SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS ADVICE

Dear parents and carers,
We hope you are all keeping well during this difficult time.

We wanted to share some information with you to try and help you with the challenges of homeschooling, particularly for those children who have Special Educational Needs.
On the homepage of the school website there is a link to "SEN Parent Advice" which links to some great websites and information pages. 

You may have also recently seen our post about the Oak National Academy. This is an online platform to help parents educate their children from home. For children with Special Educational Needs, you may have found some of these lessons have been challenging. 
Below are some tips to help your children complete these activities:
- If your child finds writing challenging, can they answer the questions verbally rather than writing down answers? Can they tell a teddy the answer? You could model the answer first. 
- Take time to do the lessons. Your child may need to hear the teacher's instructions several times. Some children find it very difficult to process what the teachers are saying and need it repeating. Don't think they are not listening, they need time. 
- Try the year group below. Even if it is an activity they are capable of, the consolidation of skills is always valuable.
- Don't feel like you have to do English and maths tasks everyday, other subjects are also incredibly worthwhile and this may be where your child really shines. 
- Don't feel like you have to complete the entire lesson, you can dip in and out of the lessons, or just do the parts you want to do. 
- If your child is not engaging with the lesson, try another day. It does not matter if they do not complete all or even any of these lessons. These lessons have been made to aid homeschooling, please do not worry if your child cannot or does not want to complete them. 

The BBC has also launched its own series of lessons to help with homeschooling. There are some great activities and games on here for the children. The children enjoy watching lots of the video teaching clips on this website. If your child has limited IT skills, don't let this prevent them from completing the task. Your child doesn't have to do the whole lesson themselves, helping them out is ok! The BBC have also added a SEND Toolkit which directs you to a number of different resources specifically created for children with Special Educational Needs. 

Please do remember, learning does not have to be whilst seated at a table with an exercise book or screen in front of your child. Often the best, most magical, lifelong learning experiences, come from children actively engaged in their learning. So when you think your child has completed no learning today - just think what they have learnt... 
They played outside in the garden with their sister - they learnt to compromise, negotiate, take turns...
They just played with their Lego - they strengthened their fine motor skills, fundamental to being able to write, they interpreted and read instructions..
They only played with their dolls - your child used their imagination to create characters and stories. 
They made up dances and sang - your child is exercising their brain, particularly their working memory, essential for learning...
They only read their own book which they've already read over and over again - your child is practising reading, practise is fundamental for new learning to be embedded into the long term memory. They are learning a wider vocabulary, they are enjoying themselves!
We went for a walk - exercise is so important for both physical and mental health. They may have spotted numbers, patterns, animals, plants whilst walking. 
They just painted a picture - your child thought about colours and shapes, your child experienced different textures. Your child used their imagination to think about the picture they wanted to create. 

You may feel that your child is missing out or falling behind but there are so many skills that they will be learning at home. Learning doesn't have to be sitting down and completing a planned activity - learning is everywhere. 

​If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Burnett or Mrs Drinkwater at senco@woottonlowerschool.co.uk