Isolation booths in schools: Helpful or harmful? In this episode of our Special Educational Needs and Disabilites (SEND) Podcast 'SEND in the experts with Georgina Durrant' Georgina speaks to Andrea Cartwright from Thrive all about the use of isolation and isolation booths in schools and the impacts on children.

Download our Lanyard Sized Restorative Conversation Prompts here https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/flmig

Look at our infomation sheet on Tantrums vs Meltdowns here https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/1jcgli

And download our behaviour management strategies for de-escalation here https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/15i83y

Thrive website:https://www.thriveapproach.com/

Previous podcast with Thrive on Trauma Informed Approaches here https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/send-in-the-experts-with-georgina-durrant/id1598292028?i=1000588238033

In this episode of our Special Educational Needs and Disability Podcast, Georgina Durrant speaks to Gary Aubin, author of The Lone SENDCO about SEND CPD for teachers and SENDCOs. They discuss SENDCos leading school CPD, what effective SEND CPD looks like in schools, receiving SEND CPD and the SENDCO qualification (NASENCO) being replaced by the new SENDCO NPQ. Watch this episode on youtube here https://youtu.be/aaqxtTP-ng8

Have a look at Twinkl's free SEND CPD - Teach Meets here https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/q6dxv

Listen to our previous episode about Being a SENDCO with Ginny Bootman here https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/bevxs or watch it here https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/16wshe

Gary's website can be found here https://sendmatters.co.uk/about/ and his book The Lone SENDCO here https://www.johncattbookshop.com/products/the-lone-sendco-questions-and-answers-for-the-busy-sendco

In this episode of our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Podcast, Georgina Durrant chats to Frances Akinde, a former Special School Headteacher and qualified SENDCO now SEND inspector and advisor. Georgina and Frances discuss what Neurodiversity Celebration Week means to her as a Neurodivergent educator as well as her tips for making schools more inclusive to both neurodivergent learners and neurodivergent staff.

Read all about Neurodiversity Celebration Week here

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/1a1a9z

Download our Famous Neurodivergent Individuals School Display here

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/np149

Read this useful quick look document that provides guidance on supporting neurodivergent colleagues, or yourself, to flourish in interviews, day-to-day working, when in meetings and more. 

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/w4tpx

Frances Akinde's Website : https://inclusionht.wordpress.com

In this episode of our Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) Podcast, Georgina Durrant chats to Bethan Grant and Sarah Timms from ERIC (the children's bowel and bladder charity) about everything from more children arriving in reception who aren't yet toilet trained (and how we can support them) to the controversy surrounding some schools locking toilets at lesson time (and it's impact on children with toileting needs).

Useful resources:

• Toilet procedure poster https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/1jmamv
• Toilet Social Situation https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/wdpp9
• Using the toilet resource pack https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/yb4rm
• Toilet readiness assessment https://eric.org.uk/toilet-readiness-assessment/
• Individual health care plan https://eric.org.uk/individual-healthcare-plan/
• Getting ready for school factsheet https://eric.org.uk/potty-training/toilets-and-school-readiness/
• A parent Sam (who is also an advisor on ERIC's Helpline) talking about how she worked with school staff to make toileting at school work for their child https://vimeo.com/860155964
• School Toilet Policy: https://eric.org.uk/information/school-toilet-policy/

In this episode of our Special Educational Needs and Disability Podcast, Georgina Durrant chats to author and SENDCO, Ginny Bootman about being a SENDCO. Ginny provides advice about developing and maintaining good home-school relationships as well as practical advice on managing SENDCO workload and prioritising tasks.

Resources:

• SENDCO Time Management Resource https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/mdz0w

• Ofsted Questions for SENDCOs - https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/vuo1f

• Applying for an EHCP- https://www.twinkl.co.uk/l/c0crj

Other Links:

Ginny's Book

Ginny's Website

In this episode of our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Podcast, Georgina Durrant is joined by Dr Gina Gómez de la Cuesta to discuss LEGO® - based therapy. Gina explains the origins and aims of LEGO® - based therapy, who can benefit from it and how to ensure it is neurodiversity-affirming. Gina is the founderand director of Play Included® and her Brick-by-Brick® programme is the only LEGO® - based therapy endorsed by the LEGO Foundation. She talks us through how teachers can set up LEGO® - based therapy at school and gives us her top tips for getting it right.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Play Included® Website

Play Included® Youtube Channel

LEGO Foundation website

Relevant resources:

Building Brick Therapy Resource Pack

Building Brick Therapy Information Sheet

Building Brick Therapy Key Word Cards

In this episode of our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Podcast Georgina Durrant chats to Sarah Johnson all about SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs). They discuss what SEMH means and how teachers can best support children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Needs. In this episode Sarah provides advice and information specifically on anxiety, Emotionally Based School Avoidances (EBSA), phobias, social anxiety and situational mutism.

Useful resources linked to this episode:

• Supporting Children with Emotionally Based School Avoidance CPD Video
• Emotional Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation: What are they, and how can we use them with learners with SEND?
• Emotional Triggers: What Pushes My Buttons Chart and Activity

Sarah Johnson's Website

Sarah Johnson's Books

There are more children with DLD (Developmental Language Disorder) than there are autistic children and dyslexic children, yet DLD is still relatively unknown. In this episode of our Special Educational Needs Podcast, Georgina Durrant speaks to Louise Burton from Speech and Language Link to find out what DLD is, its impacts and what schools can do to support children and young people with DLD. 

DLD resources:

Developmental Language Disorder Activity Pack

Development Language Disorder (DLD) Mind Map

Language Disorder Mind Map

Relevant links:

Speech and Language Link

RADLD

NAPLIC

In this episode of our Special Educational Needs Podcast, Georgina Durrant is joined by returning guest Nikki Saunders, who shares the exciting news that her Children’s Books (The Eddie Series) aimed at families of autistic children have now become a Children’s TV series on Sky Kids!

 ‘Ready Eddie Go!’ follows 6-year-old Eddie who is autistic, as he navigates everyday real-life experiences for the very first time, everything from getting his hair cut to trying new food. During the podcast, Nikki Saunders discusses the importance of representation of autistic children on TV and taking a neuro-affirming approach. She shares a clip of the programme and explains how each episode, like a social situation, gives children strategies to manage new and different experiences. 

Ready Eddie Go! Resources to download for your home or classroom:

Sensory and Emotional Awareness Activities

Visual Timetable

My 'Ask for Help' Phrases

Explaining Autism to My Friends

Previous podcast episode with Nikki Saunders

In this 'Back to School' episode, Georgina Durrant is joined by Dr Emma Kell, who shares fantastic, practical advice about teacher/SENDCO wellbeing. They discuss the importance of well-being not being an 'add on' but woven through the school culture. They also chat about the common causes of stress for teachers (including Ofsted) and Emma's top tips for surviving teaching without 'imploding, exploding or walking away'.

Relevant resources linked to this episode:

• Staff Wellbeing in School Pack of Resources
• Staff Wellbeing: You Are Not Superhuman
• Staff Wellbeing: Self-Assessment and Evaluation Tool
• Dr Emma Kell's website (includes links to her books)