To set up a club at school for SEN children

[pinksparkleunicorns]

I am a teacher in a state secondary school. I would like to set up an extra-curricular club (either lunchtime or after school) which involves looking after a school pet (probably baby goats - we have approval to put some in the school paddock).

I want to run two clubs. One for any students but one which is only children with special needs.

AIBU to stipulate that one session is ONLY for SN children? It could be anything - from dyslexia to cerebral palsy and children from the deaf community.

I have a DC with special needs. My thoughts behind it are that it gives these children a chance to meet others with extra difficulties in life. To talk to them and share their stories. But I am worried that this could backfire? There will be the second session of the same club where anyone - SN or not can join.

Please can we avoid a thread where the well-being of the goats is discussed - we have a huge paddock and a local farmer who lives next door will oversee their upkeep so they will be very well looked after.

Im so pleased everyone hasn't bombarded me with 'what a shit idea what we're you thinking'.

I will talk to the SENCO and head and they can approve it and help me fine tune the details x

Maybe if you clearly define the purpose of the selective group it will become more obvious who are your target students and then how to approach them will become clearer.

Some sort of structured achievement which needs ongoing attendance would also be good. Hmm I’m obviously looking at this from an ASD perspective .

Nice idea

When he started secondary school my DS attended an after-school club which was invitation-only. It was aimed at kids with social difficulties so some had SEN, others had been bullied, etc. The club was mainly for kids in the first year or two, DS continued for an extra year as a mentor.

After school might be good as it's less obvious to the other kids. Your goat-care club wont suit everyone with additional needs, and not everyone who might benefit will want to go. But if the school is a reasonable size and you don't mind starting small I don't see why it shouldn't work and be helpful.

Treeofwhispers
Thank you the funding angle certainly adds a layer of complexity. Mine are in independent schools so funding wasn’t in the picture. There was an angle of everything is fine and positivity which definitely delayed getting external agencies involved so equally damaging from the other perspective. The whole system is not working. In my area CAMH are refusing referrals for all but the most in crisis children because their lists are so long which simply pushes more into crisis. All children should be supported to achieve but it just isn’t happening.

In my area CAMH are refusing referrals for all but the most in crisis children because their lists are so long which simply pushes more into crisis. All children should be supported to achieve but it just isn’t happening.

Yes, this used to happen at the time I was speaking of, in authorities, other than my own, which had made the decision to give schools a greater per pupil funding and thus retain less funds for Statements . In those places theSEN threshold for a Statement was higher. People used to, quite rightly, speak of a 'post code lottery'. Depending on individual school's responses to this and people's individual circumstances would mean children were either winners or losers in this system. The system is a lot more complex than simply matching the relevant resource to needs.

As some suggested, I'd sent emails to appropriate children, saying something along the lines that this is going to be a safe space.
I know our school used to run trips for SEN kids only and no one ever argues, as there was loads going on for everyone anyway, and making things for one group only does not make it non-inclusive.

I think it is a great idea. My ds is at a school that prides itself on being inclusive...in reality it ticks the boxes and tries to fit children with complex needs into a mainstream shaped box. Every single school club is open to all children with the proviso of inclusivity, and not a single child with special needs attends anybody them.

My ds would love the opportunity to be invited to a club with his friends from the complex needs resource base. He is terrified of goats though!!

I think that’s brilliant! There are plenty of clubs for the other kids . i have a child with autism and I resent the way the relaxed performances etc are also open to everyone else- it’s not fair- there’s enough available to regular kids.

Haven’t RTFT but am an SEN so hopefully not repeating an idea
Gorgeous idea, have you considered (rather than making it invite only) promoting it in areas that only SEN kids are likely to go? So posters outside the SENCO office, SEN base, TA office etc - sow the seeds without being so clear. Might also let a few of them bring along some like minded non-SEN pals to ease an anxieties

Wanted to update you all. I have spoken to the SENCO and they loved the idea. They would prefer it to be invite only and have offered to organise the guest list for children with certain SEN and some with MH problems. She was so keen, we are actually going to make the club run every day!

Thanks for all of your updates, I need to write a letter to convince the head it is a good idea. I am cutting snippets of your replies to help me!!

Super! We had school goats (everyone who knows me will now recognise me immediately). It was a rough school, and the theory was that if they taught the more troubled pupils to care for the goats, they'd be less likely to thump each other.

Not sure it worked, but for a shy 13 year old, it was a fantastic way to spend my lunch breaks.

It's a fantastic idea, our friends DS who has DS but was in a main stream school that had a similar scheme is now doing well at agricultural college. Who knows what you might inspire in those DCs

Can you have invite only but not neceserily sen? I mean soe one with a troubled home life may get more out of this kind of club then a dyslexic, speaking as someone living with dys,s.