Meet Francis

Francis – Every Day is a Challenge and a Joy

Helping these kids express themselves

Enjoy joining in

Providing them with every opportunity

Understanding the parents concern

And Role

Turning Tears of Frustration into Smiles of Success

Meet Francis an SEN specialist

I first met Francis when we were working together supporting adults with learning difficulties.

She was someone who really understood the people we were supporting and they sensed that and responded to her. I would describe her as open-minded, fair but firm and having a great sense of humour when appropriate.

When we were looking to find a real life insight into working with children with special educational needs she immediately sprang to mind, as she excels in this field because she has a passion and a dedication to both the work and the children.

Sitting across from each other at my kitchen table - it was great to get together again – I was ready with my pen and notebook to take down some facts about working in this field.

Rewind that and take out the word “facts” – I barely needed the notebook – what I learnt from Francis was about understanding and feeling.

Understanding where these children are starting from, how they feel compared to others, working out how you can support and build up their self-esteem without taking over their decisions.

There were times during our conversation when I couldn't speak or ask the next question I was so moved when I realised the challenges some children encounter just to attend school and partake in lessons and playground breaks.

I'm going to try to do justice to the “interview” I conducted with Francis and I hope to pass on the inspiration not just from her but also from the children with whom she works and of whom she has such great regard and admiration for.

Had you always wanted to go into this type of work?

No it was not part of my original plan, I had seen an advert for a support assistant for children with special needs at my local school and applied. I wasn't initially successful as others had more experience at the interviews, but something in me urged me on so, I applied to go on the relief register and was soon being called in for regular shifts and naturally moved into a permanent post.

Did you have any training for the work?

No but I wish I had – I would have found the course that you are offering invaluable.

So what did you use as a starting point?

When I started off I sat down and worked out what the children needed from me and made a resolve to provide this:

1. They needed to trust and respect me.
2. To gain this I realised I always had to tell them the truth – good or bad.
3. Once a situation had been dealt with I had to move on from it and the child needed to know it would not be brought up again.
4. I needed to have empathy for how they were feeling.
5. I needed to stay calm and in control of myself at all times.

What specific challenges do you face?

In a school setting there is a lot of activity, energy, unexpected things can and often do happen. This is not an environment which can be controlled as home can be so there are a lot of triggers to react – especially to autistic children.

Are some parts of the day more difficult than others?

In the classroom the special educational needs assistant works under the teacher's guidance, the classroom environment is more controlled.

The special educational needs assistants take their break before the children's so they are on hand on the playground at break-times.

During these playground breaks it's down to me to make the decisions – there are more triggers, more spontaneous/unpredictable events.

Sometimes more able children avoid special educational needs children; often they are scared of these children as they do not have good social skills. I teach these social skills - how to play and share and if the natural reaction is to hit out I show the importance of controlling that initial response and communicating in other more acceptable ways.

I also appeal to the more able children and show them the importance of being more open-minded and to include others of different abilities into their group to join in their games.

Sometimes a situation can escalate on the playground and I need to make the decision to escort a child from the playground back into the school. This decision has to be made carefully as this could have a negative impact on the child – most special educational needs children have very low self-esteem. Also it could stigmatise them further in the other children's view.

What does your role involve in the classroom?

I take the need to be a role model for the children very seriously, some children don't how to act in the classroom – they have to learn this by watching me – so I always make a point of sitting up straight in lessons, addressing the teacher very respectfully by their title, using good manners etc. In this way I demonstrate the behaviour which is expected in school.

I support the child to learn in the classroom and sometimes in a quieter zone of the school. Often the teacher and myself will alternate days for listening to the child read – in this way the teacher knows where the child is up to and can direct their progress and I can continue to work with the child from here.

Although my job is to support the teacher I sometimes have to fight the corner of the child - sometimes the teacher can misunderstand the child and be frustrated; worse still a teacher can form a dislike of a child that seems to consistently show negative behaviour. The teacher's body language will give this away and be picked up by the child which will de-motivate and trigger more bad behaviour.

What do you find most rewarding about this role?

When you know that the child has learnt to trust you.

Finding something special in each child and letting them know that you see they have that to give.

Seeing that they feel safe at school and that that they know that they will get what they need whilst there - sometimes simply food and rest for children from deprived families, routine for autistic children, stimulation and integration into a mainstream classroom, and the opportunity to form relationships and play with others of their own age.

In short, by making a difference each day, you can give the children you work with a better childhood and a more positive view of themselves which will help them reach their full potential now and as in the future.