Sunday 23 March 2014

A to Z preparation

I have been trying to get slightly ahead of the game and begin to make lists of items and ideas for the A-Z April blog challenge.  I have decided to focus on special needs as well as try a bit of self-promotion.  I am hoping that others will be able to comment on the special needs I select to cover and offer their viewpoints as well as useful links to other resources.

As in my previous post, resources normally need to be free or very well reviewed to actually be purchased by cash strapped teachers with non-existent budgets.  Our SEN budget shrinks each year for resources as it is needed to cover the cost of our special teaching assistants and due to the new authority SEND reforms school now has to fund the first 15 hours of any child with a statement from its own budget.  Top up hours to cover more can be sought from the authority but the money given does not cover the whole actual cost of employing the assistant for those hours so even more money goes from our normal budget.  Surely, money should follow those children who have these special needs and need the extra support in terms of assistance, making of other resources, individualised or small group work etc.  I am being as creative and new thinking as possible in the way I deploy members of the SEN team and those children on my special needs register really do have special needs - it's not just that they are behind their peers!!  They deserve the best rather than as I was told by an authority official "adequate provision is all that is necessary"!!

Enough of the rant as I have more planning to be done.  The charity bag drive went well and I took a whole car load (boot full, passenger and back seats and footwells full) off to the charity shop on Thursday to be gratefully received.

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