The needs around SEND in schools are increasing - both in numbers and complexity of needs – and many schools are struggling with the best way to support their learners effectively. They want to do the best for their students, but the DfE provides very limited guidance on supporting learners with SEND.

Jordan Garrett from Sensory Classroom joins Dale to discuss 'assessing complex learners'. Jordan brings a wealth of experience from specialist and mainstream settings, plus years of curriculum and resource development, and offers practical, classroom-tested advice.

Their discussion includes:

• Clear explanation of the gaps in current guidance and why schools struggle to turn these into day-to-day practice.
• Practical, person-appropriate approaches for curriculum and assessment that meet learners where they are - including translating mainstream topics into meaningful, multi-sensory lessons.
• How to use frameworks to track small steps of progress, show meaningful outcomes to parents and plan bespoke learning without creating lots more work.
• Ideas for making regulation, communication and sensory needs the foundation of teaching so pupils can access academic learning.
• Advice on building collaboration between teachers and TAs, using APDR cycles, and choosing trusted, adaptable resources rather than one-size-fits-all "solutions".

View all podcasts available or visit our SENDcast sessions shop!

Jordan is an experienced Specialist Education Teacher in the UK. She shares daily ideas, support and resources to support supporting adults of non-speaking children with SEN.

https://sensoryclassroom.org

https://www.facebook.com/share/z4JM3rfbXWsuw2Kb/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

https://www.instagram.com/sensoryclass

https://www.tiktok.com/@sensoryclass

Sensory Curriculum

• B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk
• Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast
• Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk
• Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe

We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.

Did you know that common infections, like strep throat, can cause a neuroinflammatory response affecting the brain?

Today we're raising awareness of difficult to diagnose and often misunderstood conditions – Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) and Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). Tina Coope, a former teacher and parent whose daughter experienced sudden neuropsychiatric symptoms, explains how PANS and PANDAS present, why they're often missed, and what schools can do to support affected children.

This episode explains:

• What PANS and PANDAS are: what they are, typical triggers, and common symptoms.
• How they can mimic or overlap with neurodivergence yet require medical recognition and timely intervention.
• Classroom-ready guidance: spotting multiple unexplained changes, documenting patterns, making immediate needs-led accommodations during flares, and planning flexible support during recovery.
• Resources and training available.
• Why early recognition, careful recording, and good communication between school and family can make a huge difference.

"You're looking for multiple unexplained changes. They are uniformly, hugely distressing across the board of those symptoms."

Tina Coope

View all podcasts available or visit our SENDcast sessions shop!

Tina Coope is a former teacher with a Master's in Education and a rich background across mainstream and special schools. She's led specialist Autism provision and founded a Nurture unit in an infant school. When her daughter suddenly developed severe neuropsychiatric symptoms at age 7, Tina's professional and personal worlds collided.

Driven by lived experience, Tina became the Education Lead for PANS PANDAS UK in 2021, where she created the UK's first teacher and educational psychology training course on the conditions, and developed extensive resources for educators and allied professionals. She now co-chairs the national Education, Social Care and Health Group, shaping guidance for Local Authorities.

https://panspandasuk.org

https://www.facebook.com/panspandasuk/

https://www.instagram.com/pans_pandas_uk/

https://x.com/PANSPANDASUK

tina.coope@panspandasuk.org

Resources for Education Professionals

Training

Local Authority Information and Update

• B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk
• Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast
• Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk
• Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe

We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.