But who is putting on the courses? And are there courses for those working with children with motor dysfunctions? What of Conductive education? Who decided? Does anyone know? Can anyone tell me?
£500,000 scholarship scheme launched for SEN support staff
Hundreds of school support staff are to get degree-level and specialist training in helping children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), under a new £500,000 programme set out today by Children's Minister Sarah Teather.
The annual SEN support scholarship programme will provide up to £2,000 each to boost the skills of talented teaching assistants and school staff who work with children with SEND. The scholarship cash will fund staff through rigorous, specialist courses and qualifications.
Support and aspiration, the SEN green paper published in March last year, set out major reforms to develop the expertise and expert knowledge of the wider school workforce – so the most vulnerable children have their needs identified early and get the specialist help they need.
The green paper pointed to evidence that in many schools, pupils with SEND were left to be supported 'almost exclusively' by teaching assistants – risking children becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of the class and classroom teachers.
It said the best schools proved that highly-skilled support staff could be crucial in raising standards – if they were trained, supported, deployed and managed effectively – and it proposed a national scholarship scheme to send a clear message that high-level professional development should the norm throughout a support staff career.
Read more ... (DfE - 18 April)
There's more on this at SEN Support Scholarship including a downloadable SEN support scholarship: Round 1 handbook - April 2012 and a link to an SEN support scholarship application form
