Hi, everyone…

As usual, it’s been an incredibly busy time in all our schools and organisations.

As well as working alongside Oldham, Tameside and Rochdale, I’ve also been involved in a number of national meetings linked to the pending SEND Green Paper.

There seems little doubt that the system requires significant reforms to make it better fit for purpose.

From a Trust perspective, we’ve noticed significant demand in all of our schools. Mid-year admissions have never been so high and applications for places for the new academic year are at an all time high too.

Obviously, we have some plans that will help support our communities, but they may not come to fruition for a couple of years. I’m particularly thinking about our new schools in Tameside and Rochdale. It’s imperative that we also manage the here and now!!

Our children and young people are going through our schools today, tomorrow and next week. They deserve the very best offer.

For the last couple of weeks, I have worked alongside the team at Schools Week to explore the issue of overcrowding in special schools across the country. Here’s a link to the article:

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/special-schools-bursting-at-seams-but-dfe-doesnt-collect-the-data/ 

From what I understand, one of the main pillars of the pending green paper will be the proposal for more young people (with additional needs) to be supported within mainstream schools.

I’m comfortable with this as ‘a proposal’ but moving this to a reality will be a huge challenge.

In many mainstream schools we’ll have to deal with quite a list. Here’s a few:

Culture

Vision and Values

The curriculum

The workforce (including training and development)

Buildings and the estate

External qualifications

The accountability framework – particularly Ofsted

All of the above is ‘doable’ but we’ve got to have space and time to understand the complex issues and then plan accordingly.

If we were working in a different sector each of these areas listed above would have Change Management professionals assigned.

If we are serious, as a country, of really working through these issues, we’ll need to give time, people and finances to do the work properly.

The bottom line, for me, is whatever the next few years give us we mustn’t lose the momentum we have gained. We have to make sure the achievements of children and young people are up front and central. Preparation for Adulthood has to be the driver – people with additional needs being fully engaged in our communities.

Creating Meaningful Futures.

Developing an improved offer for all children must be at the forefront of our thinking.

A truly inclusive system must ensure all partners sign up to a change agenda. We have to value everyone.

It’s going to be an eventful couple of years!

Graham