Waltham Forest is committed to supporting inclusion. As numbers of children with sensory needs increases across the system the Education Directorate and Asset Management team are keen to support school governors and leaders to ensure that, where possible, buildings and sites are developed to support their wider inclusive practices as outlined in the Ordinarily Available Provision launched in Autumn 2023 and the Inclusion and Alternative Provision Framework signed off by Cabinet in January 2020.  

In collaboration with Portsmouth University a series of online twilight sessions will be delivered focusing on current research into the impact of the school environment on children’s learning with the aim of providing practical tips on what schools can do, particularly regarding how school’s delegated capital budgets and asset management plans can be used to support an inclusive environment.

The first session, ‘Supporting Pupils’ sensory needs in the school environment’ will be delivered on Monday 13 May 2024 at 4.30pm to 6pm.

More details of the webinar below:

This webinar will explore:

1. Sensory needs - how they can manifest in the classroom, and theories that enable us to understand why children respond in a certain way. 

2. The impact of environmental factors, and in particular noise, on children's learning and well being

3. Practical tips and take-aways for educators

The webinar will include a presentation from the speaker and interactions with the audience. We will share elements from current research about interventions to support children. Attendees are encouraged to continue this discussion and to feedback on whether the talk has influenced their perspective / practice, at a later webinar.

About the Speaker:

Dr Jessica Massonnie is Lecturer in Psychology and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Portsmouth. She is also the Course Leader for the Professional Doctorate of Education, supporting education professionals in their journey to obtaining a doctoral degree. Her research focuses on understanding and valuing individual differences in the classroom, with a focus on language and sensory needs. 

Book here

*You will receive the webinar link nearer to the time of the webinar, from CCPD@port.ac.uk.  Depending on your organisation's server, the email may go into your spam folder so please keep a look out for this in May.