Independent Thinking on series Being a SENDCO

What is a SENDCO? A voice. An advocate. A messenger (don't shoot!). A calm in the storm. A connection. A friend. A forgiveness seeker, not a permission requester. A shot in the dark. A shot at life. The one who listens. The one who knows. The one who cares.The educational professional who campaigns tirelessly on behalf of the children who need more support than most to navigate a system that, at times, seems purposely set up to make them fail. Relationships are pivotal when working with children with special educational needs (SEN). Trust, honesty and empathy play a vital role in these relationships and is key to these individuals thriving in school and at home. In this book, Ginny Bootman offers a fresh perspective on how SENDCOs can build strong, lasting and effective relationships between those who work with children with additional needs and explores why forming these relationships is so important to help children achieve the best they can and take away positive experiences. Independent Thinking on Being a SENDCOis designed to help you become a compassionate, honest and determined SENDCO, combining your professionalism with empathy, the ability to listen properly and a desire to understand what the lives of others are like and how you can help. It is a book full of tips that will save you time and energy, useful hacks to help you overcome obstacles and bumps in the road, and proven strategies that will benefit your relationships. Suitable for SENDCOs, primary and secondary school teachers and leaders, as well as parents of children with additional needs. ; Written by Ginny Bootman,Independent Thinking on Being a SENDCO:113 tips for building relationships, saving time and changing livesis an informative guide that identifies simple, tried and tested ways to build and cement strong relationships between all those who work with children with additional needs, whether they a; A wonderful book that strikes the delicate balance of being positive yet honest and realistic about the SENDCO role. Reading it feels like going for a coffee, cake and a chat with an experienced colleague. And not just any colleague ... one who can help you navigate everything from tricky conversations with families and facilitating staff training on SEND to finding bargain SEND resources from pound shops! Georgina Durrant ; Ginny's experience, humour and candour are the perfect guiding hand for SENDCOs who are new or looking for new directions in a role that has grown in size and importance in recent years. This book is packed with down-to-earth, doable ideas delivered in bitesize chunks to support and scaffold you in your role of supporting and scaffolding the children and adults within your community. Well worth reading and enacting. Pooky Knightsmith ; There are numerous practitioner-written books that are heavy going, and when you reach the end you really have to think about whether what you've learned has been helpful. What I love about Being a SENDCO is that you can pick it up and find well-explained nuggets of advice on every page. The 113 tips are not obscured by the strait jacket of trying to show how academic the book is.From the foreword, which demonstrates the complexity of the job, through to the last section on working with outside agencies, I'd recommend this book to those aspiring to be a SENDCO and the most experienced practitioners. Reading the book is like sitting down with an experienced mentor for a series of conversations over a coffee (maybe a glass of wine!). The tips are pragmatic and achievable, and I will definitely be ordering a copy for our (new in post) SENDCO. If this is the area you want to work in, then I unreservedly recommend Independent Thinking on Being a SENDCO for an honest insight into the job and plenty of useful advice. Vic Goddard ; What a great book! I am not a SENDCO but I found that reading this enabled me to develop the empat