'Championing the rights of children'

Why should you join the FLSE... or re-new your membership for that matter?

A message from the Chief Executive of the FLSE...

Skip to just join or renew your membership...

Whilst I do hope that you will either join, or renew your membership, (whichever is applicable), I take nothing for granted and would like to take this opportunity to make you aware of the work that the FLSE is currently involved with, what we have been doing over the last 12 months, what our future plans are, and more importantly… what the real benefits are that you, as a member, can receive and take advantage of through the FLSE.

Please take the time to read this, which will hopefully make your decision easier at this time...

One of our key goals has always been to ensure that the ‘Collective Voice’ of our members is heard and that any issues and concerns you have are indeed raised and discussed with the key policy makers.

Effectively, this means ensuring that the FLSE achieves another of its goals, which is to be a forum for communication, and to facilitate this activity between our members themselves, and between our members and the key decision makers and policy makers within education.

Everything we continue to do is about promoting the aims of the FLSE and being able to communicate more effectively with our members, as well as seeking their (your) input into everything we do, which will always be for the benefit of others.

To enable this, we have substantially improved our methods of communication – starting with the launch of our new website earlier this year.

The website is an ongoing development programme in itself and is evolving into a true ‘portal of information’, providing our members with far greater access to information about what is happening in the world of special education.

We’re not there yet, but as I said, it’s an evolving programme, and with your help and continued support, we will be able to carry on this work on your behalf.

Hopefully, you have already taken the opportunity to have a good look, but currently the website provides:

  • News - All the latest news and updates in the education world
  • Blogs – not just from the FLSE, but also from Ofsted, NAHT and I CAN… with more to follow
  • DfE Consultations - Automatic feed on latest consultations coming from the DfE, with the opportunity for you, as a member of the FLSE, to provide your feedback on these
  • Document Bank – A wealth of information provided by the FLSE, our members, and other organisations – which is all about sharing information – and we need more from you, our members
  • Feedback Area – Giving you the opportunity to leave your feedback on a variety of current topics and consultations eg: Salt report, Lamb Inquiry, Teachers Pay and Conditions
  • Links – A continually growing databank of statutory bodies, SEN organisations and professional bodies, as well as links to many other organisations
  • Regions – Information on all the FLSE regions around the country. For example we have new Chairs in the East Midlands, West Midlands and Yorks and Humberside regions, thus capitalising on the good work that has already been achieved, and ensuring that this continues
  • Forum – one of our next developments… coming soon

Email Marketing
We are now providing weekly news updates to all our members… with all the current news from the education world, including from the DfE, Ofsted, the NAHT and others, as well as (of course) from the FLSE

Working with others…
Much of our work is all about developing a closer working relationship with many of the other professional bodies and associations within special education, which currently includes nasen, Engage, SSAT, Short Stay Schools, BATOD, NAHT and Hays Education, all of whom sit within the framework of our National Executive Steering Group  - enabling discussion and information sharing on matters of general and mutual interest.

The ultimate objective of course is to understand how we can work more closely together for the greater good, and ensure that we identify where closer cooperation and collaboration on key SEN issues and activities will provide a greater opportunity to enact change, particularly when working collectively rather than independently.

For example, we have initiated discussions with the NAHT, nasen and SSAT, together with the DfE, about holding a 'SEND Summit' in 2011 - an idea that is gathering pace.

Ofsted
We have initiated six monthly reviews with Ofsted, meeting with Christine Gilbert and Janet Thompson, to discuss current activities and issues, school inspections, and many other matters. This is our opportunity to raise questions put to us from our membership. Recent discussions have included:

  • 3 year inspections for special schools (as opposed to 5 years for mainstream)
  • School inspections - data and analysis
  • SEN Review
  • Ofsted survey reports

We have just had our most recent meeting at Ofsted, (details of which will soon be posted on the FLSE website), and the next review is scheduled for January.

Department for Education (DfE)
We are also currently looking to initiate regular reviews with the Department for Education, particularly with Sarah Teather, the Children’s Minister who has responsibility for SEN.

In consultation with our members and the DfE, clearly ‘cuts’ pose the biggest possible threat for many of our member's schools, and everyone is aware of the new dictate of 'more for less'!

The government has already announced major cutbacks and we know that Becta will be closed by November 2010, and other bodies such as the QCDA, and National Curriculum will also cease to exist. National Strategies we knew was going in 2011 anyway. Other organisations such as the National College and CWDC have also seen significant budget cuts.

We will be working in close consultation with the government and our members on the 'hot' topics of the day, which currently include:

  • Cancellation of the BSF programme - and how this affects many member's schools
  • The new schools building programme - and what this actually means - and to whom
  • Academies
  • Free Schools

Again, as with all reviews we hold with both policy makers and the inspectorate, this gives us the opportunity to speak on behalf of our members – to raise their (your) questions, issues and concerns, and elicit responses, but most importantly ensure that these bodies now recognise that the FLSE is the focal point and spokesperson of many schools around the country, and that we do now have a 'collective' powerful voice.

Business Services
A key part of the FLSE in the future will be to work with a variety of organisations in order to be able to offer our members a range of services that would be both of interest and benefit to their schools.

A number of companies have already been approached and more detailed discussions are underway, and we hope to be making some announcements on this in the near future.

Summary
All our activities have one principal objective, which is to raise the profile and awareness of the FLSE, develop greater co-operation and collaboration with the statutory education bodies and other professional organisations and associations within the SEND sector, and continue to attract new members to the Federation.

There is so much going on at the moment, but it’s all about one thing, and one thing alone – COMMUNICATION!

Ensuring that we communicate more effectively with our members, and provide them with the means to communicate more effectively with us – so that we are truly able to engage with our members and ensure that your voice is heard by the very people that need to hear it. Only then can we begin to enact change.

But to do this, and everything else we want to do, requires your continued support through membership of the FLSE.

Moving forward, we will continue to assess other opportunities to increase our profile, attract funding, increase our membership, and give the FLSE the credibility and position it needs to fulfil its role within special education.

If you have any questions you would like to raise, then please do let me know by sending me an email to garry.steele@flse.org.uk and I will happily respond.

To join or to renew your membership…
See below where you can select to join or renew as required, and you can then download either a membership registration or a renewal form, which also includes the fees rates.

We look forward to receiving your application, and to working closely with you and your school in the future.

Garry Steele
Chief Executive
FLSE  

Benefits to Members

Being a member of the FLSE will bring a number of benefits, but most importantly this will be about being a part of a substantially growing organisation that is becoming a significant player in the SEND sector...

And apart from all of this, the key benefits can easily be summarised as follows: 

  • A close working relationship with the DfE and a direct line of communication to ministers

  • Contributing to an independent powerful lobbying group working on behalf of SEND

  • Opportunity to address regional priorities through collaborative initiatives

  • Being part of a national supportive network of SEND colleagues

  • Active participation in regional and national conferences and training events

To Become a Member

The all new online membership registration system is coming soon.

But for now, you have to do it the old fashioned way - by downloading the membership form below, filling it out and sending it back to us.

Thank you

NB: The Membership form has changed as of August 2010, so please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version.

To Renew your Membership

Unfortunately you still have to renew your membership the old fashioned way - by downloading the membership renewal form below, filling it out and sending it back to us.

Thank you

NB: The Membership Renewal form has changed as of August 2010, so please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version.