BECTA Annual Research Conference

The impact of the SENCO forum Ann Lewis

London, June 2002

Purpose of the forum

To provide an opportunity to discuss issues that relate to SENCOs’ support for pupils and the development of ideas and practice in special needs provision, and to enable communication between those working in Higher Education, and practitioners in LEAs and schools 

Quoted in NCET 1997 p 26

Education budgets, Est 01-02

ENGLAND: LSB

c 15 % held centrally by LEAs

Of which c 35.2% = SEN

C 85% devolved to schools

Of which c 3%-7% = SEN

Tribunals 94-01 % of appeals by SEN

Autism 3% > 15%

EBD 6% > 14%

Severe learning difficulties 6% > 4%

Moderate learning difficulties 9% > 5%

Literacy incl SpLD 40% > 34%

Support staff in schools in England [Source Howson 2002]

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

1992 1998 2001 2002

teachingassistantsSEN support

Evaluations/ research into the senco forum

• 1995 - CMC/SENCOs. Study 1 re pilot

• 1997 - CMC/SENCOs. c 500 members. Studies 2 and 3 re usage

• 2000 - Study 4 c 900 members archive study re. usage

• 2001 - Study 5 library/ archive study re ICT requirements

• 2002 - Study 6 re impact c 840 members

FOCUS =Perceived impact of the forum

* Who uses the forum?

* What is the pattern of usage ? cf earlier studies

* What are the perceived professional gains?

* What are the perceived personal benefits?

Target SENCO-forum groups

 1. Active members who send ‘public’ messages

2. Active members who send ‘private’ messages

3. Passive members i.e. those who read, but do not send, messages

4. Non-members who come across messages through the BECTA archive

Time scale January-May 2002

Forum notice / questionnaire

late February

Return date = 5 April

A higher rate of contributions are associated with members who have

(1) a comparative lack of real-world social support and

(2) greater levels of skills/ competence

(Cummings et al 2002)

Returns

143 returns (3 blank)

NOT a pre-selected group

Note: large minority of members join/leave forum each month

Numbers joining/leaving forum

[source:Jason Douglas, BECTA]

  

Joined Left

Feb 2002 85 87

Mar 2002 76 96

April 2002 76 56

Monthly postings to forum

Monthly postings to senco forum

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

Month

Nu

mb

er

of

Me

ss

age

s 1999

2000

2001

2002

Who uses the forum?

• Returns from spread of 63 LEAs/ regions across England and Wales

• Schools representative re SEN numbers

• SENCOs = just over half [similar to BECTA base]

• 21 different user groups by professional background

School backgrounds

Teachers re SEN (62.8%)

• ½ from infant, junior or primary schools

• 1/3 from secondary schools • 1/10 from nursery schools• 1/10 from special schools • 1 respondent from FE

Parents (13.6%)

One reservation I have with using the Forum to seek direct help is that it now has a wide audience outside that of teaching colleagues. I am always unsure whether or not parents may read my queries or comments. This definitely restricts what I say or ask.

Other users • Publishers/consultants/ charities (13.6%)

• Support workers (11.4%)

• Advisory teachers (7.1%)

• Educational psychologists (6.4%)

• LEA officers/inspectors (5.7%)

• Academics/researchers (5.7%)

Sources of professional help

2/3 named [29 different] professional groups

2/3 named [34 different] print-based sources

2/3 named various internet based sources

Qualifications of respondents

2/3 had a first degree

¼ had a higher degree

The forum has been invaluable. I am mainly a ‘listener in’ but I have been known to contribute. I have learned so much from the ‘experts’ out there and I have found the forum such a brilliant resource.

Reading of messages

• 9/10 reportedly read messages at least once a week

• 8/10 reported reading over ½ of all the messages

• Just over 1/10 read between ¼ and ½ of the messages

• Under 1/10 read less than ¼ of the messages

Figure 1: Time of accessing forum (Q.1.2)

during sch hrs 8.0%

after school24.1%

after sch+weekends 43.8%

weekends 0.7%

during +after school5.1%

during +after sch + weekends

18.2%

N=137,3 missing

Basis for selecting messages read

• Nearly ½ - general professional or personal relevance

• Nearly ½ - specific topic

• Nearly 1/10 - identity of the sender

Sending of messages

* ½ sent public messages

* ¼ sent private messages to individuals on the forum

* Nearly 2/3 of the users with higher degrees sent public and/or (very rarely) private messages.

Figure 4: Message use (Q1.6)

read/ don't send messages

41.6%

use archive3.6%

send public messages / read messages

29.2%

send public+ private / read messages

17.5%

send private messages / read messages

8.1%

N=137,3 missing

Perceived value

• 2/5 gave professional aspects only

• 1/5 gave personal aspects only

• 2/5 gave a mix of personal and professional aspects

[NB open ended; cf rankings]

Professional value: 1. Up to date

Many users reported that the forum is where the latest information can be accessed immediately and, because of the diverse population of the forum, there is normally someone either involved in, or with good knowledge of, the latest initiative.

As a member of a dyslexia association, I find it invaluable to listen to what teachers are thinking and feeling. I feel it helps us to support them and to persuade our parents that teachers are often on their side but constrained by funding. I also pick up so many very valuable tips and

strategies to pass on to others

Professional value: 2. Government links

Government circulars and similar documents can be discussed to ensure that they have been understood. Through this process, the individual’s response to documents can be compared with the reactions of other forum users.

[Main value is] To be in touch with the mainstream even though I am an expatriate. I work in a British curriculum school.

Professional value: 3. Depth +speed

The forum is used as a way of finding links to in-depth information from other sources, saving valuable time and effort. .. forum members can pass on the names and addresses of valuable websites, contacts, journals, charities and organisations.

Professional value: 4. Curriculum

The forum is also used as a source of information for pedagogic developments across the SEN sector. Messages are also posted about best practice and practicalities of these developments

I am also interested in .. good classroom practice. Since I do not work in schools (as I teach privately nowadays) the forum enables me to see what the concerns of the day are and helps me to keep in touch with what is happening in schools etc

Professional value: 5. CPD

Some respondents reported the use of the forum in their initial and/or continuing professional development at a range of levels including higher degrees, initial teacher education and SEN diplomas or certificates.

I am often generously supplied with downloadable resources from other SENCOs etc

 

I am SENCO at a school, which for various reasons has not acknowledged the existence of special needs up till now. SENCO Forum has been a good source of INSET for me. I know what we should be doing but when it will all happen I am not sure. Hence, the anonymity of the system is

extremely useful for me. Mine is a well-known school.

Personal value: 1. Support

It’s brilliant. The contributions are knowledgeable, caring, funny, [contributors are] willing to give of their time to help others. The light-hearted stuff has been equally supportive in getting me through some very dark personal times recently.

Personal value: 2. Reduced isolation

My school operates a ‘mushroom’ style of management, it’s good to know what goes on elsewhere and talk/defend with.

Personal value: 3. Altruism

A means of sharing my hard won specialist knowledge/ experience and best practice with colleagues for the benefit of all children, not just those in the schools in which I work .

Particular issues

1. Mentoring

Particular issues

2. Cliques

Some people dominate the forum with huge e-mails and that is wearing. There is a small ‘clique’ of people who must have a lot of time on their hands.

Particular issues

3. Volume of messages

The forum is a vibrant community of fellow seekers of wisdom and an international family – at times we argue and bicker, have a good moan or cry for help, but all moods are catered for. The forum has developed over the last few years into a unique group of caring colleagues with a massive personality of its own. Long may it continue.

Recommendations

• Sustain the SENCO arena as the context for the forum

• Inclusion> Encourage contributions from non-education professionals

• Maintain the archive

• Review as a prototype for other groups

Follow up studies

• Covert and explicit mentoring

• Moderate and low users

• Support workers

True communities tend to be leaderless or to have a shifting personal authority. The connection among individuals that respects their individuality and that is not linear or hierarchical is what is often referred to as a community. A community respects the individual and yet finds common ground. We may argue that a community is in some sense related to anarchy. [Purves 1998]

Acknowledgements

• Research team: Ann Lewis, Martin Ogilvie, Liz Potts, Lin Walsh

• BECTA: Terry Waller, Jason Douglas

• Chair of Advisory Group, Klaus Wedell

• Advisory Group members

Contact details

University of Birmingham, School of Education

e mail: a.lewis@bham.ac.uk

tel: 0121 414 4822/ 4834