What an exciting week this has been!  We have had visitors…a film crew gathering footage for the one-page profiles in schools video to show how they can be used in mainstream schools.  It has really given me an opportunity to reflect on one page profiles and the impact of these at OPA as we continue planning our journey towards personalisation. What truly powerful documents these are to support mutual understanding within our school community.

All teachers at OPA have a one-page profile which is revisited and updated at review meetings. As a new member of staff, I am developing my one-page profile and it has really demonstrated first hand, the positive effects this can have to make you feel included within the school environment. It is very self-affirming to have colleagues tell you what they like and admire about you and openly acknowledge and act on any support needed. It has reinforced in my own mind, the positive impact on wellbeing and inclusion that one-page profiles can have on members of the school community, both adults and children alike, and the importance of moving forward with this as part of our approach to personalisation.

Currently, all Year 6 children and those with statements for special educational needs have one-page profiles. Zach's person centred review was filmed for the training video; Zach really enjoyed taking part in this, a budding actor it seems!(See Jane's blog from July 2011 to learn more about Zach and his last person centred review). I simply love taking part in person centred reviews where Zach is truly at the centre of our thoughts and discussions, and where he can contribute his views effectively.  Zach's one-page profile took centre stage as we had the opportunity to revisit what we like and admire about Zach, what is important to him, and the best ways to support him. It's great to see the progress he has made, particularly with the development of his language skills, as well as update the support that Zach needs in school now.

As our strategic planning week approaches and we agree priorities for next year, my thoughts return to the PATH that Jane wrote about in her blog in January 2012. I am confident that one page profiles are a strong thread that will run along this PATH.

Next time:…More about our PATH towards personalisation.

Well, I've actually done it! I have led my first Person Centred Review with Ross, observed by Jon (our mentor) for Charlie. This was Charlie's second Person Centred Review; you can read all about his first one in Jane's blog below, written in June 2011.

And what a different experience I found it from a typical annual review.  Charlie was right at the centre of the process, right from the beginning. He brailed his own invitations, chose his snacks, drinks and music for the meeting.  He took his CCTV equipment to the meeting, a large plastic spider (!), and the room was set up specifically for him, including important details such as using his preferred black pens on the writing boards.

I spoke to Charlie about the review meeting a few days before it. He was feeling a little bit nervous that people at the meeting would not know 'things they liked about him' to share.  We talked a bit about this and he decided that he would like to bring a friend with him to the meeting, which he did.

At the meeting, Charlie was certainly at the centre! There were loads of things shared that everyone 'like and admire' about Charlie, which I was able to emphasise for him. During mingling time, Charlie put up his photographs to share his views, as others wrote on the boards and then he handed round biscuits. Lots of things were reported to be 'working well' but Charlie shared two things that were not working for him - French and some practical difficulties using his storage drawers. Alongside setting targets for areas such as secondary transition, we were also able to target these areas for Charlie; the ICT specialist teacher agreed to find good software for Charlie to support him with French and his teacher and teaching assistant agreed to help Charlie devise a better system for using his storage drawers.

At the end of the meeting, Charlie's dad did an impression of Shaggy and Scooby Doo and Charlie did an impression of the Meercats (from the well-known advertisement!), to rousing applause; they were great!

As Charlie returned to the classroom, his teacher heard him say to his friend, 'That was the best meeting ever… don't you wish you were still in there?' Doesn't that just say it all?

Next time… An update on one page profiles and Oxley Park Academy's involvement in the 'One-Page Profiles' film

I am delighted to have joined Oxley Park Academy at this really exciting time when the Academy is developing personalised approaches for all children within the school community. Taking the lead on this is a new challenge that I am really excited about.

I have worked in Milton Keynes for many years, as a teacher working with children with special needs and disabilities, an Inclusion Manager in various schools and most recently, I was employed by the Local Authority as a specialist advisory teacher for children with communication and interaction needs.

The increased emphasis on the inclusion of the views of children in their own reviews/provision has been an on-going feature of those years. One of the frustrating aspects of my work has been finding an effective way of achieving this. When I attended my first Person Centred Review at Oxley Park as a Local Authority adviser, I realised that through person centred reviews (PCR) there was an effective way of putting children at the centre of their own reviews and influencing provision for themselves. When the role of Personalisation Manager at the Academy was advertised, I applied and was offered it; I couldn't believe how lucky I was.

And so, in January, my journey began. It started with attending a two day training course in Person Centred Reviews which touched on a whole range of person centred approaches. This allowed me to learn the PCR process alongside other trainees in a supportive environment with an informal, practical approach. I now feel I have the skills and knowledge to organise and lead my first PCR with Ross, another teacher at the Academy who joined me in the training.

Ross and I are also being mentored to be trainers in PCR. We have had our first mentoring session and our mentor will be observing and feeding back on our first PCR. This will be in March and I'll let you know how this went in my next blog.

As I settle into my new role, I am really looking forward to starting to develop a pathway towards personalised provision plans for all children at the Academy revolving around the one page profiles. My vision is one where all children have their individual needs catered for with their own involvement in the best possible way. Watch this space!!

Next time I'll tell you all about my first attempt at facilitating a PCR and update you on the pathway to personalised provision plans for all.

This month we have had the privilege of hosting our first Person Centred Reviews training. HSA led two days of training for several schools in Milton Keynes and the surrounding area.

For us it was a brilliant opportunity for Lyn, our new Personalisation Manager, to spend time learning about and using the person centred planning tools which will be central to her evolving role in the Academy. Having participated in Person Centred Review's at Oxley Park in her previous role as LA Advisory Teacher for Communication and Interaction, Lyn commented that the course was invaluable in giving her time and space to learn about PCR's alongside colleagues, to a level where she feels confident to carry out a review. Lyn will be participating in a Train the Trainer programme following on from this, so that the development of a person centred approach in annual reviews in Milton Keynes develops, and is sustainable in the longer term.

We made the decision to also send one of our teachers to the 2 day training - Ross will join Lyn in taking part in the Train the Trainer mentorship programme. Our thoughts behind this lie in the belief we have, that a person centred approach needs to be a school-wide approach, not merely a vehicle by which reviews can be conducted. Ross has been an enthusiastic champion for the benefits of using person centred thinking tools in many aspects of school life, for staff and children alike. Ross will be central in helping us to continue our journey towards truly personalised learning for all our children. Follow the link to hear his views on the training - http://youtu.be/-3LpL0FpJCw

It has been great having Lyn on board at last - we have already spent time deliberating together about the longer term vision for personalisation at Oxley Park Academy. One of our priorities, in keeping with the Government SEN Green Paper recommendation for the bringing together of support for the child onto one straightforward plan, is to see every child at Oxley Park with a Personalisation Plan. Currently we seem to have a plethora of differing plans - IEP's, EAL Plans, Gifted and Talented Plans, Behaviour Plans - all of which have the same purpose, to ensure that the individual needs of every child for whom these plans apply, are met. However, a truly inclusive environment recognises that every single child at our school has individual needs and we are keen to represent this in a Personalisation Plan. For some children the plan will include language targets, for some targets to meet defined SEN, for others details of them as a learner - for all, a central common document will be their One Page Profile. Whilst Lyn, Cathy (our Principal) and I are really excited about the future, we have recognised the need for us to plan carefully in order to achieve our goals for the children - hence we are going to create a PATH together to capture our Hopes and Dreams, the Possibles and Positives, First Steps and the continuing journey.

More on this in future blogs as we set foot on the PATH ….

Next time Lyn will begin sharing her journey thus far and reflect on where her new role will take both her and the Academy.

I just LOVE this time of year in school! The whole atmosphere is simply magical and taking time to look around me brought to mind how much the 5 Ways to Wellbeing ring true. Schools are such busy places, especially at Christmas time - we seem to move at pace from carol singing, to Christingle services, to the Nativity play, to visits from Santa and his reindeer (yes, real reindeer!!), thinking we have no time to stop and take notice. So today I stopped … and took notice.

Every year on 30^th November our wonderful teaching team stay behind after school to help the Christmas Fairies transform our school into a Winter Wonderland - it's a big ask after a long day in school but the look of sheer wonderment from the children as they enter school on 1^st December makes it so worthwhile. Those are the moments to take notice - it certainly is a real boost to well-being.

This week we have had the opportunity to really connect with our local community and give something back - we have tremendous support on many levels and the chance to sing in the shopping centre was too good to miss. Looking round at all the children, I was so struck by how much they also connect with each other. What matters to each and every child is the fact that they are all amazing Oxley Parkers - that was what shone through. To see Zach, who has featured in this Blog previously, singing away, full of enthusiasm, a vital part of the school choir was a real testament to the genuine connection between him and his classmates, centred on their common belonging to our school.

As a non-musician, I am in awe of the children who are learning to play instruments in school. From my office I often listen to the beginning of their musical journeys - this week to see them playing together with staff in the school orchestra was just fantastic. They are stunning examples of how much good it does us to keep learning new skills and to persevere through those difficult early, somewhat scratchy days, of getting to grips with the violin or cello. What a privilege to sit back and notice all the connections, children with teachers, staff with parents and to appreciate the richness that comes to our school as a result.

Our journey into person-centred thinking takes a big new step in January, as we welcome our new Personalisation Manager, Lyn Byatt. As a large school we recognise that personalisation needs to be the golden thread that runs through everything we do. Throughout January, we will be hosting training from HSA on person-centred thinking and planning and are looking forward to sharing practice with other schools, in and around Milton Keynes. More news on this next time!

For now, a very merry Christmas and all good wishes for a peaceful New Year!

This year I again have the privilege of joining our Year 6 team to teach a literacy set. It's one of the best parts of every day for me - a fantastic time with children, a chance to teach and, perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to learn from a group of children who have straightforward views of the world, routed in innocence but displaying a crude wisdom. I love it!

As a team we want our children to attain at the highest level, to be all they can be. This is the exciting part for us, but it is always tempered by the pressure of ever more challenging targets which never seem to consider the individual. For us the SATs process has always presented a dichotomy - we are firmly committed to every child achieving the very best they can but struggle with that judgment being made at such a young age on one day in the year. SATs restrict our opportunity to take account of our children's individual strengths, which may not be in line with traditional views, and point us to a "one size fits all" pathway. At times it seems to be the antithesis of person centred thinking. So here's my question - can person centred thinking help us positively face the 'S' word … SATs?!!

Facing this question we decided to use a person centred thinking tool in our weekly meeting - the doughnut. Once Ross had overcome his disappointment at not finding a sticky jam-filled treat awaiting him, we all got stuck in and tackled our core responsibilities in supporting high attainment for all our children, the aspects where we can use our creativity and judgment and the areas that are not our responsibility. The discussion around these areas was positive and enlightening and has resulted in far greater clarity of thinking for each member of the team. We all feel we know the way forward, both as a team and as individuals teaching our particular sets. We plan to revisit how our 'doughnut' is helping by using '4 plus 1 questions' in a future meeting.

Watch this space…!

This last month we have seen the arrival of our new intake of Reception-age children. Every year we seem to say "Are they really old enough?" as they troop in with uniform they will grow into, a book bag and lunch box that appear as though they were made for giants and eyes as big as saucers. This year is no exception!

There are, however, changes afoot this year - not in the children but in our approach to facilitating a successful settling in period. The use of person-centred thinking has influenced the way in which staff and parents have approached the start of primary school life for the children.

The first two weeks of each school year are spent visiting the children in their own homes - this is a much valued part of the relationship building process as it places the child in charge, in the setting where they feel comfortable. This year for the first time, staff have used 'important to/important for' to shape their thinking and ensure that they gather the right information to help us provide the best start for each individual child. Not only has this resulted in more focused information gathering, that information has also had a richness and depth which has contributed to a safe, well supported and happy start to school life for the children.

This year we have a much higher proportion of children in Foundation Stage with varying communication needs - social, speech and language. Important to/Important for has been an essential tool to get us all thinking about the individual child but it has been very clear that for some children this is not enough. Staff have therefore begun to compile communication charts - a powerful and simple way to record how a child communicates.

Crucially this is leading to a consistent approach from all staff, not just FS staff but the wider school population who come into contact with the children, no matter how frequent (or infrequent) that may be. For our children who do not communicate with the spoken word, this is so important if we are to understand and respect what they are trying to communicate to us.

This year I again have the privilege of being part of the Year 6 teaching team, playing a small role in teaching one of the literacy sets. Next time, how the team are using person centred approaches to help us meet individual learning needs across the wide ability spectrum.

The new academic year has begun and we really have hit the ground running - our new children in Foundation are arriving daily and this has really focused staff on the need to quickly get to know the children as individuals, their strengths, their likes, what works for them and what doesn't.

With this in mind, we devoted our first staff training session to developing an understanding of one page profiles. For some of our staff this was a revisit to the process and its importance for our school. For our new teachers, it was a revelation - the majority knew nothing about one page profiles but, very quickly, all could see how much this process would contribute to our commitment to personalising learning for all our children.

One of the things we have realised as our journey into person centred thinking has developed is the need for this to be a thread running through all we do in school, not just something we produce for reviews, certain cohorts of children or in response to an individual crisis. So how has this realisation transferred into action?

Well, over this year we plan for all our children to be supported to develop their own one page profiles. However, we realised, in a 'physician heal thyself' moment, that we needed to embed personalisation in the wider life of the school. So, first step .... one page profiles for all our staff, beginning with our teachers. The examples shown here drew into sharp focus the acute differences within our teaching staff - we are united behind a common aim and ethos, but are very different beasts. What makes one teacher tick would drive another crazy - the support we all need as individuals varies enormously and this all adds to the rich tapestry that is Oxley Park Academy.

All our teachers are now proud owners of one page profiles but this part of our journey does not end there. Our Headteacher realised that the richness of the information contained in this simple document provides more insight into what drives our teachers and what support they need in order to be the very best they can be, more than any previous documentation we have had. Autumn term sees all teachers having their performance management and personal development interviews. This year they will come armed only with their one page profiles and we firmly believe that this will facilitate a far more informed, realistic and most importantly personalised programme for development for each teacher. So much better for the individual, so much better for the school.

Next time … news of how we are using some key person centred tools to meet the emerging needs of our newest pupils.

As we come to the end of another school year it is always good to take time to reflect - what's working, what's not working? For sure one of the outstanding successes has been our move to person centred reviews for our children with Statements of SEN. Let me tell you about Zach's journey …

Zach has been an Oxley Parker for two years and is a valued and important member of our school. He was the first pupil to have a pupil centred review at Oxley Park - the success of this led to the reviews becoming part of our whole school Strategic Plan. A year on and we find ourselves at Zach's second pupil centred review. It was brilliant to see his 2011 invitation as it represented the incredible progress journey he has been on this year. Last year one element that was 'not working' was Zach's writing - this became an agreed agenda for action and a huge effort over this year on the part of teachers, Zach's parents and most especially Zach has resulted in fantastic progress in his independent writing. Last year Zach traced over his name at the end of his invitation - this year (as you can see) he wrote over half of his invitation - amazing!

As I reflect further on this last year a number of pupils spring to mind, all of whom face varying challenges in life and learning. Consideration of differing aspects within person centred planning has had so much impact on the lives of these pupils. None more so than Joshua...

This week Joshua was presented with the first HSA Award for Progress through Person Centred Learning at the prizegiving ceremony at Oxley Park Academy (we converted on 1 July - a whole different story!). Joshua has a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder - he came to our school because his parents were passionate about having him educated in a mainstream school, our school. Joshua's journey has been immense - initially he was only able to cope with school life with a highly structured routine in a 1:1 room outwith his classroom; we were not sure he would cope with mainstream education. He was frequently found running around the school, apparently out of control but actually just trying to make sense of his surroundings. Over this academic year we have revisited key elements of his person centred planning on a monthly basis- what's important to Joshua NOW, what support does Joshua need to stay healthy and safe, what's working/not working. This has allowed us to tweak his provision gradually but significantly and the change in Joshua and his learning environment has been truly astounding. He is now back in his classroom learning alongside his peers, he is now reading and writing, he has a close circle of friends and LOVES being a part of Otters' class.  He faces daily challenges but overcomes them with the support identified as essential in his person centred plan. His progress has been amazing - he is a very worthy winner of this fabulous award sponsored by HSA. Not a dry eye in the house - enjoy the photo!

Next time ... how have our teachers responded personally to the challenge of "person centred planning is not just for reviews"? ...

This year we have been implementing Pupil Centred Reviews for all our children with Statements of SEN, in place of the more traditional approach to Annual Reviews. For our parents this has been a big change and it has taken careful introduction and facilitation to give them security in the process. From the outset they loved the concept of their child being present for the review so that thoughts and discussions were about a 'real' person rather than one depicted on paper. Most importantly the fact their child had a voice at the actual review was seen as a massive step forward.

Charlie's review was a fantastic example of a very wide range of people working together to map the best way forward for the child. Charlie is a delightful, resilient young man who marches through life with enormous determination and enthusiasm despite the complexity of his needs. Charlie is registered blind, has bilateral conductive hearing loss and has a rare congenital condition - osteoporosis. As you can see from his 'Like and Admire' record at the review, there is a lot to like and admire about Charlie!

Charlie, like all our children, sent out his own invitations to the review (see right) - beautifully brailed by Charlie and scribed by his Teaching Assistant. This is a fantastic way of highlighting the child as the owner of the review. All our children create their own invitations, address them and take them to the local post box as part of the preparation for the review. Along with choosing their own music for the mingling times and their trip to the local shop to buy their choice of snacks and drinks for the review (there have been interesting selections over the year!) our children feel, and are, very much in charge of their review day.

Standing back during Charlie's review and reflecting on the process as it was underway, I felt a real sense of how right this process is for our children. They deserve the very best in the provision we make for them and provision can only be best when the child is fully involved in the process. For Charlie this meant the review was a real blend of basic pen on paper, Charlie's Scooby Doo toys and high tech CCTV equipment to allow Charlie to access and contribute. However, by far the most important element was the depth of discussion and the richness of information that emerged during the review, all of which has contributed to a firmly pupil focused action plan in which all of us involved with Charlie know who is going to do what and by when.

Next time …. how things have progressed for Zach (our first pupil centred review) as he comes up to his second pupil centred review.