In this episode, Mark Loveday is joined by Michael Surr to discuss what a Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCO) does and how their role is very much planning rather than delivering the provision. 

Michael discusses the role everybody has to play in supporting all children and focuses on the importance of collaboration as well as the effective role teaching assistants have to play. 

Practitioners may be interested by evaluating the impact of support staff and the challenges and strategies that everyone can face, to help them better understand the SENCO role. 

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Mark Loveday is joined again by Michael Surr to talk about SEN in Primary Settings. In this episode, the pair talk about understanding SEN support and funding challenges as well as provision management. 

Mark and Michael talk about the importance of labels versus needs and teacher training, including support for new teachers.  

Practitioners may be interested in learning how to balance SEN needs and resources, as well as the roles of ambassadors and champions within educational settings. 

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Mark Loveday is joined by Michael Surr, Head of Education at nasen. In this episode, Michael breaks down SEND categories and different needs, as well as strategies for inclusive teaching and transition. 

The pair look at common classroom challenges and highlight the importance of evaluating strengths of each child to understand how to deliver effective education. 

Practitioners can get tips for whole school inclusive strategies and building a community approach with parents.  

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Mark Loveday is joined by Emma Jordan for a final episode, to discuss the importance that play has on the language development of children. The episode highlights what high quality play really is and how crucial it can be in supporting the development of communication skills. 

Emma and Mark talk about why play should not be taken away too early, keeping the distractions of screens away and letting children lead. Emma also explores different activities that can be done in learning settings and at home, and how to access play without having to spend too much money. 

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In this episode, Mark Loveday is joined by Emma Jordan to discuss how technology impacts communication in children, exploring ways which parents and practitioners can use it to help support child development. 

Emma and Mark talk about the importance of visual learning and sequencing when transitioning from early years to primary, and how this can be used to help support those children who are less confident in a learning setting. 

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Mark Loveday is joined again by Emma Jordan to discuss the understanding around social communication skills. Emma highlights the challenges that practitioners face and offers insights about actions to take. 

Emma and Mark talk about the role of play in language development and practitioners can learn how to support support children in primary years. Emma also touches on pre-teaching language skills and resources to support practitioners.  

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Mark Loveday is joined by Emma Jordan, a specialist speech and language therapist and co-service lead for the children's speech and language therapy service in Worcestershire. 

In this episode, Emma explains the role of early intervention in education and identifying speech and language needs early. Emma also highlights the impact of communication on social and emotional health. 

Practitioners can learn more about the tools for early identification of communication needs, being aware of children’s hearing capabilities and creating effective learning environments.  

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Mark Loveday is joined by Beccie Hawes for a final episode, to focus on building inclusive environments for children with autism. Beccie discusses how crucial it is to support children at the earliest opportunity and the role of “inclusive by design” in a classroom setting. 

The episode highlights asking children what they really need, rather than making assumptions as adults, and finding out what are non-negotiables to make every learner comfortable in their learning. Practitioners will learn about different ways to equip a room and make sure that choice is available to help foster independence, offering a “buffet of sensory tools rather than a menu”.  

Teachers will understand that the way they teach rather than what they teach is equally as important. Beccie gives a real-life example of a teacher being brave and changing up a lesson that was going wrong, and how they fixed it, as well as what small things might put autistic children off in a classroom. 

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In this episode, host Mark Loveday is joined by Beccie Hawes to talk about the boundaries of social interaction in autistic children. They discuss the assumption that children must have friends where in fact that they may prefer being alone to self-regulate and be comfortable as observers. 

Mark and Beccie discuss collaborate play based approaches so children can interact in their natural way whilst interacting in meaningful, real-life situations. Beccie gives an example of how she teaches “reading the room” and giving a child the space to step back and assess their environment via a more therapeutic approach.  

Practitioners can learn how “wondering aloud makes the invisible visible” and “what do do if”, to help offer tailored approaches to autistic children, whilst finding ways to get them to engage with the world around them. 

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Mark Loveday is joined again by Beccie Hawes to discuss communication challenges in young children with autism and how they might struggle with recognising social cues and fast paced environments.  

Mark and Beccie discuss verbal and non-verbal children and highlight that they process and communicate in different ways, as well as providing meaningful communication attempts to different children. 

Practitioners can learn more about providing structure and creating routines to foster effective communication, as well as the roles of Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. 

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