Training Talk - For why
Gabriella Jozwiak
Monday, January 7, 2019
Nasen’s Early Years SEND Resources helped Jen Malins to address the ‘why’ and not just the ‘what’ in observations. By Gabriella Jozwiak
The team of four practitioners at Milly’s Nursery School in Basingstoke, Hampshire take a united approach to supporting children with special educational needs or disability (SEND). This strategy grew from in-house training delivered by manager and director Jen Malins, using face-to-face continual professional development materials by the National Association for Special Educational Needs (Nasen).
Available to download from its website, the Nasen pack includes presentations, handouts, and links to webcasts and online resources. It covers five topics including the role of the SENCO, inclusive practice and whole-setting approaches to SEND.
Ms Malins began using the resources in September 2017. At the time they cared for a four-year-old boy with delayed development. After working through the resources on the role of the SENCO, Malins and her team decided to ensure each staff member knew exactly what the setting’s SENCO had recommended so they could deliver a consistent approach. ‘We all sat together and discussed a care plan,’ says Ms Malins. They applied for an education, health and care plan, and the boy moved on to school.
Ms Malins uses the Nasen ‘personal SEND and inclusion audit’ form with every new team member. It asks staff to detail their experience and rate their own confidence and knowledge. ‘We all discovered we didn’t know as much as we thought,’ says Ms Malins. They used the training on characteristics of inclusive learning to change the way they wrote child observations.
Upon completion of a Nasen session, users can download a certificate. Nasen recommends users deliver the face-to-face materials over five one-hour sessions. However, Ms Malins picked and chose what she used. Nasen also offers webcasts, miniguides and an introductory guide for early years practitioners.
