I recently caught up with my colleague, Shona Neill, who I have heard has been making leaps and bounds with the creation and delivery of careers support for SEND learners in Lincolnshire. In a pilot project with St Francis school, Shona worked with John Ambrose and SLT to create a bespoke careers program within a careers program, aimed at offering learners the best possible guidance to support young people with their futures.
The project started a couple of years ago, but its’ origin lies in a sense of unease shared by John Ambrose and the whole team, that SEND learners were not being supported as effectively as they could be by the guidance community. As a company, we didn’t have an effective SEND guidance offer and this was a national issue that we were seeing for schools across the country when supporting them with the Quality in Careers Standard. SEND schools were not coming to us for support and after the demise of Connexions it was clear that there was patchy provision for special schools and their learners. Out of practice, we were aware that we didn’t have the expertise and knowledge in place to be as effective as we wanted to be.
Along with John, Shona was the perfect fit to be involved in the pilot, having done a significant amount of SEND work with Futures and Connexions and having sat on a governing body of an SEND school for a number of years. The Lincoln based St Francis school was keen to be involved in the pilot project and start to make headway in improving support for their learners.
Shona’s initial priority was to meet with SLT and find out what was already in place and explore where added value could be given. Shona wanted to make sure her contribution was filling gaps, as the school already had an effective careers education program in place and was gaining some support from the local authority. Initially her contact with learners were through more traditional 1:1 interviews, including worksheets and activities based on getting to know the learners. At the end of the session, the SLT member of staff was invited to come in and the learners fed back what they had learnt in the session. This helped the SLT understand the value of the guidance to the learners and as SEND schools are protective places the impact of the any input is always be under scrutiny.
The issue of familiarity, in all schools but especially special schools is worth exploring further. It can be hard for the staff at a special school to entrust a stranger to offer guidance, to a learner with whom they have built a strong relationship and shared a great deal of history. Furthermore, it can be intimidating, as an adviser, to be offering support to learners, that some other staff at the school may have long-standing connections and who know their interests and family dynamic. Shona tends to believe that there is a real benefit in not having someone who knows them very well. These learners will soon be in the community with various adults who are unfamiliar with them and do not know how to get the best out of then in a conversation. It is a key skill for SEND learners to relate to someone who does not know them. Just as in mainstream education, a careers adviser, bridges that gap between the known familiar world (school) and the unknown and difficult to navigate adult world (employment or further education). The role of the adviser is to give a different perspective, to get to know the learner and at times to challenge them.
Following on from the first phase of successful careers interviews, St Francis saw fit to invest in and supported Shona to create a much more comprehensive offer to learners. This involves two days each term – Autumn, Spring, Summer – one allocated to group work and the other to individual guidance. The 7 learners on the program, all part of the post-16 provision, are supported through a coaching program which involves themes such as self-awareness, opportunity awareness, transition, and action planning. The group work element of the offer was key here, allowing the learners to share with their peers, listen and helped the quieter learners contribute. Group guidance is a contentious issue and while 1:1 guidance always has high and unique value; small group work can be effective as part of a diagnostic guidance program such as this one.
Shona begins with a diagnosis of need and builds an action plan progressively over the academic year, which is constantly developing. These focus on areas such as personal and social development and other issues that may be barriers to successfully integrating into college or employment. Shona’s approach is positive and engaging, in group work she supports learners to make realistic, yet aspirational choices based on what they enjoy and what opportunities are available. Using the existing careers program, Shona weaves her group work sessions to include activities already taking place, such as college visits and work experience.
Shona keeps the group and guidance sessions positive, visual and with a strong focus on understanding self. At the start of the process, she ensures that all learners are diagnosed and self-diagnose to help them understand the areas they would like the most support with. She sets out group rules and expectations, simulating college workshops, she is able to break down their careers readiness, and set homework between the sessions. She has built upon what worked effectively in that first pilot – and now at the end of the program, learners still feedback to the member of SLT about what they have learnt about themselves and the working world. This is an effective way of analysing the effectiveness of the program and allowing the learners to share their plans with pride and ownership. Within the final session, Shona will give the learners their completed action plan, complete with a colourful pack, including their worksheets, action plan and a key ring which colourfully reminds the learners of their key competencies – a very visual way to help them enter the world with confidence – the ultimate pocket sized record of achievement. Shona hopes to integrate the program further with the learners EHCPs and annual reviews so that all stakeholders are supporting learners effectively.
The blended approach of group work and guidance is helping these learners with their career management, and they have built a relationship with a careers guide who is able to coach them, striking that balance and getting to know them just the right amount, speaking to them from a different place in a different way.
Jenny Beaumont