Summer Conference 2014 < Barry Carpenter
Changing Children – Changing Schools – They are – have you
In the last decade teachers have consistently reported changes in the population of children with special educational needs / disabilities (SEND). The term ‘Complex Needs’ has arisen and is widely used to describe this new generation of children.
Research from various disciplines has also recorded significant shifts in the profile of children’s needs, often resulting from new causal bases e.g. prematurity, alcohol or drug abuse, medical interventions. What does this mean for the world of Education, and our Schools?
The Department for Education funded project, on children with Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (CLDD) has charted the education pathways of this group of learners across a range of schools in the U.K. and internationally. With a key focus on engagement in learning, new evidence has emerged on effective educational practice which will support and guide schools and teachers, and enhance educational opportunities for this group of learners.
The opportunities presented by the new Code of Practice on SEN , in relation to this group of learners will be highlighted.
Barry Carpenter – OBE/PhD is Honorary Professor at universities in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Australia, and lectures nationally and internationally. He has been a Fellow of the University of Oxford, and has held the leadership positions of Academic Director, Chief Executive, Principal, Headteacher, Inspector of Schools and Director of the Centre for Special Education at Westminster College, Oxford. He was Director of the DfE’s ‘Children with Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project’ (2009-2011), and their online ‘Training materials for teachers of children with severe, profound and complex learning disabilities’ (2011-2012). He has recently co-authored two books on children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and is currently preparing a book on ‘Children with Complex Needs’
