Welcome to siforms.org.uk, the on-line home of e-mail discussion forums for the SI community of practice in the UK.
There are five forums in our family:
The Deaf Education UK Forum is moderated by Teresa Quail (National Executive Officer) of BATOD.
What is the Deaf Education UK Forum?
A platform to share good practice and seek solutions to the challenges of the profession. The Deaf Education UK Forum is an e-mail discussion list. Messages posted to the forum, via email, are automatically sent to all members.
The purpose is to enable professionals associated with deaf education to exchange good practice, ask questions and discuss issues of current interest. The conversations are open to QToDs, ToDs, Speech and Language Therapists, SENCOs, audiologists, audiology technicians, support staff – anyone who may have pertinent questions and comments to share within the wide field of deaf education.
The HoSS Forum is moderated by Lindsey Rousseau of NatSIP.
What is the HoSS Forum?
The HoSS (Heads of Sensory Services for Children and Young People) Forum is an e-mail discussion list for Heads of VI, HI and MSI Support Services for Children and Young People, and others with senior management responsibilities in this aspect of specialist work. Messages posted to the forum, via email, are automatically sent to all members.
The purpose is to share ideas and information. It is not appropriate that every team member of a SI service is a member of the HoSS forum. The Head of Service can circulate the information as required.
The Lead QToD (Resource Provisions) Forum is moderated by Teresa Quail (National Executive Officer) of BATOD.
What is the Lead QToD (Resource Provisions) Forum?
A platform to share good practice and seek solutions to the challenges of the role of leader of a resource provision. The LeadQToD(RP) is an e-mail discussion list for qualified teachers of deaf children and young people (QToDs) who are responsible for the management of a resource provision. Messages posted to the forum, via email, are automatically sent to all members.
The purpose is to enable Lead QToDs to exchange good practice, ask questions and discuss issues of current interest. The value of the forum lies in the ease and openness with which individual Lead QToDs can ask questions about working practice, developments specific to specialist resource provisions, and share information and experience. The forum should inform strategic planning and development for resource provisions.
The MSI-Deafblindness Forum is moderated by Caireen Sutherland.
What is the MSI-Deafblindness Forum?
The MSI-Deafblindness Forum is an e-mail discussion list for people with a professional role in the education of children and young people with MSI/deafblindness. Messages posted to the forum, via email, are automatically sent to all members.
The purpose is to share good practice, to ask and share questions and queries, and to disseminate research, information and ideas relating to Deafblindness. It is chiefly related to education and learning.
The VI Forum is moderated by Nina Philipps of the RNIB.
What is the VI Forum?
The VI Forum is an e-mail discussion list for education professionals: Qualified Teachers of Vision Impairment (QTVIs), Habilitation specialists and other associated professionals working with children and young people with vision impairment to share good practice and seek solutions to the challenges of the profession.
The purpose is to enable those who work with children and young people to ask questions and discuss issues of current interest. The conversations are also open to other VI professionals – anyone who may have pertinent questions and comments to share, e.g. access to examinations, curriculum issues and modification into Braille..
About the SI Forums
The SI Community Forums were originally provided by BECTA, and then hosted by the DfE, until July 2019, when the DfE finally withdrew their servers.
NatSIP provided an interim solution during extended DfE server downtime during 2018-19 for the HoSS Forum, to keep communication flowing to Heads of SI Services. In October 2019 NatSIP offered a permanent solution to the wider SI community, with four forums live on the new platform in November 2019, initially supported by DfE through Whole School SEND/nasen.
There are now five forums in the family, with the addition of the Lead QToD (Resource Provisions) Forum in February 2022.
Subscription to any of the five SI Community Forums is free. Colleagues, who meet the eligibility criteria, are encouraged to subscribe to more than one of the five forums.
The SI Community Forums project was founded, created and is powered by NatSIP, which has taken on the running and technical management of the SI Forums Platform.