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The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

Inclusive learning

Gareth D Morewood
27 March 2015

‘They said we couldn’t do it’ – a celebration of 25 years of Disability Equality in the Classroom

I have always been influenced by powerful messages and none more so than those in the book Incurably Human by Micheline Mason . Last weekend I was not only able to meet Micheline personally, but was also fortunate to deliver a keynote address at the event marking 25 years of a struggle for equality...
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Gareth D Morewood
11 February 2015

Inclusion: what do parents and carers think?

To cap off this series on inclusion, three parents and carers explain, in their own words, how much the inclusive culture of our school has meant to them. If you haven’t already, be sure to read the first , second and third parts of this blog series. Dianne Dianne is the mother of George (now aged...
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Tom Kerslake
10 February 2015

Cultural change in SEN provision – a call to action for schools

Following last September’s revision of the SEND Code of Practice, there is now the expectation that every teacher should be a teacher of pupils with SEN, and this has led to much talk of a ‘cultural change’ in SEN provision. Moving from a system that was deemed ‘not fit for purpose’ by the...
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Alex Masters
3 February 2015

Evidencing impact: the million-dollar question

It’s the ‘million-dollar question’ that you hear across schools today: ‘What is the best way to evidence the impact of Pupil Premium Funding?’ I’ve been talking to a lot of educational professionals recently, and the same concerns arise: not only are people struggling to close the gap between...
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Gareth D Morewood
2 February 2015

Inclusion: the data and debate

Keeping inclusion at the heart of what you do, while maintaining excellent levels of progress for all pupils: is such a thing possible, and what do the numbers tell us? In the first part of this series we considered what the term ‘inclusion’ constitutes in the modern day, and in the second we...
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Sara Boomsma
29 January 2015

Supporting high-quality SEND

Yesterday, it was our inaugural Supporting High-Quality SEND Teaching in the Classroom conference. The event was attended by nearly 150 education professionals including SENCOs, Assistant Headteachers and Inclusion Managers, to name but a few. The day kicked off with an inspiring keynote from...
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Gareth D Morewood
19 January 2015

Inclusion: what it means to young people

While it is easy to frame young people’s words to match our own agenda, we need to consider what inclusion means to young people. On aspiration 'I know I need support in school and it isn’t always easy – lots of other people do as well. Being in High School is very important to me so I can do the...
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Gareth D Morewood
12 January 2015

Inclusion: what's in a name?

There has often been a lot of confusion as to what the term ‘inclusion’ encompasses - here are my thoughts. ‘The term 'inclusive education' has become so used and abused that it has little meaning.’ ~ Corbett, 2001 In the modern world of the SENCO, as seen most recently in a number of blog posts...
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Gareth D Morewood
2 December 2014

Inclusion on the road

Well, we all survived the three-day residential trip to Anglesey at the Conway Centre – despite some minor knocks resulting in two trips to Ysbyty Gwynedd! After careful planning to ensure a truly inclusive educational visit (see SENCology part one ), the three days afforded some amazing moments...
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Gareth D Morewood
25 November 2014
★ UPDATED 11 May 2017

Inclusion means everyone goes on visits

School visits can be unforgettable experiences for young learners. Why should students miss out because of their needs? Ellin's Tower, Holy Island, Anglesey. Copyright Peter Barr It has been an extremely hectic year at our school so far, but there have already been some amazing outcomes for our...
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