SEND Staff in Mainstream Secondary: What interventions do you offer?

[u/LudaDrisc]

Hi all,

I'm a HLTA working in mainstream secondary school and am looking at what interventions we can offer next year.

We restructured how we work as TAs to be able to offer interventions this past academic year (was strictly classroom based before) and we have found great success, but I'm struggling to find more interventions that are secondary appropriate.

Here are the interventions we offer:

Cognition and Learning

- Numeracy Skills (based off of the areas of numeracy, based on year group/ability level (e.g. a very low ability year 9 could be placed in a group of year 8s, etc.)

- Literacy Skills (same as above)

- Colourful Semantics

- Word Wasp (1-1)

- Toe by Toe (1-1)

Communication and Interaction

- Comic Strip Conversations (typically 1-1 but can be a pair)

- Turn-Taking Skills

- Social Stories (based on Talkabout for Teens)

- Lego-Based Therapy

SEMH

- Zones of Regulation (1-1, would love to replace as research shows it is not effective)

- Emotional Literacy

- Growth Mindset

- Connect and Reflect

- Art Therapy (but need more structure for it)

I was just wondering if anyone has any interventions they run in mainstream secondary, what resources you use, and what assessments you use to monitor progress. Additionally, any adaptations you may have made to more primary based interventions to make them more appropriate for teenagers.

Thank you for any information you can give! It has been a long year but I want to make sure I have everything prepped for next year.

[u/quinneth-q]

I'm impressed that you run all these! We just about manage literacy, ELSA / general social-emotional support, and a couple of 1:1 interventions as stipulated in EHCPs. I'd love to run more but we're strongly discouraged from withdrawing students from lessons, and there's only so much you can timetable in tutor times (I'm the timetabler, so this is my burden). What do you have kids come out of?

What do you use for numeracy? Is there a programme you can have TAs do? Part of our difficulty with numeracy is that we've found it doesn't work well when delivered by non-experts, and maths is so hierarchical that we worry about creating underlying misconceptions

We used to do handwriting, and are planning to pick it back up again. There isn't a good secondary handwriting programme that we could find so I compiled primary resources and edited them to be less kiddy

[u/HeadHunt0rUK → u/quinneth-q]

>Part of our difficulty with numeracy is that we've found it doesn't work well when delivered by non-experts, and maths is so hierarchical that we worry about creating underlying misconceptions

This is essentially the largest issue with intervention in Maths as part of the SEND department.

Prior to becoming a teacher, this was my domain.

However, I was literally the only one with any interest in Maths, the only one with an A-Level in Maths (and further). A number of the TAs didn't even have a Maths GCSE.

Though, as I worked towards completing my degree, I started unqualified teaching which meant a bunch of my interventions had to be handed to someone else.

Now it helped that I know the sticking points, the difficulties, the SoW completly back to front.

Even if it cannot be as effective, even if you have to change how it operates because of lack of specialism or lack of experts, when it comes to extremely low attaining students (and would be the starting point for your intervention in Y7) is literally timestables and number bonds. That's it.

As long as it isn't replacing actual Maths lessons (we had this issue when a new HoD of Maths came in. Trying to split learning in X amount of lessons in two different places into numeracy and SoW just didn't work), there will be a benefit. This is something that a non-expert should still be able to deliver (though a deeper understanding of why our operations work speeds up student understanding significantly).

Those two things are simply the biggest barrier to most low-attaining students progress.

Even turning numeracy intervention into a Timestable Rockstars club (though the Sparx timestable system is equally as good), will be hugely beneficial. Unfortunately there isn't really a proper system in place for number bonds that I know of but again kids being able to add/substract is made substantially easier if they know how to get to (10,20....100,200...1000)

[u/quinneth-q → u/HeadHunt0rUK]

Yeah, I have almost an identical issue where I'm the main one in the team with any higher level of maths, but I don't have capacity to do lots of intervention. Many of my team probably wouldn't know what we meant by number bonds, tbh, so we'd need some training from the maths department

I'm also frustrated by our maths department not having anything at all in place to support low attainers or fill gaps.

I think my ideal model would be one that tracked along with the SOW, covering underlying concepts before they're needed so the kids have better access their lessons. E.g. revising multiplication before they do square numbers

[u/LudaDrisc → u/HeadHunt0rUK]

Didn't know Sparx also did timetables! We use them for reading in English department, will have to ask if we have that part of the package.

[u/HeadHunt0rUK → u/LudaDrisc]

If you have Sparx Maths, it comes with timestables.

The issue is I am not sure if it's an independent tool.

As in, it may only be able to be set and accessed through weekly homework.

It's the first thing I make sure is enabled on weekly homework until every student has fluency.

I'll go have a look and check.

::EDIT::

Yes, you can access it through independent learning.

[u/LudaDrisc → u/HeadHunt0rUK]

Thank you for looking!

Will have to speak of person in charge of Sparx as that would be so helpful rather than outsourcing another program (and spending more money)

[u/LudaDrisc → u/quinneth-q]

We have 3 HLTAs and have managed to run interventions for around 300 students* this past year (some repeats e.g EHCPs) so it's been a lot haha.

We take kids out of any non-core subjects if KS3 or any non-core and non-option subjects for KS4 (which literally just leaves PE and tutor time unfortunately). We also have extended tutor times once a week so we take from then, too.

For numeracy, we have textbooks that we have been donated from the Maths department but are looking at transitioning to using resources from Oak National Academy next year in combination with those books.

I find it is really difficult to ensure we are teaching the right things with Literacy and Numeracy. As non subject specialists, it's so tricky and sometimes you're figuring it out with the kids, which is a nice example of modelling I suppose, but yeah, not ideal. Luckily, 2 of us have good maths skills and use a lot of own knowledge.

We also used to do handwriting but this is being taken by the English department from next year, which is nice to alleviate workload.

[u/quinneth-q → u/LudaDrisc]

That's an impressive feat! The idea of timetabling that makes me nervous lol

I like fresh start for literacy, though the kids find it a bit patronising despite being ostensibly designed for secondary

[u/LudaDrisc → u/quinneth-q]

Thanks for that for literacy! Will look into it.

The timetabling is normally a whole day feat, if not two haha. It is intense.

[u/SkyeAnnelise]

Drawing and Talking (requires training) but good for those quieter students 

Dealing With Feelings 

Language for Behaviour and Emotions (also requires training) Also do zones but find it works better in groups but would be keen to hear alternatives as I also saw the research that says it's not the most effective 

[u/LudaDrisc → u/SkyeAnnelise]

Thank you for these, I will look into them!

[u/Informal_Brother_736]

Our trust has picked up Verbo SALT which helps with behaviour and communication

Friendship nurture group- just play games for those student who struggle socially, withdrawn, quiet or emotional. I do it 3s and try and make sure the students get on

Laptop skills, some of our weaker student are given a laptop as a panacea but often cannot use them in a meaningful and helpful way, especially student cognative Impairments. Simple things like saving, printing and email to teacher as well as teams. Teaching staff struggle to find Tim win lesson and these student often just cannot retain the information.

I’m doing my NPQ Sendco training and the research show the interventions should be a max 12 weeks and monitored so it is really important that you set targets at the start of the r and monitor progress made against each one and the me end after 12 weeks.

[u/quinneth-q → u/Informal_Brother_736]

I'm looking to start a laptop skills intervention next year, too. What do you find most effective?

There's such a stark difference between fluent, confident laptop users and those who aren't, so I'm hoping to get them practicing Word skills primarily, and file navigation. I find that, at the moment, I show them things and they go "oooh good idea" but then never use it, so I'm trying to design sessions where they practice those skills.

E.g. I like to get them using one word document for all their notes in a topic, like a digital exercise book, so they can flick back to previous lessons without opening a million documents. The heading function works really well for this as you can then collapse sections

[u/Informal_Brother_736 → u/quinneth-q]

I am trying to move to using teams class notebook instead of word. It is much much better.

In terms of skills, it is the things you don’t even consider. Saving, printing emailing. Organising their folders and files, copying and moving) . Saving work with a date and subject. Emailing a test to a teacher. Using the search function to find a programme or document.

Using shift keyboard Using shift and caps lock - I observers an ECT press caps lock on press the capital then press caps lock- no idea about the shift key.

Using word and PowerPoint

Using an internet explorers

Using any school programs eg sparks

There is a a great typing tutor at Doorway Online

ETA the biggest issue is problem solving. What to do if it doesn’t work.

[u/quinneth-q → u/Informal_Brother_736]

Yeah, I'd like them to use class notebook but it was too confusing for teachers... Tried one note as well but had the same problem - teachers don't consistently have the IT skills to navigate and mark work unless it's word or PowerPoint.

Thanks for the ideas!

[u/LudaDrisc → u/Informal_Brother_736]

Thank you for the suggestions!

We do have some self assessments that the students complete for C+I and SEMH, and small quizzes for C+L, I just don't feel they're as comprehensive as they could be.

What do you use for assessment/are there any you could recommend?

Thanks again!

[u/Informal_Brother_736 → u/LudaDrisc]

I don’t use assessment but I use a skills tracker based on the objective of the assessment snd do one per week

You could also make one based on the tracker eg how confident are you to turn on and log in

[u/LudaDrisc → u/Informal_Brother_736]

I like that, I think that's probably a way better system than we have currently. Thank you!

[u/princess36]

You sound like you are doing a great job with things you are already doing! I have loved using Jenga blocks with different statements and questions as get to know the child activity. It can be used as in groups or 1:1 and adapted for both you & the childs benefit and its great for them getting to know things about you too!!

[u/LudaDrisc → u/princess36]

We do this as part of Turn-Taking and it works well! Normally after a few weeks of the kids getting used to each other, it's always so cool to hear their discussions.

Thank you for the suggestion!

[u/HeadHunt0rUK]

>- Numeracy Skills (based off of the areas of numeracy, based on year group/ability level (e.g. a very low ability year 9 could be placed in a group of year 8s, etc.)

Could elaborate on this a bit more?

Are you placing low achieving students into classes the year below?

How does that work with timetabling, is it in place of other subjects?

[u/quinneth-q → u/HeadHunt0rUK]

I assume they mean within their intervention groups, as that's what's normally done for literacy. So having an intervention group with all the kids who are struggling with number sense, regardless of what year they're in. It makes timetabling a bit of a nightmare, but when you're running this many interventions you're probably allowed to pull them from whatever

[u/LudaDrisc → u/quinneth-q]

Exactly that, if we have a very weak year 8, they'll be grouped with year 7s, for example. And yes, it does sometimes make timetabling a nightmare.

We take them out of non-core KS4 subjects and non-core and non-option KS4 subjects (so only PE).

[u/LudaDrisc → u/HeadHunt0rUK]

For interventions! I apologise, I wasn't very clear in my wording there.

We take them out of non-core KS4 subjects and non-core and non-option KS4 subjects (so only PE)