Special Educational Needs and Disability blog

Assistive software has a major role to play in developing students’ literacy and study skills. 

Should we give up on handwriting and how the Dash test can help us to decide.

Last Friday, a team of 25 judges came together to decide the results of this year’s Shine a Light Awards.

This year Pearson Clinical Assessment and The Communication Trust, were once again incredibly lucky to have an exceptional panel of judges from across the education and speech and language sector.

We welcomed back past experts who now know our judging process extremely well, new members whose understanding of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and local practices helped to inform and guide our decisions, and past Shine a Light award winners whose stories have clearly gone on to inspire others.

Secreted away in the basement with a supply of coffee and croissants, our three panels turned their attention to the unenviable task of deciding this year’s winners and highly commended finalists. Tears and tantrums at the ready….!

There were certainly a few tears as we made our way through the shortlisted applications; and the applications that we read left many of us feeling humbled and inspired. We heard about the exceptional best practice taking place across England – strategic activities that have had demonstrable impact on students’ lives; watched our young people nominees who have speech and language difficulties and have worked tirelessly to overcome them, inspire other young people and give back to those who have supported them; as well as exceptional innovative and community-based projects that have improved children’s opportunities to learn, and helped them to participate fully in society.

For now, that is as much as I am going to tell you about this year’s winners. We’re keeping the results a secret and in true Oscars style announcing them on the 24^th September. So make a date for your diary, and follow #SAL2015 on twitter, as we’ll soon be shining a light on the outstanding work of these settings and individuals.

Summer can be an ideal time to start Cogmed Working Memory Training. Students are home from school and have the time and ability to complete the Cogmed program.  

In order to help you succeed with Cogmed, we have put together a list of tips and articles that will get everyone talking about their memory during the summer months:

1. Connect with other users: Do you have a Facebook page? Or a Twitter account? Connecting with other Cogmed practitioners is a great way to learn how other practitioners are keeping their clients engaged with the program. By using social media sites you can learn from a global Cogmed base about their experiences and share your learning too. Start by connecting with us @PsychCorpUK and @CogmedUK and look out for #Cogmed.
   
   
2. Share your top tips: OK so if you followed point one, now you are talking to the world about #Cogmed. Top tip posts are a great way to engage other readers and make connections. Read Dr Darren Dunning’s tips here to get you started, and don’t forget to lets us know your recommendations.
   
   
3. Shout about your successes: Everyone loves good news, so if you’ve had a client who has responded well to the program, let us know about their story. We can help you shout about it online via our blog.
   
   
4. Take part in events: Whether these are face-to-face or online, events are a great way to promote the good work you are doing with Cogmed. Join us this November for Online Working Memory Week. Can you help us beat last year’s total of over 1,000 registered attendees?
   
   
5. Cogmed on the move: Did you know that Cogmed can now be delivered via tablet devices? This gives you and your client anytime, anywhere access - so there’s no excuse for those missed sessions. Send us (@PsychCorpUK) a snap of you and your Cogmed app away from your desk and we’ll send you one of our lovely Cogmed iPad covers.

Enjoy your summer with Cogmed!

There is now a large amount of guidance and advice for schools on how to implement the reforms and it can be difficult for school leaders to prioritise where to start.

Earlier this month we announced that Thetford Grammar School were the lucky recipients of a years free license of Cogmed Working Memory Training; Kate Jones, the school's SENCO entered a competition with Pearson Assessment.

Lloyd Smith our brand new Sales Consultant covering the East of the UK went to see the school to find out more about them and their grand plans for working memory improvement.

Thetford Grammar is an independent school that has just over 300 pupils aged 3.5 – 18 years of age. The school recently became a CReSTeD (Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils) accredited school, acknowledging their commitment to excellence when working with Dyslexic pupils.