Archive: September 2021

During the summer holiday, we often like to take the time to reflect and catch up with some of our past delegates – educational professionals from a wide range of settings and locations worldwide. Throughout August, on our Real Training social media platforms, we shared some of their top tips around best practices for special educational needs (SEN) and inclusion in schools.  

We think their tips provide other educators with invaluable advice and insight into how best to support all children and young people in educational settings. In case you missed those posts, you can find all of the top tips together below and on our Twitter and Facebook pages. If you have any tips you would add, please add some comments on the posts.

Working with children with SEN – Beverley Williams 

1. Don’t stereotype people on the autistic spectrum
2. Avoid sensory overload but always tailor strategies to the individual’s needs
3. Look out for those who don’t feel they fit into any specific group
4. Understand, they may find it difficult to learn about things that are not of interest to them
5. Provide opportunities for individuals to restore and refresh using whatever strategies work for them – and never assume what these may be

Ensuring inclusivity within your school – Taneisha Pascoe-Matthews

1. Create strong communication and collaboration between families, schools and other stakeholders
2. Implement up-to-date policies and leadership adhering to both the Children and Families Act (2014) as well as the SEN Code of Practice (2015)
3. Ensure staff have the necessary training and attitude toward inclusivity
4. Encourage peer support and a sense of belonging this will improve well-being and ensure a sense of inclusion
5. Implement a pupil-centred approach focusing on individual needs

Discussing SEN with parents – Dorthe Allen

1. Be open and honest when you explain your observations and how the school can provide support
2. Show parents that you are there to support their child both academically and pastorally
3. Communicate clearly and meaningfully, avoiding jargon and technical terminology
4. Be well prepared and show parents any reports, screener results and teacher observation documents that help to demonstrate the student’s need(s)
5. Discuss strategies for school and home that will support and nourish the student

Working with children with EAL – Nicholas Wilding

1. Develop relationships by meeting students and parents at the point of admissions and begin to build a student profile from a wide range of data
2. Adopt the ‘All Teachers are English Teachers’ approach, providing staff with training and skills to develop the resources needed to support language needs
3. Implement ongoing assessment and effective use of data to track progress
4. Upon graduation, clear assessment and graduation expectations should be shared with all stakeholders
5. Post-graduation, students and staff are supported through resources and in-class support with families informed of their child’s successes and targets

If you have any questions relating to any of the top tips in this article, please get in touch via social media, our website or email us.

The DfE created new quality criteria for Senior Mental Health Leadership courses and these criteria help define this important senior role in schools.

With Real Training your school has a choice of an introductory Certificate course and an Advanced Award in Senior Mental Health Leadership which have both been successfully quality assured through a robust DfE process.  These courses can be fully or partially funded for schools and colleagues in England by a DfE grant.

The past 18 months have been particularly taxing on some children and young people and it has never been more essential to develop a school culture that promotes well being and a mental health provision that supports a healthy transition back to what is approaching ‘normal’ school life. While many schools and colleges already have a mental health lead, the knowledge and skills they have vary, and with mental health and wellbeing being a top priority for all educational settings, the goal is to provide senior leads with the latest thinking and access to a network of peers and experts they need to lead change and develop or introduce a whole-school approach to wellbeing and mental health.

At Real Training, our Educational Psychologists have a long history of providing training (in-person and online) for education staff development. With extensive experience in the field of mental health and wellbeing, you will be guided by HCPC registered and qualified Educational Psychologists. Our courses are also supported by an executive headteacher with a specialism in wellbeing, as well as mental health professionals such as an Art Therapist.

The courses

We will be offering two Senior Mental Health Leadership courses. Click the links below to visit our course pages and learn more:

Senior Mental Health Leadership Certificate (SMHLC) – aimed at those who are new to a Senior Mental Health Leadership role or are aspiring to become a leader in this area.

Senior Mental Health Leadership – Advanced Award (SMHLAA) – aimed at those who have some experience in the role, and have some existing training in mental health leadership.

Who are the courses aimed at?

Your setting can decide who it is that gets the training as individual circumstances may vary. Delegates must be empowered to develop and oversee your setting’s whole school or college approach. This might include:

• Headteachers
• Deputy/assistant headteachers
• Member of the senior leadership team
• Existing mental health leads with authority, capacity and support to influence and lead strategic change within the setting

Our first Advanced Award cohort begins on 15 January 2022. You can book via our website. Further cohorts will be in May, July and September. The Certificate course will also begin in January and we are planning for courses to run throughout the year and across England. Book a place for the January course via our website or contact us to register your interest for later events or a course near you.

The Certificate course is a comprehensive introductory course and the Advanced Award is for more experienced Senior Mental Health leads.

How your setting will benefit from the DfE grant-funded Senior Mental Health Lead Training

The benefits to your educational setting include:

• A positive values-based approach, including staff looking after their wellbeing.
• Development of a range of tools and strategies, collated for staff to be able to use to meet their mental health and wellbeing.
• Improved wellbeing for all students, including those with identified needs.
• Understanding and application of leadership skills to enact change in the whole school ethos
• Improved stakeholder engagement, including with parents, and external services
• Development of a coherent working package of effective policies
• Constant monitoring of change and use data effectively and confidently

Funding opportunities from the DfE grant

The Certificate course costs £995 plus VAT and the Advanced Award £1,300 plus VAT. Schools can reclaim the VAT paid. The DfE Grant funded Senior Mental Health Lead Training funding may be available if you work in a school or college in England. At the time of writing, the total grant funding amount available has not been confirmed by the DfE. The latest DfE information will be available on the DfE SMHL webpage. We understand that the DfE wishes schools to book directly with the training provider to secure their place and then reclaim the funding.

If you require further information on any of our Senior Mental Health Lead courses, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email or by phone at +44 (0)1273 35 80 80. Alternatively, you can book an appointment to chat with one of our expert course advisers by clicking here.