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Original poster

"Don't Worry About the SEN"

33 replies

inclusivemyarse · 22/09/2016 18:37

I'm winded.

Directive from HT is to focus efforts on the children who are capable of achieving the expected levels for the end of their year and not focus on those with SEN.

Feel done in. Want to support all children equally. This isn't inclusion. Christ, I fell into education because of a passion for SN. Now this shit. It's fucking OFSTED.

Gutted tonight. Disillusioned.

OP posts:
Original poster
inclusivemyarse · 22/09/2016 18:40

Sorry I've NC. Regular. Stately homes, cock lodgers, MRA, odfod and the likes.

OP posts:
jellyfrizz · 22/09/2016 21:11

I pretty much got told this too. It's about making the data look good, the actual children don't matter.
It's a big pile of shite & one of the many reasons I left.

Jaimx86 · 22/09/2016 21:17

I doubt it's for Ofsted. They'd be very concerned if a cohort of students were underachieving.

silentlyfume · 22/09/2016 21:17

As Mum of a child with sen I could cry but it doesn't surprise me at all given the change in the support said child receives 😞
Luckily we just changed to a much smaller school where they have time to push child.

slkk · 22/09/2016 21:21

At my school Sen are a key priority this year but I think we may be unusual. This was my fear with the new standards. Shall we just not bother with dyslexic children as they will never reach the standard in spelling therefore can't meet it in writing at all?

Sleeperandthespindle · 23/09/2016 05:55

I left mainstream (again) for this reason. School was 'outstanding' and now the head is head of a MAT. All resources focused on pushing for level 4 (at the time) leaving any children with SEN floundering. Challenging behaviour (even when clearly distressed) was managed out.

Ditsyprint40 · 23/09/2016 06:21

At our school the top band are key priority this year - because we already do so well for SEN (as in, one of the best in country for value added for this band). Is it this? If not can how they say that! :o

Stevefromstevenage · 23/09/2016 06:31

What a ball of shit. Was the directive written. Personally I would leak it. What kind of HT does not realise that some of his/her staff may have children with SEN and others are just caring people and they are likely to be fucked off with that attitude.

FreddoFrog · 23/09/2016 06:42

Incredible and so, so disappointing. Agree with Steve above, is there a way you could leak the directive? (Am not in UK so can't really suggest how/to whom). How gutting.

At a friend's child's state school in Australia, the kids with SEN are essentially required to stay home on level testing days do their exam results don't bring down the school average Sad Angry

merrymouse · 23/09/2016 06:53

This should back fire because the children's parents should immediately kick up a massive fuss when it becomes apparent that this is happening and make HT's (and unfortunately your) life a misery.

However, HT is probably banking on the fact that they won't realise/care/know what to do about it. For children whose parents are less able/willing to fight their battles it will be double discrimination.

jellyfrizz · 23/09/2016 07:23

The way it was done in the school I was at was that teachers had a 90% 'meeting expectations' target (I know, so many issues with just that concept).

In pupil review meetings I was told ok, these children just aren't going to make it (because of specific SEN) so don't worry about them, they can be your 10%, concentrate on the borderline children. This would never be formally recorded though.

jellyfrizz · 23/09/2016 07:53

When I questioned it, they backtracked and said 'Of course you still need to be supporting the children with specific needs but also need to prioritise these borderline children'. Which was very different to what was originally said.

Oblomov16 · 23/09/2016 08:04
Sad
Oblomov16 · 23/09/2016 08:04

Saddened. Not surprised though.

Stitchfusion · 23/09/2016 08:06

Only surprise is that you got told so blatantly.
Welcome to the 19th century

Oblomov16 · 23/09/2016 09:43

Even if you quote it, it will be denied that this was ever said.

merrymouse · 23/09/2016 09:52

It's just a load of rubbish isn't it - why concentrate on the children who are on some arbitrary borderline, not the children who, for a variety of reasons not limited to SEN, need more support at the moment?

How is that an effective education policy?

merrymouse · 23/09/2016 09:54

Even without the SEN comment, it's gaming the system.

Kindlygreen · 23/09/2016 09:56

I think this is fairly common now. School as a business, results as a product.

Tiredmumno1 · 23/09/2016 11:40

This makes my blood boil, just seeing it written down, having my thoughts about how some head teachers have this kind of attitude confirmed. It's ok sod the kids with SEN they're a lost cause, aggggghhhhh. This is the sort of thing we've been fighting against for years, knowing that some people have this stance and not being able to prove it, makes me so angry.

Why should these children not get the best start that they can, they are just as important as the next child.

Can I ask if the other teachers feel the same as you? I'd love to know if anyone who works in a school and encountered this sort of attitude and whether they said something?

Anyone who has an opinion like that is clearly in the wrong profession.

Someone needs to have a voice for the children that get left behind.

Awful, just awful Sad

merrymouse · 23/09/2016 12:10

This doesn't just affect children with SEN. Any child comfortably in the middle of a band will be ignored.

Children at the bottom, perhaps because of difficulties at home, and children at the top aren't worth the bother because helping them won't affect statistics.

Imnotacelebgetmeouttahere · 23/09/2016 12:13

What an awful state of affairs. Sadly I too am unsurprised Sad as the mother of children with SEN we have witnessed this first hand even within nursery - all the other children are encourage to write their name on entry to the class each afternoon " oh don't bother X he can't recognise letters anyway" Angry

CancellyMcChequeface · 23/09/2016 12:21

I was told this the year before I decided to stop working in schools.

I was working as an SEN/Inclusion specialist TA. Suddenly it was more important for me to work intensively with the children who were just below 'expected levels' and could be coached to reach them, than to support the children who actually had SEN and weren't going to meet the target.

This was in Reception. Sad

I argued against it as strongly as I could, but I didn't have the authority to do anything about it.

I don't blame the headteacher or the school, I blame the target-driven culture that expects children to be identical, all progressing in the same way and at the same rate. They're not products on an assembly line, they're people. But a headteacher taking this approach might not get the right attainment data, so the school will be seen as failing, and the headteacher forced out. It's an impossible situation.

Oblomov16 · 23/09/2016 12:22

I agree with kindlly : "School as a business, results as a product." Indeed, this is the way it is now.
And also with merrymouse, who said that this isn't just about SEN, all the kids in the middle get ignored. It's ALL about results now.
Why are you all surprised?

Kindlygreen · 23/09/2016 12:35

It's a very harsh environment for anyone remotely idealistic. We've had gifted and talented provision scrapped altogether as well as cutting back on SEN provision.