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

Raising awareness of the reality of autism

I was delighted to welcome Michael Barton to our school as part of his book tour at the end of October. I first heard Michael speak at an event in Belfast where I was taking about our research and work on including young people with complex autism (read more in my article 'Mainstreaming autism:...
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Gareth D Morewood

Curriculum support transition event

Many schools have well established transition events for Year 6 pupils in preparation for their start in the coming September. After individual meetings at the primary schools (often Year 5 annual reviews), bespoke tours and initial transition events, whole-school induction activities – sports,...
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Gareth D Morewood

Great ideas for summer: dog training

Pairing child with canine might seem an obscure way to improve inclusion, but the therapeutic benefits are something to bark about! I have always tried to find creative ways to support and stimulate inclusion at school - some are more off-the-wall than others! The aim is always to give young people...
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Gareth D Morewood

Creative resourcing

The Children’s and Families Bill has now become an Act and while the regulations and accompanying Code are debated and approved, SENCO colleagues are in a difficult position as to how they can prepare for September onwards. I don’t assume to be able to foresee the SEND landscape clearly enough to...
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Gareth D Morewood

Never has there been so much change. Does anyone know what is happening?

We've brought back Gareth D Morewood's popular SENCology blog. In his first post, Gareth considers current tension in the profession and sets out three elements for an inclusive school in times of change. Education hasn’t experienced such change in decades, with changes to Initial Teacher Training...
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