nasen Miniguides

nasen regularly produce short miniguides on a range of topics within the sector. Our miniguides are free to download. 

 

 

Understanding the eye care and vision needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities

This guide aims to:
  • Give an overview of how vision develops in children
  • Explore the higher prevalence of sight problems experienced by pupils with learning disabilities
  • Dispel some of the myths about eye care and vision
  • Share the impact on learning and development of undiagnosed sight problems
  • Suggest strategies for supporting children to wear glasses and cope with sight problems
  • Give explanations of some common eye problems
  • Explain the different eye care and vision professions and their roles
  • Provide practical solutions to ensure pupils are making the best use of the vision they have

 

 

Acquired Brain Injury: The hidden Disability

This guide aims to:
  • Introduce childhood acquired brain injury (ABI) and how it is acquired
  • Identify why this neuro-disability is often overlooked or misdiagnosed
  • Provide some practical school-based support strategies
  • Share the perspectives of young people, parents and academic research

 

 

Children with medical needs: What schools and settings need to know

This guide aims to:
  • Summarise legal requirements for supporting children with medical needs
  • Provide case studies on what effective practice for supporting children with medical needs might look like
  • Provide practical strategies to help you in your setting
  • Develop your understanding of the impact that having medical needs can have on children and young people
  • Explain some of the key terms and language used including the different types of provision

 

 

Identifying and Supporting Children with SEND in the Early Years: PVI and governing body-led early years settings

This guide aims to:
  • Explain what SEND is and summarise the legal requirements for early years settings
  • Support you in working with children, parents and families
  • Suggest what effective practice for children with SEND in the early years might look like

 

Identifying and Supporting Children with SEND in the Early Years: Childminders

This guide aims to:
  • Explain what SEND is and summarise the legal requirements for childminders
  • Support you in working with children, parents and families
  • Suggest what effective practice for children with SEND in the early years might look like

 

 

Identifying and Supporting Children with SEND in the Early Years: Reception classes

This guide aims to:
  • Explain what SEND is and summarise the legal requirements for Reception classes
  • Support you in working with children, parents and families
  • Suggest what effective practice for children with SEND in the early years might look like

 

Identifying and Supporting Children with SEND in the Early Years: Maintained nursery settings

This guide aims to:
  • Explain what SEND is and summarise the legal requirements for maintained nursery settings
  • Support you in working with children, parents and families
  • Suggest what effective practice for children with SEND in the early years might look like

 

 

Girls and Autism: Flying under the radar

This guide aims to:
  • Introduce the debate around autism and gender
  • Identify key issues for girls with autism spectrum conditions
  • Provide practical school-based support strategies
  • Share family, professional and academic perspectives

 

 

The SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years

This guide aims to:
  • Summarise the content of the SEND Code of Practice
  • Highlight key changes from earlier statutory guidance
  • Explore the implications of the Code for schools and settings
  • Signpost readers to case studies and other sources of information, advice and support.

 

 

 

Supporting pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

This guide aims to:
  • Help the SENCO in establishing a consistent whole-school approach to meeting the needs of pupils with dyslexia
  • Support all teachers and support staff in developing a dyslexia-friendly learning environment
  • Develop teaching and learning strategies that make the curriculum accessible to learners with dyslexia
  • Suggest resources which SENCOs and teachers can access to support pupils’ learning and help them develop coping strategies.

 

Effective adult support: Inclusive practice

This guide aims to:
  • Set out the range of support that TAs can provide
  • Examine recent research into the impact of TA support on pupils’ engagement, participation and achievement
  • Consider the role of the school senior leadership team in determining how TAs are deployed
  • Explore the importance of planning and feedback in the teacher/TA relationship
  • Consider how schools can support TAs to improve the effectiveness of their practice

 

 

SEN Support and the graduated approach: Inclusive practice

This guide aims to:
  • Introduce school staff to the graduated approach to SEN support, with the child and family at its heart
  • Emphasise the role of class/subject teachers as teachers of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/ or disabilities
  • Look in detail at each aspect of the Assess-Plan-Do-Review cycle
  • Explore ways of involving parents and carers throughout the support process

 

Working in Partnership with Parents and Carers

This guide aims to:
  • Remind school staff of the requirement to work in partnership with parents and carers
  • Consider the benefits of engaging parents and carers
  • Explore what effective engagement with parents and carers looks like
  • Set out what schools and settings can do to improve their engagement with parents and carers.

 

 

The pupil premium

This guide aims to:
  • Explain the purpose of and pupils’ eligibility for the pupil premium
  • Support schools to maximise the impact of the pupil premium for their disadvantaged pupils
  • Promote evidence-based practice by reviewing the outcomes of research and inspection data on the impact of interventions on attainment
  • Explore issues of accountability and self-review

 

Tracking progress and managing provision: Inclusive practice

This guide aims to:
  • Promote high-quality teaching, differentiated to meet individual needs
  • Encourage schools to track pupils’ progress and review the quality of teaching
  • Encourage a collaborative approach to planning support for pupils who are not making adequate progress
  • Encourage schools to map the additional provision they make for pupils

 

Transition

This guide aims to:
  • Set out the key principles underpinning successful transition from one educational setting to another and into training or employment for children and young people with SEND
  • Suggest some practical approaches to supporting a smooth transition at different stages in the education process
  • Examine processes for transition planning and review in secondary schools
  • Identify what schools and disabled young people themselves can do to smooth the transition

 

Supporting reading and literacy in secondary schools

This guide aims to:
  • Describe the responsibility of the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) in supporting whole
  • School approaches to struggling readers
  • Provide practical strategies for use within secondary schools
  • Suggest other resources that SENCOs can utilise to improve reading progress within their school