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Running SNJ takes time and money. As volunteers, we don’t mind spending time making the site as useful as possible, but we need your help to keep it online. We …
Poor advice for Post-16: Why Katie & Harvey Price’s long hunt for a suitable college is far from unique
with Ruth Perry, Senior Policy Manager at Natspec We’re approaching the 31st March deadline for updated Education, Health and Care Plans for young people heading towards post-16 SEND provision. Last …
Free back-to-school legal WEBINAR! What to do if your child’s SEND education rights are denied when schools fully-reopen
WEBINAR: What to do if your child’s SEND education rights are denied when schools fully-reopen When: Monday March 1st What time: 8pm Cost: FREE, but register quickly, places limited Our …
SNJ’s 10-point “Grab & Go” version of the DfE’s Back-to-School Guidance for SEND learners
With the news that it’s “everyone* in school/college” from March 8th, until at least lockdown 4, the Department for Education has once again issued separate operational guidance for schools and …
Ombudsman responds to our #ProvisionDenied report with news of a COVID team
Last Friday we published our report #ProvisionDenied, that showed children and young people with SEND have had their needs and education “pushed to one side, for the convenience of the …
Provision denied: Children with SEND have had their needs and education “pushed to one side, for the convenience of the majority.”
Special Needs Jungle survey shows a widespread failure to restore disabled children’s SEND provision when children returned to school in the Autumn Term 2020. 45 recommendations sourced from parents’ comments …
Top Teaching Tips for Children with SEND
This post is sponsored by Tutor House As lockdown continues and many parents are still struggling to teach their child with additional needs, Elise Pearce from Tutor House gives us …
Why does every school need to know about Whole School SEND? And how you can help
with Alex Grady, Whole School SEND Have you heard of Whole School SEND? If you’re a keen reader you certainly will be, after our posts and conversations with former director …
Can you help Josh fix children’s social care? His review is calling for your advice
Last month, the long-awaited review of children’s social care was launched. It is being led by ‘social entrepreneur’, Josh McAlister, the founder and chief executive of the charity, Frontline, a …
SEND researchers identify key lessons for teaching children with special education needs in lockdown
We’ve just launched our new report (PDF link) with Nuffield (Amy Skipp, Vicky Hopwood & Rob Webster With Jenna Julius & Dawson McLean, NFER February 2021), on special education during …
Why is He Still Here? Book giveaway
Today we’re offering a free copy of a new book written by the youngest author that we have featured so far on Special Needs Jungle. Max Toper is an eighteen-year-old …
Ofsted: Two-thirds of disabled children “disengaged” from remote learning, while less than half of schools offer extra help
New research from Ofsted has revealed that fewer than half (46%) of teachers surveyed said their school offered any additional remote learning arrangements for pupils with SEND. Nearly two-thirds of …
Neurodevelopmental Neurodiversity Network: A collaboration to advance understanding of neurodevelopment and neurodiversity
A short while ago I happened upon a website for something called the Neurodevelopmental Neurodiversity Network, which being autistic myself, immediately piqued my interest. Its website describes it as “an interdisciplinary …
If we truly want effective SENCOs, the government must act to make it possible
The Special Needs Jungle Coronavirus Survey sought the views and experiences of over a thousand parents and carers of children and young people with SEND between 3-30th June 2020. The National …
How the National Tutoring Programme can be a powerful tool to help SEND pupils during lockdown
with Robbie Coleman, Secretariat Director, National Tutoring Programme. You are almost certain to have heard of the National Tutoring Programme, set up to help pupils catch up after the lock coronavirus …
How to reclaim a positive mental attitude while parenting in a pandemic
Happy New Year (if it’s not too late to say that)… But it’s more like out of the frying pan into the fire in another national lockdown. This time, the …
Lockdown 3: What does it mean for the rights of children with SEND?
with Hayley Mason, SNJ SEND legal columnist So here we are again, the whole country in full lockdown and back to those “heady days” of home education (although many never …
More parents seeking children’s mental health support in pandemic, with growing pessimism over support delays
We need to look out for ourselves and others as Child and Adolescent Mental Health waiting times increase warn Karen Wespieser MBE & Dr Jo Taylor As we plunge into …
Your gratitude messages that blew us away after a nightmare year
Renata Blower & Tania Tirraoro are full of gratitude This has not been the year any of us were expecting. For most, it’s been an unrelenting nightmare, especially for those …
Changing lives through Boccia
Opportunities for disabled young people to participate in sport can be limited, either because expensive specialist equipment is needed or inclusive sports clubs are few and far between. Boccia is …
Blockbusting: What’s Happened to the £780m in Extra SEND Funding?
In 2019, the Government announced the biggest increase in school funding in years – a three-year funding programme, pumping an extra £2.6bn into the schools budget in 2020, and pledging to increase …