Speech and Language

Today was my first meeting of the new year to talk through children on the books of speech and language.  I discovered that my new filing system is working as I could locate all the speech and language programs and letters regarding Sp & L.  A bit of a wobble when talking about a child whose surname I didn't recognise but realised is brother to another child in school just different surname and once that was sorted I realised I was pretty knowledgable and up to speed on all of the children on the books.  Have asked for some SMART targets on a couple ("to use learning strategies for classroom listening" was far too vague and woolly!!) and should be signing three children off by the end of the term.

My new enrolment details have been e-mailed to me to join the university for my SENCO course so I will be joining tomorrow I hope as well as getting on with the annual review forms for a couple of children.  I still have to find out a bit more about what information I am expected to produce and talk through at the IPM next Monday and have to get on with pulling together a statement for one and possibly two children over the next couple of weeks.  I think I'm going to be a busy bee!!

Filing Cabinets Arrive for Duty!

Yesterday, much to everyone's amazement the filing cabinets arrived (less than 24 hours signed, sealed, delivered!)  Our wonderful caretaker had put them into position in the room I am trying to turn into the S.E.N. Centre, so all that is left is for me to now transfer the S.E.N. files into them (I had hoped to do this yesterday during my SENCO morning but my time was taken up with other, more pressing issues) and await the delivery of a batch of suspension files to create my new filing system which hopefully will allow information on each child or targeted teaching group to be easily accessible.

I also had a meeting with a member of the behavioural team (privately we're renaming it "The Support Team") who brought and explained details of the various things they do.  As a class teacher I have had contact with certain people regarding children displaying really bad behaviour in class, as the SENCO I realised how much support is actually out there so why can't class teachers tap into it more?

Chasing up an urgent case via phone calls regarding panel occupied some of the morning as well as trying to contact people for the IPM - school e-mail system went down, so not much doing!  Reading the proposed statements for a couple of children that arrived in the post also took up more of my time.

I have begun to realise just how much work is involved and possibly why the filing is in the way it is! 

As class teachers have not yet had their review meetings about children who are falling behind, T.A. managed groups have not yet been set up nor one-to-one sessions & targeted teaching for me either, so I hope to make the SEN Centre ready this morning as I hope some groups will be able to start next week and I want somewhere for them.