READ SEN Magazine SEN125: July/August 2023 here
What a lovely time of the year this is, with school fairs and outdoor events. I love planting seeds, keeping them alive (mostly) and seeing them grow. It’s like mindfulness, with the benefits of fresh herbs and vegetables readily available for the kitchen.
In this issue, David Swanston of St Vincent’s School, a specialist school for sensory impairment and other needs, describes on page 70 how they have integrated a number of gardening activities and established collaborations to really develop this aspect of the curriculum and get advice from experts in the field (note, have a read if you are not keen on digging).
The theme of getting outside having a therapeutic effect is echoed in several other articles in this issue, with Chris Kent taking the dog for a walk as a therapeutic intervention with young people on page 40 and Jess Wilkinson providing some helpful hints on page 85 about organising sensory walks.
There’s quite a focus on literacy in this issue too, recognising that many children are still leaving primary school struggling with aspects of reading, writing and other related skills as they enter secondary school. Sarah Singleton outlines how to implement Precision Teaching on page 17 and explains how it can support the development of phonic skills, while Alison Tarrant talks about the ways that libraries can support all kinds of readers on page 10.
In each issue, we try to cover a wide range of topics, taking account of our diverse and far-flung readership. If you have not yet signed up to the newsletter, please take a look as it’s a great resource to dip into when you have a few minutes and it covers areas such as CPD, events, resources, book reviews and so much more. Dive in while you’re sitting in the garden and supervising the BBQ or sipping something cool and refreshing.
As always, a big thank you to the expert team that are responsible for bringing each issue to publication, plus the advertisers who support us and the contributors of articles. I have learnt about so many new resources and initiatives since taking over as editor and it’s amazing to see how companies are developing new products and responding to needs that they identify. Parents of children whose needs were not being met, have turned these into businesses that reach out and support others and, in this age of social media and technology, there are many innovative collaborations going on.
Once again, do let us know if you have an idea for a feature, or if you have a resource, service or CPD offering that we can share with the SEN Magazine community. We love a good story.
Enjoy the summer.
Mary
Click here to read SEN Magazine SEN125 online
Precision teaching, School exclusion, Alternative therapies, SEN publishing, Manual handling, Days out, School trips, Hearing impairment, Emotional health, Conductive education, EHCPs, Cerebral palsy, News, Book reviews, CPD, Events, Resources and more
