How The Wave Project makes surfing possible for disabled children
With Ian Bennett, The Wave Project A decade ago, I wrote here about a young Cornwall charity that was helping vulnerable young people find their feet—and get them wet—learning to …
Top tips for introducing a School Dog to help your students
with Cherryl Drabble, SEND educator Support and animals can have a very beneficial effect on children with additional needs or who have experienced trauma. But not every child who needs …
Helping Businesses Become More Inclusive with SEND Session Guides
with Dan Hughes I don’t think that there are many people reading this that would argue that inclusivity isn’t beneficial to everyone, but sometimes being exclusive is the best way …
Why the Down Syndrome Act ‘call for evidence’ is also relevant for people with other genetic conditions
Government consultations are like buses. No sooner has one gone by, than another arrives. In the same week the SEND Review consultation closed, the Department for Health & Social Care …
Special Needs Jungle’s #SENDReview Consultation response
A short post to share with you the SNJ SEND Review Green paper consultation response. It was quite a mammoth effort, weaving all the views we have published here over …
Falling Through the Cracks: How children with SEND struggle to access early years education
with Catherine McLeod, Dingley’s Promise Today we’re hearing from Catherine McLeod from Dingley’s Promise, a charity trying to drive change for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in …
Using a different lens for neurodivergent children: Don’t treat them as younger, give them the tools to achieve
A little while ago someone on my Facebook posted a meme that supposedly showed the functional age of a child with ADHD according to their chronological age. The meme contained …
#SENDReview: National standards plans are an assault on the rights and entitlements of children and young people with SEND
One of the main, and most worrying, proposals in the SEND Green Paper is the introduction of National Standards. Some in the SEND sector are in favour of National Standards …
Quince back on board with SEND as the Education Committee sends a shot across the bows
It’s finally been confirmed that Will Quince MP will continue to have political responsibility for SEND, and the SEND Review, following last week’s ministerial resignation/reshuffle that saw him promoted to …
Without detailed plans for its planned “Inclusion Dashboards”, the DfE is navigating towards an Inclusion Illusion
I don’t mean to show off, but my car has a very fancy dashboard. As well as the standard features – speedometer, odometer, petrol gauge – it can, with a …
How will the new ‘Universal SEND Services’ programme help for learners with SEND?
with Amanda Wright, Deputy Head of Whole School SEND Earlier this year, The Department for Education announced a funding service to improve SEND training in school and further education workforce, …
Legal action launched against #SENDReview Consultation, over “misleading” disability discrimination Tribunal question
It’s all happening isn’t it? As Nadhim Zahawi scarpers to No11 (don’t let the door to Sanctuary Buildings hit you on the way out, love), the new (probably temporary) appointee, …
Are new SEND financial accountability measures compatible with lawful SEND provision?
Accountability. Ask most SEND parents, and that’s what they’ll tell you is missing from the current system. Most of the questions that parents put to Minister Will Quince at last week’s …
WEBINAR RECORDING: Will Quince MP answers YOUR questions on the #SENDReview Green Paper
If you missed, or indeed want to rewatch, our joint webinar with Children and Families Minister Will Quince on the SEND Review Green Paper we’ve now uploaded it. We’ll also …
The Teacher-Parent / Carer Team: Working together for our children by Carrie Grant
Carrie Grant MBE, SEND parent, advocate, and media personality is back to talk about her new book, “Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) in UK schools: A parent’s perspective,” — …
SNJ in Conversation podcast: Will Quince in our hot seat discussing the #SENDReview Green Paper
Yesterday, Renata and I sat down virtually with Will Quince MP, Minister for Children and Families for an episode of our video/podcast, SNJ in Conversation. As you know there is …
#SENDReview Green Paper second WEBINAR: Ask the Minister, Will Quince. Registration open!
Many of you will have attended or watched our first webinar with Children and Families Minister, Will Quince MP in March, produced jointly with NNPCF, Family Fund and Contact. Since …
SEND Stats 2022: How has the pandemic affected the numbers of pupils with SEND?
It’s the middle of June, and that means the Department for Education (DfE) has just published its annual set of statistics on special educational needs in England. You can find …
The legal implications of the #SENDReview: WEBINAR RECORDING
If you didn’t manage to get to our webinar about the legal implications of the SEND Review Green Paper, fear not! We’ve uploaded the recording to our YouTube channel and …
And yet another SEND consultation, this time: EHCP Annual review timescales
Consultations are, it seems, like buses. You wait two years for one, then three come along at once. Or, in the case of this new consultation about EHCP annual reviews, …