Blackwood have received a message for parents from Walsall SENDIASS, since the announcement of the proposed reopening of schools from 1st June. Please see the details below from John Bird (Consultant) Information, Advice & Support Service (SEND):

At Walsall Council SENDIASS we are able to provide free, impartial, confidential advice and support about education, health and social care to children, young people and their parents on matters relating to special educational needs and disability.

Across the Authority there could be a potential significant increase in enquiries from parents and carers – especially where children and young people are recognised as having a special educational need.

Ordinarily we are based at the Education Development Centre in Pelsall but are currently available by email and telephone from home. Please see contact details below.

Aileen Overton. aileen.overton@walsall.gov.uk. Mobile: 07827 311786

John Bird. john.bird@walsall.gov.uk  Mobile 07384821795

We will endeavour to assist in every way we can.

Strategies for parents of pupils on the SEN Register during school closure

If your child is on the SEN Register, in order to find ways to support their needs whilst school is closed, firstly, please refer to their ARC forms. On the front page, you will find the strategies we use to support their learning at school. These strategies can be implemented in the home environment in a variety of ways. Here are a few things you could continue to utilise:

Cognition and learning

• When completing work with your child, please ensure that you break steps down into small, manageable chunks, which allow for ‘brain breaks’ or ‘movement breaks’ and additional processing time, where needed.
• To support concentration, provide opportunities for turn-taking activities. This can range from sorting buttons, coins or laundry to making dinner, baking cakes or playing board games.

Communication and interaction

• Keep reinforcing the ‘Good Fundamentals’ to support attention and listening as well as following instructions whilst at home. All children understand the following vocabulary:

1. Good looking
2. Good listening
3. Good sitting
4. Good waiting
5. Good thinking
6. Good talking

• Routines  help children to understand their day but also what is expected of them. Visual timelines are one of the ways we support children with their routines. These take the form of pictures, photographs or words. Twinkl is currently offering free access to parents, which has some examples of how these could look:

www.twinkl.co.uk

• 'Now/ Next and Then' boards are also a good way to break down the expectations within a specific activity or set of instructions. 
• Offering controlled choices of activities/ instructions can help support transitioning between parts of the day more positively.
• For children accessing speech and Language, refer to your documentation and any ‘Handy Hints’ provided.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health

• To help support conflict, try to implement a restorative approach. Here is an example of a conflict resolution script:

• What happened?
• What were you thinking/ feeling?
• What do you think/ feel about it now?
• Who has been affected and how?
• What needs to happen to put it right?
• What do you need from me?
• What do you/ they need to do differently next time?

• You could build dens in the house to create safe spaces for your child to go to when feeling upset, angry, anxious etc.

• To support children to regulate their emotions, why not try out the following techniques:

Deep “Belly” Breathing –

This is a simple method to calm the anxiety response:

1. Deep breath in through the nose and,
2. Slow breath out through the mouth

Practice by placing one hand below the belly button and the other on the chest, watching the belly rise first as you breathe in. Keep the shoulders down!

Pizza massage -

• Make a pizza on each others backs, using the following sequence:

1. Knead the dough (massage your child’s back and shoulders with your hands)
2. Smooth on some tomato paste (rub your child’s back and down their arms)
3. Sprinkle on cheese (use fingers to gently tap your child’s back and shoulders)
4. Add ingredients of choice (gently press the ingredients on their back and down their arms)
5. Put the pizza in the oven (warm hands by rubbing them together and then hold them on your child’s back, gently pressing)
6. Take pizza out of the oven and cut it into pieces (make chopping actions on child’s back)

Physical and sensory

• For those children accessing Occupational Therapy, please refer to their reports for ideas on how to support sensory and physical needs.

Useful websites

Please see below a list of some other useful websites if you need further advice:

SEND at Blackwood

Special Educational Needs and Disability

Some children, at some point in their school career, may have special educational needs (SEN).  Most children’s needs will be met by their school, often with support from outside specialists.

If you think your child has a learning difficulty at school, make an appointment to talk to your child’s teacher or ask to see one of the SEND team. 

Often, SEN concerns can be dealt with within school.  In some cases, with parental permission, the school may call on outside specialists to help ensure that the child’s needs are fully understood so that appropriate help may be given.

SEN Team: 

Miss Karen Breakwell - Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENDCo)

Mrs Jacqui Conroy - Assistant SENDCo

Mrs Sally Robson - Child Advocate

More details of our SEN Information Report (previously known as the Local Offer) and our SEND policy are available below.

SEN Information Report (previously known as the local offer) from Walsall.

As part of the Government’s reforms of special educational needs and disability (SEND), local authorities are required to publish a SEN Information Report showing the support available to disabled children and young people and those with SEND and their families/ carers. All Children and Young People are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress so that they:-