Welcome to ‘The Week Ahead’ – here you will find the latest updates on literacy and SEND policy from Parliament and beyond.
17th September 2018
If you missed it:
Commission on accountability calls for overhaul
NAHT’s report into the school accountability caught the attention of the education community last week. The union have made 9 recommendations for creating better conditions for holding schools to account, including that Ofsted should use comparative performance data and that a “requires improvement” should replace floor and coasting standards. DYT will be publishing a position paper on how the school accountability system works for learners with literacy difficulties at the start of next year.
Young people with learning difficulties have had their say in identifying research areas that could improve their livesIn a new project, researchers from the Salvesen Mindroom Centre (SMC), the University of Edinburgh and the James Lind Alliance, worked with young people with learning difficulties and their families to identify key areas of research. Their top ten research priorities included projects on the knowledge, skills and training educational professionals need to identify the early signs of learning difficulties and provide optimal support for children and young people affected to help them achieve the best possible outcomes. DYT will be rising to this challenge with new research into specialist teachers available next spring.
Ofsted: High standards – and highly inclusive
In a new blog by Nick Whittaker, Ofsted’s Specialist Adviser on SEN, reveals that the forthcoming consultation on the new education inspection framework will include a strand about children who have SEN and/or disabilities. Commenting on the blog, DYT’s Chair and founder, Sarah Driver welcomes the strand in the new framework but questions if it will go far enough: “many who struggle with literacy have a disability yet often won’t make it to SEND register, especially in school with many needs. ALL pupils need to well prepared for next stage of life.” DYT will be responding in full when the consultation is published next Spring.
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