For some of you the words ‘back to school’ cause a feeling of dread and for others, a tiny pang of excitement is sparked as you think about what is to come. For us at Cadmus Inclusive, it is all about the excitement. A new school year means a fresh start, a new diary and lots of gorgeous new stationery. It’s all about the promise that this year will be the best one yet and we will finally crack the work/life balance thing. We will be organised, dynamic and have the neatest diary ever.

 

We will attempt to start as we mean to go on but in reality we all know that by the end of week one we will have lost the lids to my new pens, have several crossings out and pieces of paper ‘filed’ helpfully in our now messy diaries and be on our knees, loving the job but exhausted.

 

As busy special needs leaders we thought it might be helpful to have a checklist of stuff to think about as we start the new school year. These are things that you may find useful to think about when they will get done and putting them in your shiny new diaries:

• Reviewing your SEND Information report and publishing it on your website. If you need some help with this the following link will take you to a useful example: http://www.snip-newsletter.co.uk/pdfs/downloads/SEND_Information_Report_proforma.pdf
• Reviewing and publishing your SEND policy.
• Reviewing and updating progress towards your equality objects.
• Checking your website contains the statutory information required.
• Scheduling your EHCP reviews and inviting the professionals that you require.
• Scheduling in the reviews for assess, plan, do, review documents and inviting the professionals that you require in attendance.
• Planning your parent/carer coffee mornings.
• Deciding what quality assurance activities you will need to undertake and put them in the diary.
• Planning and scheduling pupil and family voice activities.
• Checking in on budget deployment.
• Updating your provision map and costings.
• Performance review with support staff.
• Reviewing pupil performance data.
• Writing and reviewing your SEND development plan.
• Reporting to and meeting with your SEND link governor.
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That will keep you busy! At this point we remind you of the African proverb:

 

‘If you want to go fast go alone but if you want to go far go together.’

 

Remember that you have a team – let them play their part. It isn’t all on you! Please do not forget that we are here to help too!