The SENte Centre programme

A range of new initiatives are currently obliging schools to re-evaluate the inclusive use of technology to support pupils’ learning. The statutory expectations arise from:

• the Every Child Matters agenda
• the new Ofsted inspection framework
• the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Inclusion Quality Mark.

Managing change demands new approaches and practices. These in turn require an institutional commitment to continuing professional development (CPD). Ensuring inclusion is a development issue for all staff as it relates to all pupils. The SENte (SEN Technology Enrichment) Centre programme is an important national initiative that addresses these challenges.

Aims of the programme

The SENte Centre programme provides a framework for special schools to collaborate with their mainstream partners through CPD. All the necessary resources and full support are provided, and SENte Centres can also derive a valuable source of income by providing training to other schools in their area.

The Government white paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All emphasises the key role that special schools can play in driving up standards in SEN provision in all schools. The SENte Centre programme can help schools achieve this aim by:

• promoting good practice in the use of ICT to support inclusion in all schools
• helping special schools to support, and develop partnerships with, mainstream schools
• providing high-quality training for staff in both mainstream and special schools.

What are SENte Centres?

SENte Centres are schools that are accredited by the Cambridge Institute of Technology (INTEC), in conjunction with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) and Pearson Information, to run important development programmes with their own staff and staff from other local schools. The rest of this site contains more information about the course, existing SENte Centres, and how your school could benefit from becoming a SENte Centre.

The SENte (SEN Technology Enrichment) Centre programme was formerly called the SENSE (SEN Support Enrichment) Centre programme. It is in no way connected with the UK deafblind charity Sense. For information on the excellent work done by Sense, please see www.sense.org.uk.

SENte Update

For the most up-to-date information on events in the SENte Centre programme, you can download the SENte Update newsletter. (Adobe Reader is needed to read this file. If you do not have Adobe Reader, it can be downloaded here.)