teachers are aware of his difficulties especially as they teach a multitude of children from different year groups. It must be difficult for subject teachers to keep track of who needs what.

It definitely is and some SENCos are a bit overrun. They lose sight of the ball occasionally as a result.

I fear that is where parents need to be assertive. That said, it doesn't seem right that the SENCo is refusing to support : or do you mean refusing to add in class support to your DC which may be because only EHCP student will get this.

I am afraid SEN is woefully underfunded. I used to definitely stand a much better chance of having a TA in the room.

Piggy it must be difficult for teachers when there is not the TA support available when needed. For Ds it was help with study and organisation (he has really poor executive functioning skills) and he desperately needed more pastoral support. It's hard because he is quiet and compliant so can be overlooked. He didn't get his ASD diagnosis until the start of year 11. His school is a state selective though so their SEN figures are pretty low in comparison to many others.

I do think that schools now are under even more pressure to help with situations that would in the past have often been supported elsewhere. When Ds was given his autism diagnosis I asked the paediatrician what support or follow up she could offer as he was really struggling. Her words were 'the school need to sort this out'. When Ds was referred to Camhs last year because of significant mental health difficulties and subsequently rejected the refusal letter said to 'engage the school counsellor' instead.

Schools should not have to take on the responsibility for all of this but when you want to help your child it often feels like there is no one else to ask.

Yup! That sounds familiar! I got the same with my DS and is eating disorder (thankfully now gone) and GAD.

I think this pandemic has shown how much schools are relied on for absolutely all support.

Thank you for your reply, apologies if I wasn’t clear, I was thinking about learning styles, how we all have a method that suits us best and wondered if that was something that teachers considered and used when planning lessons. If you have a large proportion of a class that learn best by being given information to read on their own or research, does this alter your approach as the year goes on and do you relay that to the teacher that takes over the group for the following year? I hope that makes sense, l am struggling to put across the question well!

If I could also ask another question? Have you seen any positives in lockdown education? Have any pupils surprised you in their effort or lack of? As a parent I’ve found it very illuminating! I probably know my dc’s teacher better than l would have done. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the amount of effort she obviously puts in to planning a week of learning for them. I’ve enjoyed doing the work together each day and would be more open to home schooling but conversely can also see that there is more to it than I previously thought! I was very happy with my dc’s teacher before but I think they have gone up in my estimation due to lockdown.