PDG Special Education Needs?

Mendoza

Hey guys,

I was wondering has anyone any advice on special education courses?

I'm secondary qualified and was thinking of switching out of mainstream as my subjects are lousy and at this point I have more experience in SEN than mainstream.

At the moment I'm subbing in a special school (not contracted) and now I'm looking for a course to go with my experience. I'm doing some CPD courses at the moment but their mainly seminars and they're not very substantial. Looking for something that'll really stand to me.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Preferably something I could do while I'm teaching and at a reasonable price.

Thanks

evolving_doors

Like a postgraduate diploma 1yr leading on to a masters?
How about becoming an ed. Psychologist (probably take a few years part time).

solerina

Look up St Pats, they do a distance SEN cert leading to a diploma and even a masters if you want, it usually starts in Sept and again in Jan.
Diploma is run in conjunction with ICEP.

Mendoza

Ed. Psychologist... would you actually still be teaching with that? or would other options be open to you? How does one go about doing that?

Definitely look up the distanced certs.

I was talking to a member of staff in the school I'm in. They h.dip. in special education needs would have to be signed off by the principal so it'd really want to be in the second year in the school. Pretty sure I've missed the boat on it already for this year anyways.

evolving_doors

Mendoza wrote: »

Ed. Psychologist... would you actually still be teaching with that? or would other options be open to you? How does one go about doing that?

Definitely look up the distanced certs.

I was talking to a member of staff in the school I'm in. They h.dip. in special education needs would have to be signed off by the principal so it'd really want to be in the second year in the school. Pretty sure I've missed the boat on it already for this year anyways.

I know a teacher who was coming up to early retirement who did it part time in the evenings (it's not a short course by any means). Then when she retired she registered with the dept.. It's essentially a private practice, so it's a matter of creating a rapport with different schools for repeat business. Then there's the private work for parents who can't get a report from school. That's if you want to throw in the towel with teaching though. So youd be still working with kids in an educational setting. I don't know if she's making a living out of it but she seems happy.
I'd say any school would be delighted to have a teacher with an ed psych qualification in house. It's a big enough commitment though.

Mendoza

Gebgbegb wrote: »

I know a teacher who was coming up to early retirement who did it part time in the evenings (it's not a short course by any means). Then when she retired she registered with the dept.. It's essentially a private practice, so it's a matter of creating a rapport with different schools for repeat business. Then there's the private work for parents who can't get a report from school. That's if you want to throw in the towel with teaching though. So youd be still working with kids in an educational setting. I don't know if she's making a living out of it but she seems happy.
I'd say any school would be delighted to have a teacher with an ed psych qualification in house. It's a big enough commitment though.

You're selling it well. Sounds like something worth looking into. Always nice to have options other than teaching.

evolving_doors

Do your homework anyway. From a school's perspective they'd more than likely stick to the same Ed. Psych so it might be hard to break in initially.

Mendoza

Well the school I'm in at the moment is attached to a clinic. I imagine most special needs schools are like that. I think you'd need to throw yourself around mainstream schools for private practice sort of work. Otherwise you'd want to be keeping an ear out for vacancies in the attached clinics.

byhookorbycrook

Most schools, primary or secondary now have a NEPS service, which means that the school have to use that service- so not too many calls from schools unless they are willing to pay privately.
Those schools that don't have NEPS, can use a scheme called SCAPA - Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments, but that is limited those ed. psychols. the DES agrees to.

evolving_doors

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Most schools, primary or secondary now have a NEPS service, which means that the school have to use that service- so not too many calls from schools unless they are willing to pay privately.
Those schools that don't have NEPS, can use a scheme called SCAPA - Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments, but that is limited those ed. psychols. the DES agrees to.

Is it hard for an ed psych to get their name on a list? When our ed psych left we were just told to choose from the list. There were a few new people on the list.