SEND Huh: curriculum conversations with SEND leaders

(Paperback)

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Huh is the Egyptian god of endlessness, creativity, fertility and regeneration. He is the deity Mary Myatt and John Tomsett have adopted as their god of the curriculum. Their Huh series of books focuses on how practitioners design the curriculum for the young people in their schools.
The Huh project is founded on conversations with colleagues doing great work across the education sector. In SEND Huh, Mary Myatt and John Tomsett discuss curriculum provision for pupils with additional needs with some of the leading experts in the field.
Mary and John interviewed pupils, parents, teachers, headteachers, CEOs, educational consultants and lecturers. They then edited the transcriptions of those interviews to provide an ambitious, thoughtful, nuanced and challenging vision of what the best possible provision looks like for children with additional learning needs.
The challenging conversations that comprise SEND Huh paint an inspiring picture that is hugely hopeful for the future of SEND curriculum provision in our schools.

Reviews

I simply adore this book. It rams home that being inclusive is not an excuse for low expectations. Instead of being an afterthought when it comes to curriculum, children with additional needs become drivers for what a well-rounded curriculum is for all young people. Curriculum decisions are about building and accelerating learning, and the years of the deficit model of SEND should be put to bed by one reading of this latest book in Myatt and Tomsett's powerful Huh series. * Vic Goddard, co-principal, Passmores Academy and CEO of Passmores Cooperative Learning Community *
SEND Huh weaves together a sophisticated and thoughtful narrative of lived experiences from a wide range of contributors from every corner of the sector. It's not often that a non-fiction book has such a profound effect on me. I found myself thinking about it days after, contemplating the nuance, mulling over the complexity, grappling with the challenges and acknowledging the rallying cry to ensure our pupils with additional needs receive an ambitious education that enables them to thrive. * Kathryn Morgan, senior capacity improvement advisor, TSHC *
There is something very special in education, and that is the care and clarity with which the contributors in SEND Huh speak about the young people in their communities, and the work they and their colleagues do to smash blunt blanket presumptions, remove obstacles and champion all children. The knowledge and wisdom of the contributors encourages us all to recognise that there is so much to learn about provision, practice, curriculum and attitudes towards supporting children with additional needs. We will all teach children who will need something additional or different; knowing what or how can often be a challenge. This book meets colleagues where they are in their journey of understanding the what and the how, and encourages us to look with fresh eyes at the research, the reality and the joyful rewards of teaching and learning from children with additional needs. * Emma Turner, deputy director of education, BDMAT *

Author Bio

Mary Myatt is an education adviser, writer and speaker. She trained as an RE teacher and is a former local authority adviser and inspector. She engages with pupils, teachers and leaders about learning, leadership and the curriculum. Mary has written extensively about leadership, school improvement and the curriculum. Her books include: High Challenge, Low Threat; Hopeful Schools; The Curriculum: Gallimaufry to Coherence; Back on Track; Huh: curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders; and Primary Huh: curriculum conversations with subject leaders in primary schools with John Tomsett. She has established Myatt & Co, an online platform with films for ongoing professional development, and the Huh Academy with John Tomsett. Mary has been a governor in three schools and a trustee for a multi-academy trust. She maintains that there are no quick fixes and that great outcomes for pupils are not achieved through tick boxes. www.marymyatt.com Twitter: @MaryMyatt John Tomsett taught for 33 years in state schools and was a teaching secondary headteacher for 18 years. He writes a blog called This Much I Know and has written extensively about school leadership. He has published nine books: Love Over Fear: creating a culture for truly great teaching; Mind Over Matter: improving mental health in our schools; Putting Staff First: a blueprint for revitalising our schools (with Jonny Uttley); An Angler's Journal; Cognitive Apprenticeship in Action (editor); Huh: curriculum conversations between subject and senior leaders; Primary Huh: curriculum conversations with subject leaders in primary schools; Primary Huh 2: primary curriculum leadership conversations; and SEND Huh: curriculum conversations with SEND leaders (all with Mary Myatt). John is currently working on his next book with Mary, called Alternative Provision Huh: curriculum conversations with AP leaders. He maintains that the best thing for our students is that our teachers are happy, healthy, well-qualified, highly motivated, hard-working, well-trained experts. Consequently, he believes we should put staff first. He is now engaged in supporting the next generation of school leaders and teachers.