A new online portal aims to provide teachers and support staff with a wide range of resources and e-training opportunities to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The Transforming Education portal is a one-stop-shop resource hub featuring specialist SEND courses, SEN toolkits, newsletters as well as helpful information for parents and carers — all free to schools to access.
Carter: One of our number one priorities is special educational needs
Bringing all the council’s SEND resources together in one central place for schools to access was a priority for Naomi Carter following her appointment as service director for education, inclusion and access earlier this year.
She said,
“School leaders are telling us that schools are becoming more complex in terms of the things they’re dealing with, from social care to safeguarding issues, and one of our number one priorities is special educational needs.
“As a council we are committed to putting SEND needs at the forefront of all of our work.
“We have set up an online portal to host all of our resources related to the transformation work we’re doing around the education system; we’re hoping Island schools will access these resources to help meet the needs of more complex learners.”
An impressive variety of material
New topics will be regularly added to the portal which already boasts an impressive variety of material, including:
- five e-learning SEND modules to develop skills and knowledge for continued professional development;
- a range of support for speech, language and communication needs, including training courses, quick links and specialist resources;
- parent/carer guides for schools to host on their own websites or to print and circulate to parents;
- presentation slides and resources from recent Transforming SEND conferences;
- SEN newsletters providing a wealth of information and sign-posting for further support for teachers;
- the council’s own termly Education Matters newsletter with articles from local schools.
The new digital platform supports the council’s draft Education Strategy — which aims to ensure every child receives a high-quality education whatever their needs and circumstances — and has been welcomed by Island heads as a positive step.
Wilford: It will better equip us to support every child
Jane Wilford, headteacher at Wootton Primary School, said,
“Having a platform we can tap into, to find information as well as undergo training, will better equip us to support every child in our classrooms.
“Whether you’ve been teaching for a year or many years, to constantly refresh your understanding — to look at the very latest research and new approaches — I think is crucial.”
Bacon: A one-stop-shop, with rich and useful resources
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for children’s services, added,
“We hope the Transforming Education portal will provide a one-stop-shop, with rich and useful resource for all across our school system.
“This will help us to achieve our vision for education across the Island as we: Create Change Together.”
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
